AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > August > 29 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTech-Irish always classic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
It might seem that, for all the furor about us, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame are breaking new ground this weekend, but the truth is, these two have been at it on the football field since the “Four Horsemen” were sophomores. You remember, I’m sure, Grantland Rice’s immortal lyric in 1924, composed in the icy press box of the Polo Grounds, “Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again.”
Not famine, pestilence, destruction and death as in lore, but Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden, the Irish backfield that beat mighty Army. Two weeks later, Notre Dame would win its 200th football game, and the victim was Georgia Tech. In 1928, on its way to the Rose Bowl, Georgia Tech would get its first taste of victory over the Irish, 13-0, in Atlanta. It would be 14 years before it happened again, this time in South Bend, and it was one of those games that still lingers lovingly in the minds of Tech historians. The star of the 13-6 game was a freshman, Clint Castleberry, though he never scored one of Tech’s two touchdowns, a freshman All-American who lost his life flying a bomber during World War II.
When the two teams played 11 years later, Georgia Tech was unbeaten and riding high after a national championship season. South Bend rocked. The day was dour and chilled, and the game was close until a high snap and a blocked punt turned matters the Irish way. However, something happened at halftime that is best recalled. When the Notre Dame team came back to the sideline, their coach, Frank Leahy, never came with them. When it was called to the attention of Charlie Callahan in the press box, Notre Dame’s information director, Charlie said, “Oh, no, can’t be.”
But it was, and checking with the sideline, he found out that Leahy had suffered some kind of seizure in the locker room. The game went on without him, but it would turn out to be Leahy’s last season, though unbeaten.
On a snowy day in 1959, Georgia Tech upset the Irish in South Bend when Bobby Dodd had to dig into his reservoir of quarterbacks and came up with Marvin Tibbets, who’d been raised less than 10 miles from the campus. Tibbets came off the bench, scored both touchdowns in a 14-10 game. It was the last time Tech has won in Notre Dame Stadium.
Then there was the “Rudy” game of 1975, when Notre Dame’s celebrated benchwarmer, Rudy Reuttiger tackled Georgia Tech’s Rudy Allen for a sack on the last play of another defeat for the Jackets. After which the Irish Rudy parlayed his nondescript career into a movie. Then came an improbable game the next season in which Georgia Tech beat the Irish at Grant Field without throwing a pass. It was Gary Lanier’s day, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound quarterback from Savannah, who executed Pepper Rodgers’ wishbone offense to perfection, and you can still find Gary around, raising money for the Alexander-Tharpe Fund.
Now comes the most unlikely game of them all. 1980. Notre Dame came to Grant Field ranked No. l. Georgia Tech had beaten only Memphis State, and would not win another game. Meanwhile, all eyes were centered on Jacksonville, where the Georgia-Florida game was on. That was the Buck Belue-Lindsay Scott game. Every guy wanted to cover that one. Nobody wanted to cover Tech-Notre Dame, but 41,266 paid to watch an astonishing event. Johnnie Smith kicked a field goal in the second quarter and Tech led, 3-0, until the last four minutes, when Harry Oliver kicked a wobbler that cleared the crossbar and the Irish were lucky to get away with a 3-3 tie. All the while, Georgia Tech quarterbacks had fallen like flies, until Bill Curry was down to his fourth, or maybe fifth number, a freshman named Ken Whisenhunt, later a Falcons tight end, and now offensive coordinator of the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
“All I told him to do was keep order, don’t try anything foolish and remember you’re not Johnny Unitas,” Curry said.
The two teams have met in one bowl game, the Gator Bowl of 1999, nothing of any great distinction about that one, except that Tech did win, 35-28, with 70,790 paying witnesses.
There has been a somewhat now-and-then flow of personnel traffic between the two states. One of the “Four Horsemen,” Don Miller, was an assistant to Bill Alexander at Georgia Tech in the 1920s, but retired after four years to go into law practice. Harry Mehre, the “Four Horsemen’s” first center before they became “Four Horsemen,” came to Georgia as coach from 1928 to 1937, whereupon, he later said, “They tore up my lifetime contract and declared me legally dead.” And Bill Lewis, who has coached at both Georgia and Georgia Tech, is now an assistant at Notre Dame.
It was early in 2002 that Notre Dame reached down to Georgia Tech for a new coach to follow Bob Davie, and thus developed an embarrassment to both the new employee and school. For less than a week George O’Leary was football coach at Notre Dame, a likely fit of Irish coach for the Irish. Then when it became public that his record as player and career were not what they seemed, he resigned, Notre Dame blushed and moved on, and both O’Leary, at Central Florida, and the Irish, with Charlie Weis, have done quite well since. Strange thing, that a fellow could go to Notre Dame, not play the game that nearly defines the school, and wind up as coach.
Permalink | Comments (35) | Post your comment | Categories: Furman Bisher, Tech / ACC
Comments
By GTMBA92
August 29, 2006 08:52 PM | Link to this
Actually, the 1999 Gator Bowl was a game of “great distinction” IMHO. A convincing (not as close as the score would indicate) New Year’s Day bowl win over the Irish to cap a 10-2 season, the best since 1990, and which launched Joe Hamilton’s 1999 Heisman campaign. What’s not distinctive about that??!! Why undercut one of the most siginifant wins in recent memory? because the game film is in color?
By reebok
August 29, 2006 09:12 PM | Link to this
Mr. Bisher - You are a treasure. Your knowledge of, and respect for, the history of the game are unmatched. Wonderful column, thank you for the history lesson. I can’t wait for the Jackets to flatten the Whining Irish on Saturday.
By GTGreg
August 29, 2006 11:41 PM | Link to this
Thank you for another fantastic article.
By Stinger
August 30, 2006 07:38 AM | Link to this
Like other AJC writers, the historical emphasis is on Tech’s 5 wins and 1 tie. As usual, the author fails to mention that in the 33 meetings of the 2 teams, the record is 26-5-1 (that’s ND with the 26 wins).
By Stinger
August 30, 2006 07:39 AM | Link to this
Like other AJC writers, the historical emphasis is on Tech’s 5 wins and 1 tie. As usual, the author fails to mention that in the 33 meetings of the 2 teams, the record is 26-5-1 (that’s ND with the 26 wins).
By George Church
August 30, 2006 07:45 AM | Link to this
In 1969, I was a Tech senior. If my memory serves me correctly, Tech only won 4 games that year including a 6-0 win over highly ranked GA. Tech played ND in an early November game in Atlanta on Saturday night on national tv. ND was in the top 5 and looking to move up in the polls. Tech ultimately put up a good fight but lost 38-21. Late in the game, ND was attempting to score again, calling timeouts, throwing sideline passes, etc, rather than just running out the clock, content with a 17 point victory. (I guess 45-21 sounded better than 38-21) Tech fans were not happy about coach Parseghian’s tactics and during the last 2-3 minutes, the entire stadium was chanting “GO TO HELL NOTRE DAME, GO TO HELL!!” The Tech students also rained giant mackerals down on the ND bench from the upper East stands. We Tech fans may have been poor sports but I felt our actions were justified based on ND’s tactics. I have hated ND ever since and I can’t wait for Tech to whip their a* Saturday night. GO JACKETS.
By Stinger
August 30, 2006 07:52 AM | Link to this
Church: Are you re-writing history now? You expect us to believe that because of your perception of Coach Parseghian’s tactics, you just happened to have giant mackerals with you in the stands. How many times have you used that story to justify your actions? GO IRISH
By Theo Bee
August 30, 2006 07:58 AM | Link to this
Furman, you bring a tear to the eye of a die hard Tech fan. Lanier, Whisenhunt, and Castleberry are the names that represent what the Institution is all about - overcoming adversity with hard work and belief. Castleberry’s number 19 remains Tech’s only retired football jersey; he sacrificed all on a higher playing field. May he and all who have participated in this noble series of games be remembered Saturday night.
By George Church
August 30, 2006 08:17 AM | Link to this
Actually, Stinger, we brought the mackeral and were planning to have sushi after the game — until Parseghian tried to run up the score. We then decided to forego the post-game meal and the fish were flying. In fact, I’m pretty sure Furman Bisher wrote a Sunday morning article in the AJC chastising us for the fish episode. (I think he’s been at the AJC for 80 years.) Anyway, I won’t be bringing fish this Saturday only because I don’t think I can sneak them through security. It will be fun, nonetheless.
By mart
August 30, 2006 08:25 AM | Link to this
Reading whimsical stories about Georgia Tech always brings tears to my eyes. Tech’s always been a cute bunch. GO DAWGS!
By Jim O
August 30, 2006 08:32 AM | Link to this
George Church - I was also a senior in ‘69 and at the game - and I believe (been a while) that Joe Theisman was still in the game at the end and trying to score again. Isn’t this the game where Rock Pedoni had a great sack and almost took Joe out?
Living in DC for the past 30 years, that would have made my life a little more pleasant if he had!
Great article, go jackets.
By Morgwreck243
August 30, 2006 08:51 AM | Link to this
There is one important distinction about the 1999 Gator Bowl. That was Notre Dame’s 1st loss in their Green Jerseys.
By George
August 30, 2006 09:00 AM | Link to this
to Mart— I’m surprised a GA fan even knows how to spell whimsical, much less use it in a sentence. GO JACKETS
To Jim O — Rock Perdoni was the man. It took almost 20 years for LT to finish what Rock started. Who will ever forget Theisman’s broken leg in that Monday night game against the Giants. I’ve been in Baltimore since ‘71 and I was at that Skins-Giants game as well. Small world.
By Harlan
August 30, 2006 10:00 AM | Link to this
I found it rather amusing the Ara Parseghian tried to score late in a game that was a rout, and didn’t attempt to score, late in a game, when it mattered (10-10 against Michigan State). I still contend the voters should have penalized Notre Dame for playing like cowards.
By Vince
August 30, 2006 10:16 AM | Link to this
Love ‘em or hate ‘em and that’s why they play every week on National TV and sell out stadiums like Grant Field. GO IRISH!
By Reggie
August 30, 2006 10:25 AM | Link to this
Glory days…they’ll pass you by, Glory days…Poor Ga. Yech, it’s a good thing Mr. Bisher is around to keep the memories of a once proud institution alive. You guys are not to far above the .500 mark since Bobby Dodd hung up his whistle forty years ago. Saturday night when you look to the sideline and you see Ol’ Chan with that familiar look on his face, you know the one, like he is hearing strange voices in his head, just keep thinking about…Glory days……pass you by, Glory days…..
By Carl
August 30, 2006 10:42 AM | Link to this
I remember Ara Parseghian as the color commentator in a game between ND and Miami. It was Jerry Foust(sp?) last year at ND and Miami was puttin’ a whuppin’ on them and running up the score. Parseghian was crying about how wrong it was, that ND didn’t deserve such treatment. What a hypocrite!!!! That memory still makes me smile.
By ND41GT17
August 30, 2006 11:54 AM | Link to this
In 1968, toward the very end of a game between Ohio State and Michigan, Woody Hayes went for two in a 50-14 (I believe) rout. When asked why, he said “because I couldn’t go for three.” There’s really no reason not to score when you can. However, based on past history (see Pitt, BYU, Purdue, etc. last season), Charlie will not run the score up on Saturday. With 5 projected 1st round draft picks on the team (according to Mel Kiper), he probably could bring back some memories with a 69-14 rout (remember 1977), but he will not. ND 41, GT 17. Go Irish! If Utah could hang 38 on GT, I figure the lowly Irish should be able to get 3 more.
By Tom
August 30, 2006 12:33 PM | Link to this
Does anybody remember a Notre Dame game at Tech in late 60’s or early 70’s where, before the start of 2nd half the Notre Dame students poured on the fied to make a tunnel for their team coming out of the locker room for 2nd half. Well you know—the cardinal rule of never going on the fiedl. All the senior section for Tech was yelling damn poor rats to the rat section for not going on the field too. There was a near riot. They would not let Notre Dame come out of the locker room until all their students had cleared the field. This might have been the same game as ARA and the fish. Anybody remember this or is it my imagination?
By jim
August 30, 2006 02:20 PM | Link to this
I’m a UGA fan going to the game this weekend. Who the heck do I root for?
By Jeremy
August 30, 2006 02:55 PM | Link to this
Tech did beat Notre Dame in the Green Uniforms during that Gator Bowl in ‘99
By gary
August 30, 2006 03:19 PM | Link to this
mr. bisher; it is always a pleasure reading your insightful and colorfully worded prose. i am a transplanted atlantain( that spelling doesn`t look right; oh well), and i really miss the ajc sports section. not so much these days but back when it was outlar, minter and bisher. reporting was fair and not done to incite as it seems to be these days. you are truly an institution in atlanta and i hope the younger folks realize that. selah go jackets
By Spanky
August 30, 2006 03:41 PM | Link to this
Jim,…are you kidding?! Pull for the Irish!
Come Sunday,reality parks its’ ugly red head right in the middle of “Nerd Central”.
By UGA fan
August 30, 2006 03:46 PM | Link to this
Jim, you pull for GEORGIA TECH. I wouldn’t pull for Notre Dame if they were playing North Korea.
By mcdwag
August 30, 2006 03:56 PM | Link to this
jim -i will be there as well-go irish—as far as who is overrated-Brady Quinn like Calvin Johnson is the real deal-the game will come down to special teams and turnovers-the intangibles went NDs way all last year (except for a certain 4th and long pass)which allowed then to win 9 games-i see the irish win but not overwhelmingly based on some big plays by the irish secondary and a bend not break defense
By Jim
August 30, 2006 04:22 PM | Link to this
It should be a blast whoever wins. Gameday there, kickoff weekend. I can’t think about work at all!
ND 27 GT 23
By Brian
August 30, 2006 05:13 PM | Link to this
Carl— Are you kidding me? Jerry Foust? Do you know anything? Gerry Faust? Is that what you meant? I can spell Chan Gailey. Or what about Bobby Dodd. GA Tech fans should be thrilled win or lose to have ND coming to Atlanta for a prime time game on opening weekend. Great exposure for a program that has fallen behind UGA in terms of national appeal. Unfortunately it’s going to be lose. ND 38 GA Tech 20. Go Irish!! I’m not from South Bend or near Atlanta, PA guy, but I really have enjoyed reading the coverage in the AJC leading up to this game.
By Kirby Tyler
August 30, 2006 07:38 PM | Link to this
I’ll never forget leaving The Gator Bowl after The Buck/Lindsay Scott game and hearing that Tech % Notre Dame had tied which put UGA #1 in the polls. Thanks again to our “friends” from The Flats.
By jgb
August 30, 2006 07:58 PM | Link to this
For heavens sake people, get your facts straight…
The 38-21 win with the Irish bing showered with fish was in 1978, with Jerome Heavens rushing for 255 yards, until recently an Irish record. Ara Parseghian retired from coaching following the 1974 season. 1978 was Dan Devine’s 4th season as Irish coach, and the Irish had run up the score the previous season in South Bend 69-14.
The Irish’s loss in the Jan. 1999 was not even remotely their first loss in green jerseys. The Irish wore green jerseys at various times during the Rockne and post-Rockne era, especially when the opposing team wore blue, ND’s usual color. Frank Leahy’s teams wore green quite often, as did Terry Brennan’s squads (including the 2W-8L 1956 team). The Irish put the green jerseys in the trunk from the beginning of Parseghian’s tenure in 1964 until Oct. 22, 1977, when they wore them against USC. They continued to wear them for each home game until Gerry Faust became coach in 1981. Their record in the green from 1977-1980 was 18W - 4L. The Gator Bowl defeat wasn’t even ND’s first bowl loss wearing green: they lost the 1995 Fiesta Bowl to Colorado 41-24 wearing green….
By ND41GT17
August 30, 2006 10:38 PM | Link to this
jgb, thanks for setting them straight on the green jerseys. As a matter of fact, Lou lost his first bowl game (Cotton Bowl) in Jan’88 35-10 wearing green. In the modern era (Parseghian on), Notre Dame’s bowl record wearing green is 3-4:
Cotton Bowl 1978 - ND 38, Texas 10 (NC) Cotton Bowl 1979 - ND 35, Houston 34 Sugar Bowl 1981 - Georgia 17, ND 10 Cotton Bowl 1988 - Texas A&M 35, ND 10 Sugar Bowl 1992 - ND 39, Florida 28 Fiesta Bowl 1995 - Colorado 41, ND 24 Gator Bowl 1999 - GT 35, ND 28
However, by beating ND in 1999, GT did accomplish something: they improved their record to a rather stellar 5-26-1 against Notre Dame. Too bad for GT, Bob Davie isn’t the coach anymore. Their record will fall to 5-27-1 on Saturday.
By Ty
August 30, 2006 11:05 PM | Link to this
Quick ‘shout-out’ update for those ‘Dawgs’ among you attending Saturday’s game.
Yes, I understand your ‘quandry’ (sorry about the big word…..how about ‘problem’)
IF you think the T-boy keeps the Richt machine humming, you have to root for the Tech win (as much as it aches), since that knocks them from the title-hunt. IF you think this a ‘rebuilding’ year, go ahead and root for the Irish (of course, why in the world are you going to a TECH game when you have WESTERN KENTUCKY coming????)
I support you either way (I face the same dilemma on a weekly basis, depending upon who Georgia is playing). But, always remember this ‘rule of thumb’….. NOBODY beats up my brother but ME….. (and those Gold Domers are ‘damn Yankees’ who’s best talent came from the South!!!)
By TECHsweetie
August 31, 2006 12:00 AM | Link to this
A comment from the inside if you will—-from a “nerd” if you will (completely sarcastic as those who refer to the TECH population in its entirety as nerds are no doubt complete outsiders with little insight as to how TECH life these days goes)…We are all VERY excited about this game.
Now many will say, you guys are going to get your butts kicked, so why do you care? Well we like to have a good time and we love football. I am female and coming from a high school with big football tradition, I just knew TECH football would be no comparison and I was completely wrong. We dont always win, but we do ALWAYS have a great time!
We’ll yell “To HELL with Georgia!” at the top of our lungs and chant “Auburn grads will be bagging my groceries one day!” but if we have an off week, we become our cousins biggest fans, for love of the game.
And even with the highly anticipated ND game this year, guys have constantly been recounting the events of seasons past—we we or they had the other by just a hair and its all in great fun to us—get a little whiskey in our boys come saturday and I guarantee some “fighting words” but we WILL enjoy ourselves…
And for all the DAWGS out there…when entering through OUR gate in OUR stadium it is most definately poor form to find the cutest Georgia Tech girls you can find (whose gentleman escorts happen to be a few hundred yards behind and out-of-sight) and chant crazy ‘nerd’ obscenities. You only make us laugh later. There ARE nerds at Georgia Tech, most of them dont attend such sporting events…little Southern Belles who could just as easily be wearing red and black rather than gold and white dont really appreciate 45 year-old U[sic]GA fans referring to us as nerds—
that was my little rant.
All us techies are smart. Not all of us techies attend football games and nowhere near all of us are nerds…when we come to Athens for a weekend we can put yalls Broad Street crowd to shame…we get rowdie.
By TECHsweetie
August 31, 2006 12:04 AM | Link to this
A comment from the inside if you will—-from a “nerd” if you will (completely sarcastic as those who refer to the TECH population in its entirety as nerds are no doubt complete outsiders with little insight as to how TECH life these days goes)…We are all VERY excited about this game.
Now many will say, you guys are going to get your butts kicked, so why do you care? Well we like to have a good time and we love football. I am female and coming from a high school with big football tradition, I just knew TECH football would be no comparison and I was completely wrong. We dont always win, but we do ALWAYS have a great time!
We’ll yell “To HELL with Georgia!” at the top of our lungs and chant “Auburn grads will be bagging my groceries one day!” but if we have an off week, we become our cousins biggest fans, for love of the game.
And even with the highly anticipated ND game this year, guys have constantly been recounting the events of seasons past—we we or they had the other by just a hair and its all in great fun to us—get a little whiskey in our boys come saturday and I guarantee some “fighting words” but we WILL enjoy ourselves…
And for all the DAWGS out there…when entering through OUR gate in OUR stadium it is most definately poor form to find the cutest Georgia Tech girls you can find (whose gentleman escorts happen to be a few hundred yards behind and out-of-sight) and chant crazy ‘nerd’ obscenities. You only make us laugh later. There ARE nerds at Georgia Tech, most of them dont attend such sporting events…little Southern Belles who could just as easily be wearing red and black rather than gold and white dont really appreciate 45 year-old U[sic]GA fans referring to us as nerds—
that was my little rant.
All us techies are smart. Not all of us techies attend football games and nowhere near all of us are nerds…when we come to Athens for a weekend we can put yalls Broad Street crowd to shame…we get rowdie.
By mannyb72
August 31, 2006 01:23 AM | Link to this
I am a Clemson man who pulls for both Tech and Ga from time to time..This week I hope our conference member Ga Tech wins against ND. A team that shows class- best expressed as LOW.
By mannyb72
August 31, 2006 01:24 AM | Link to this
I am a Clemson man who pulls for both Tech and Ga from time to time..This week I hope our conference member Ga Tech wins against ND. A team that shows class- best expressed as LOW.