Why Dodd why?

[MikeJackets1967]

You mean just like those great southern independent programs like South Carolina and Miami and Florida State of the same time period? WHO CARES if we won the ACC with 6, 7, or 8 wins?? What if we joined the ACC and we become the dominate team in the ACC and keep the fan base we had in the late 50's early 60's going, just imagine where we would be now?

South Carolina was in the ACC until 1970 in football(Winning the ACC Championship in 1969 with a 7-4 record) Miami had good teams from 1965-1967 going 5-4-1 in 1965,8-2-1 in 1966 and 7-4 in 1967. Ted "The Mad Stork" Hendricks was an all American at Miami 1966-1968.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I never knew Tulane was a GT rival LSU never considered them a rival in all the years that they played them.

For some reason, Dodd considered Tulane a rival, and we played them every year. Beats me as to why he thought that.

 

[tmhunter52]

De mortuis nil nisi bonum...

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

You mean just like those great southern independent programs like South Carolina and Miami and Florida State of the same time period? WHO CARES if we won the ACC with 6, 7, or 8 wins?? What if we joined the ACC and we become the dominate team in the ACC and keep the fan base we had in the late 50's early 60's going, just imagine where we would be now?

Winning would have obviously helped to maintain the fan base, but ACC teams, other than Clemson, drew no interest in Atlanta, so I doubt even being dominant in the ACC back then would have helped as much as you think.

 

[Wrecked]

For some reason, Dodd considered Tulane a rival, and we played them every year. Beats me as to why he thought that.

Maybe because they were an original Southern Conference team and they left the SEC about the time we did. For awhile they were like our fourth most played rival. Also they are a good academic school in an urban city, kinda like us. When we both went independent, it probably made sense to help us fill each others schedule

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Maybe because they were an original Southern Conference team and they left the SEC about the time we did. For awhile they were like our fourth most played rival. Also they are a good academic school in an urban city, kinda like us. When we both went independent, it probably made sense to help us fill each others schedule

But it did nothing towards making us what Dodd called "the Notre Dame of the South". We should have tried to get a home and home with ND and periodic exchanges with OSU, Mich, Texas, USC(w), etc. Those teams would have drawn national interest and filled the stadium every time we played any of them. Neither Duke nor Tulane ever brought any fans and certainly didn't generate any national interest; hell they didn't even generate much local interest.

 

[GSOJacket]

Broyles was a good coach but nothing exceptional. I don't think we would have transformed Georgia Tech football. When you think of the greatest college football coaches ever, Frank Boyles is not top of mind.

Go Jackets!

Maybe not 'top of mind' to you, but he definitely is in Arkansas. Arkansas was a football doormat before Broyles. His winning percentage was almost identical to Dodd's, and each won a national championship. Broyles' Arkansas teams won 7 of 19 SWC championships while he was coach, competing against consistently powerful Texas juggernauts.

 

[Oakland]

De mortuis nil nisi bonum...

Dang, you made me look that up.
I have to agree Dodd wasn't much of an AD. Remember Tech basketball and the pre-historic baseball stands (can't call it a stadium). Love Homer Rice, but he didn't get us into the ACC. It was Doug Weaver who moved on to be the AD at Michigan State.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

You mean just like those great southern independent programs like South Carolina and Miami and Florida State of the same time period? WHO CARES if we won the ACC with 6, 7, or 8 wins?? What if we joined the ACC and we become the dominate team in the ACC and keep the fan base we had in the late 50's early 60's going, just imagine where we would be now?

Not a possibility. Dodd/ Harrison spit in the faces of people who, although not alums, had bought GT tickets for decades by leaving the SEC. At the same time Dooley went on the road and beat Michigan. And he beat Bryant in his 2nd year at ugag. He made people in the state proud, whether we like it or not. And Dodd tied Vandy. Anyone understand what not winning a game against VANDY meant back then? And then he lost to a pitiful - pitiful - aTm team. At Grant Field.

And Dodd & the GTAA (with an elitist attitude) publicly proclaimed " we will always sell our 35,000 season tickets. Despite how good uga is or any impact from pro sports coming to Atlanta."

And, even in late 60s, people south & west of south carolina border saw ACC football as a huge joke.

Joining the ACC back then would not have helped us in the slightest retain any ticket sales.

As for Broyles, he was then at a major school where he had won a MNC. AND he had, for all purpose, NO other instate U to recruit against. Not unlike Nebraska in their heyday (except more talent in Ark & Texas).

But I believe Dickey was a better coach than Broyles.

We had him, then idiots, said we had to hire a "Tech Man."

Damn them, and also Dodds later in life ego.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

Not a possibility. Dodd/ Harrison spit in the faces of people who, although not alums, had bought GT tickets for decades by leaving the SEC. At the same time Dooley went on the road and beat Michigan. And he beat Bryant in his 2nd year at ugag. He made people in the state proud, whether we like it or not. And Dodd tied Vandy. Anyone understand what not winning a game against VANDY meant back then? And then he lost to a pitiful - pitiful - aTm team. At Grant Field.

And Dodd & the GTAA (with an elitist attitude) publicly proclaimed " we will always sell our 35,000 season tickets. Despite how good uga is or any impact from pro sports coming to Atlanta."

And, even in late 60s, people south & west of south carolina border saw ACC football as a huge joke.

Joining the ACC back then would not have helped us in the slightest retain any ticket sales.

As for Broyles, he was then at a major school where he had won a MNC. AND he had, for all purpose, NO other instate U to recruit against. Not unlike Nebraska in their heyday (except more talent in Ark & Texas).

But I believe Dickey was a better coach than Broyles.

We had him, then idiots, said we had to hire a "Tech Man."

Damn them, and also Dodds later in life ego.

ACC Football Champions 1960-1970

1960 Duke 8-3
1961 Duke 7-3
1962 Duke 8-2
1963 North Carolina 9-2 and NCSU 8-3
1964 NCSU 5-5
1965 Clemson 5-5 and NCSU 6-4
1966 Clemson 6-4
1967 Clemson 6-4
1968 NCSU 6-4
1969 South Carolina 7-4
1970 Wake Forest 6-5

 

[Skeptic]

Frank Broyles said that Bobby Dodd told him to only take a head coaching job at a State University and Frank said that Bobby told him of the problems he had at GT competing with state schools like Georgia,Tennessee,Alabama and LSU.

Look, you cannot on the one hand run a huge thread on what it means to be a Tech man, and on another grouch that Dodd put his long time player and coach and his family first, and I dare somebody to say he gave him bad advice. I believe he gave Curry similar advice about Alabama, but I just heard that story. It is hard to criticize a man for not putting one of his "boys" in the same bad spot he wound up in. Seems about half our complaints about competing involve administration and determination to win, so I think I will just continue to remember -- from books and anecdotes -- that Dodd is one of a handful of sports figures I count as personal heroes. Shoot, not even a handful. Dodd, Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax. That's it. If I added a fourth it would be Ali, but in the end, it is just sports.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Frank Broyles said that Bobby Dodd told him to only take a head coaching job at a State University and Frank said that Bobby told him of the problems he had at GT competing with state schools like Georgia,Tennessee,Alabama and LSU.

This is it in a nutshell. Why would Coach Broyles leave Arkansas the STATE university with practically unlimited recruiting tools, money, the dew eyed affection of an adoring fan base and absolutely no academic restrictions to speak of for Georgia Tech with a divided fan base (at the time), academic restrictions that were threatened, then as now, to strangle our football program, and face a looming juggernaut being created in Athens? The only possible advantage for Coach Broyles would have been unqualified support from the AD, and access to more fertile recruiting grounds in Georgia and Florida compared to Arkansas. But even that is largely negated by the Razorbacks being able to recruit in Texas. It was a no contest in the context of the times especially when our facilities were probably the absolute worst in what was then division one football. Frankly, during the 1970s and early 1980s it was nearly miraculous to be as competitive as we were. Even their schedule was arguably easier than ours except we did not have to play Texas in the old Southwest Conference. Most teams in the old Southwest Conference did little more than serve as punching bags for either Arkansas or Texas.

 

[GSOJacket]

In addition, Atlanta was becoming a pro sports town. During Dodd's glory years, Tech football was THE thing in Atlanta, but that began to change when the Falcons came to town. People talked about season ticket holders needing to die in order for others to have a shot at getting seats in the West Stands.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

For some reason, Dodd considered Tulane a rival, and we played them every year. Beats me as to why he thought that.

Because he thought he could beat them and the alternative would have been playing Ole Miss or Mississippi State both of which played in small stadiums (no money) and neither of which really moved the needle with Atlanta media or Tech fans. Besides he regarded teams like Tulane, Miami, Duke, and Vanderbilt as being most like us facing the disadvantage of not being the state university.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Did we try to gain ACC membership after we left the SEC? I know the end of Dodd and start of Dooley hurt Tech, but the history of independent, southern schools at that time wasn't great or even good.

Good question. The correct answer, I think, is NO because Coach Dodd was convinced that we could draw good crowds with an independent schedule and not have to share bowl money. Truth be told, he did not want to continue playing LSU and Alabama. At times, we played LSU, Alabama, Auburn, UGA, Tennessee, and Florida. In his mind, getting away from the Bear and Charley McClendon made it worth while.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

Because he thought he could beat them and the alternative would have been playing Ole Miss or Mississippi State both of which played in small stadiums (no money) and neither of which really moved the needle with Atlanta media or Tech fans. Besides he regarded teams like Tulane, Miami, Duke, and Vanderbilt as being most like us facing the disadvantage of not being the state university.

I remember reading that Bobby Dodd advised GT players who were having a hard time academically to either transfer to Miami or Furman. Bobby Dodd was friends with Miami head coach Andy Gustafson and Furman head coach Bob King.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

Good question. The correct answer, I think, is NO because Coach Dodd was convinced that we could draw good crowds with an independent schedule and not have to share bowl money. Truth be told, he did not want to continue playing LSU and Alabama. At times, we played LSU, Alabama, Auburn, UGA, Tennessee, and Florida. In his mind, getting away from the Bear and Charley McClendon made it worth while.

Bobby wanted to stop playing Alabama in the aftermath of the Chick Graning incident and the non-apology by Bear Bryant. Before that Bobby Dodd and Bear Bryant were friends.

 

[bobongo]

In addition, Atlanta was becoming a pro sports town. During Dodd's glory years, Tech football was THE thing in Atlanta, but that began to change when the Falcons came to town. People talked about season ticket holders needing to die in order for others to have a shot at getting seats in the West Stands.

This factor cannot be overemphasized. The Falcons and Braves had a more deleterious effect on Tech football than everything else mentioned in this thread combined.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Because he thought he could beat them and the alternative would have been playing Ole Miss or Mississippi State both of which played in small stadiums (no money) and neither of which really moved the needle with Atlanta media or Tech fans. Besides he regarded teams like Tulane, Miami, Duke, and Vanderbilt as being most like us facing the disadvantage of not being the state university.

That, however, was not the way to become "the Notre Dame of the South", which he envisioned.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

That, however, was not the way to become "the Notre Dame of the South", which he envisioned.

GT would have been better off playing FSU and Miami than Tulane and Duke