No bigger UGA wins over Bama than these

With the No. 1 ranking up for grabs, and ESPN’s “College GameDay” coming to Athens for the first time since 1998 for Saturday night’s game between No. 3 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama, some might think this is will be the wildest scene ever for a game between these two old SEC rivals.

But, as Lee Corso would say: “Not so fast, my friend.”

Here are four victories over Alabama on Georgia soil that had Bulldog fans celebrating in Athens deep into the night:

1976: GEORGIA BLANKS THE BEAR

If Georgia wins Saturday night it will certainly touch off a big party in the Classic City. But that celebration, if it happens, will have a hard time topping the craziness after Georgia’s 21-0 win over Alabama on Oct. 2, 1976.

“I’ve spent a good bit of my life in Athens and I can promise you there has never been a celebration here like the one after we beat Alabama in 1976,” said former Georgia head coach Ray Goff, who was the quarterback on that Bulldog team. “Traffic on Milledge Avenue was just shut down because the parties from the fraternity and sorority houses just went out into the street. Now if we win Saturday night that celebration might be just as good. But I don’t think it can be better.”

In a nine-year stretch from 1971 to 1979, Bear Bryant and Alabama won every SEC title but one. That one went to Georgia, which used the victory over No. 10 Alabama in ‘76 as the springboard for the third of Vince Dooley’s six SEC championships.

“What I remember is that teachers weren’t giving any homework that week because all people were talking about was the game with Alabama,” said Bill Krug, an All-SEC defensive back on the 1976 team, who now lives in Waldorf, Md. “We showed up at Sanford Stadium at 3:30 on Friday for our walkthrough and the railroad tracks behind the [East] end zone were already packed. I saw guys sitting on a couch with a keg of beer already tapped. That sent chills up my spine. The whole team knew we had to be ready because our fans sure were.”

Matt Robinson, who played quarterback on the 1976 Georgia team and scored the game’s first touchdown, said he has never seen so much energy surrounding a football game in Sanford Stadium.

“I truly think it was the only time in my college career that our players were aware of every aspect of the relevance of the game,” said Robinson, who played 10 years of professional football and now owns a financial services company in Jacksonville. “After the game at least 50 percent of our players went across the field to shake Bear Bryant’s hand. We knew how big a game it was.”

1965: THE ‘FLEA-FLICKER’

You want another big Georgia-Alabama game in Sanford Stadium? Try Sept. 18, 1965. Alabama was the defending national champion and opened the 1965 season in Athens on national television. It was the only game on TV that day.

Dooley was in his second year as coach and few gave Georgia a chance after watching Alabama beat the Bulldogs 31-3 the year before in Birmingham.

“I felt good about our chances going into the game because we had prepared well,” Dooley said. “But then again, I felt confident the year before when they beat us so bad.”

Alabama won the 1964 national championship with Joe Namath at quarterback. Namath signed with the New York Jets for the largest contract ($400,000) in the history of pro football after the season and was replaced by Steve Sloan.

“It was big game for us because our program was just starting to get some confidence under coach Dooley,” said Macon attorney Kirby Moore, one of two quarterbacks (Preston Ridlehuber was the other) who would play that day for Georgia. “There was so much optimism in the stadium that day.”

“I remember lining up next to the Alabama players on the field for the television introductions,” said tight end Pat Hodgson, who coached for 30 years before joining a communications company in New Jersey, where he now lives. “I remember looking over at the Alabama team and thinking there was nothing special about them physically, even though they were the defending national champions.”

Late in the game, with Georgia trailing 17-10, Moore and Hodgson combined with running back Bob Taylor for one of the biggest plays in Georgia’s history. Moore threw a short pass to Hodgson, who bobbled the ball slightly and then pitched it back to Taylor, who was trailing the play. Taylor went untouched 73 yards for a touchdown to pull Georgia within one, 17-16. Dooley elected to go for two. Moore rolled to his right and found Hodgson in the back of the end zone to give Georgia an 18-17 win. The “Flea Flicker” play had become a part of Georgia history.

“The scene after the game was incredible,” Hodgson said. “There were people riding all around and honking their horns. The Chapel Bell rang until the wee hours of the morning. I think we put Georgia football back on the map that day.”

The win was especially sweet for Moore, a native of Dothan, Ala. He spent his time after the win with two recruits who were visiting Georgia from his hometown.

“It’s been 43 years and it feels like it was just yesterday,” said Moore, who will be an honorary captain for tonight’s game. “The fact we’re still talking about it today means that it was really special.”

It would be the only loss all season for Alabama, which repeated as national champion.

1942, 1946: TRIPPI BEATS BAMA TWICE

The great Charley Trippi played in two big games against Alabama. In 1942, as a sophomore, Trippi was on team that rallied from 10-0 in the fourth quarter to beat No. 3 Alabama 21-10. Frank Sinkwich, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy, threw two touchdown passes to lead the comeback. The game was played in Atlanta because schools were asked to limit their travel during World War II.

Later in his life Georgia coach Wally Butts would look back and call this one of the biggest wins of his career.

“That was a great Alabama team and we knew it would be a tough game,” said Trippi, 85, who still lives in Athens. “We just kept playing hard and found a way to beat them.”

That Georgia team would eventually move to No. 1 before losing to Auburn 27-13 in Columbus. Still Georgia finished 11-1 and beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

After the 1942 season Trippi served in World War II and was a senior in 1946 when No. 5 Georgia beat No. 15 Alabama 14-0 in Athens. Trippi scored both touchdowns but that is not his fondest memory of the game.

“What I remember is that our defense was great that day,” said Trippi, who was an All-Pro defensive back in the NFL. “Harry Gilmer (who is in the College Football Hall of Fame) was their quarterback and he didn’t complete a pass against us. That’s what I remember.”

Trippi said earlier this week that because of the excitement surrounding tonight’s game, he just might attend.

“When Georgia and Alabama play it is usually going to be a pretty good game,” said Trippi. “It should be fun.”

If history is any indication, Mr. Trippi will be right.