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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > June > 30 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USDriesell happy to see football at Georgia State
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Long before Georgia State officially had a football program, folks already were suggesting that Georgia State should have a football program.
Just take it from Lefty Driesell, the man who gave Georgia State that big-time attitude in athletics after he arrived in 1997 with his accomplished credentials as a college basketball coach. He made Panthers hoops relevant in the land of Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets during most of his five-plus seasons on campus, but it mattered only to a point. He discovered the truth, and that is, there always is that pigskin thing in the air around here.
“I remember one time we went to a basketball something at a sports club (in the state of Georgia), I don’t know, somebody put it on, and they had little footballs on the table,” said Driesell, over the phone on Monday from his summer home in Bethany Beach, Del. “I made a joke out of it, and said, ‘Hey, this is a basketball banquet, not a football banquet. It just told you that it is a great football area.”
Maybe too great. That pigskin thing in the air has combined with Driesell’s basketball success at Georgia State to cause university officials to get carried away. He retired in January 2003 with a record of 103-59 that included a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament after winning 29 games for the 2000-2001 season.
Now Georgia State has come out of nowhere to invent a I-AA football program that will compete in the Colonial Athletic Association starting in 2010. With former Falcons coach Dan Reeves as the point man, university officials spent a year raising more than $1 million in pledges. They later enticed the student-faculty committee to raise the activity fee $85 per semester. Then they hired college coaching veteran Bill Curry. “So they’re going to play (home games) in the Georgia Dome?” said Driesell, with a slight chuckle. “I don’t know how they can afford that.”
Driesell wondered about Georgia State’s ability to fund football, period, especially since he said, “In basketball, you’ve got 13 uniforms that cost maybe $75 apiece, and most of them are free from Nike or somebody. In football, you’ve got all of those players on the team, and then you’ve got to buy pads and cleats and, well, you know what I’m saying.”
Here’s what Driesell isn’t saying: That the Panthers shouldn’t play football. He said they should. Then again, he has to say as much, because he set the foundation for all of this. After joining the Panthers following celebrated stints at Davidson, Maryland and James Madison, he kept promoting this crazy idea that a massive commuter school in the middle of a southern city could do wonderful things in sports.
“They say location is important in real estate, and that’s also true in athletics,” Driesell said. “I liked Georgia State’s possibilities because it is in Atlanta, and Georgia State is a big, state university in which you can get about any major you want there. So I could see it doing well for recruiting in basketball, and the same goes for football recruiting.
“People love football down there. They’ve got Bill Curry, and that was a great choice for them. Then you’ve got Georgia State with 30,000 students. I mean, there probably are some pretty good football players already there.”
The Panthers will need them, along with fans. And a few more pennies wouldn’t hurt their cause, either.
Comments
By James Crumbley
July 1, 2008 7:20 AM | Link to this
So…is this a football program for marketing purposes and exposure? Or, is it a program that will give inner city kids another choice of where to play other than Ga. Southern? Maybe it’s a pride thing; let’s keep up with the Jones (UGA/Tech)? Could it be peer pressure? “You’ll be cool if you do.” The most likely scenario? It’s a conspiracy by Dan Reeves and Bill Curry (two great guys/coaches) to get back into the game. I don’t get it. It’s expensive. The students are local and have tons of other entertainment options. It’s not likely to make much money, much less fund other sports. I’m not against it because I don’t care. My concern would be that most of us with some entertainment dollars too spend will feel the same way. Anyway…good luck Coach Curry. Even though I’m a UGA fan it’s great to see you get another well deserved chance to walk the sidelines.
By William R. Smith
July 1, 2008 7:38 AM | Link to this
If competition is expected for the sports dollar, I would suggest the following: ALL upper all end zone seats and upper decks seats and end zone seats in the Dome should be on sale for 5 or 6 bucks to get the folks in the door. Concessions will help too. But GT has 3-4 games a year when they do not sell out and on game day they have empty end zones for games like Wake, Duke and Troy State, etc. If GSU opts for cheap seats, they will get locals and high school kids to come into the game on the Marta trains….
just one man’s opinion. good luck to Coach Curry.
By Panther Guy
July 1, 2008 7:58 AM | Link to this
I think that football may go over well at State but I don’t like the hiring of Curry. He never impressed me as a coach with his losing record at Tech and Kentucky and a not so sterling record at Bama where it is hard for anyone to have a losing record. I also don’t expect Curry to be around more than three or four years due to his age and the pressures that go with building a program from the ground up.
By Ben Moore
July 1, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
$47,000 - That’s the tab for Saturdays at the Dome. That covers parking, security and concessions. It was a no brainer.
Georgia State will succeed and be competitive from the start. If anyone doubts that they are foolish.
We raised $1.4 million dollars with the idea of football. Now that it is official expect that number to double. The folks in Statesboro are fearful because Atlanta is a much bigger draw than Statesboro and we have more majors and more things to do.
I’ll be there to open the Dome just as I have every step of the way since 2001.
Go Panthers!
By Goldtimer
July 1, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Great story about a has-been coach in basketball talking about another washed up coach in football. Georgia State is a joke of an athletic program, they should stick to intramurals and leave it at that. There’s only enough room for one fine college program in the ATL and Georgia Tech is it. Have fun playing Sister May’s School for the blind in sports and wondering why the city doesn’t catch on.
By the anti-Goldtimer
July 1, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this
Goldtimer you’re a dope. So you’re saying the city of Atlanta only has enough room for GT fans/progranms. That’s why your programs have peeked. Atlanta is the same kind of city Philadelphia is. Yet they have many more successful athletic programs. Why can’t Atlanta have the same? Goldtimer you’re a dope.
GT fans aren’t as smart as they think they are.
Good job GSU. Keep the momentum moving forward!
Go State!
By Real GSU
July 1, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
I have an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern and three post-graduate degrees from Georgia State. I live in Carroll County. I would rather drive five hours to see the Eagles play than drive 45 minutes to see Georgia State play. I wish the Panthers well but Georgia Southern will alwyas be the real GSU in my mind! GO EAGLES!