Former Bulldogs return for unfinished business — a degree

Athens — When former Georgia star Randall Godfrey decided last summer to hang up his football cleats after 12 years in the NFL, he thought he’d kick back, relax and enjoy the fruits of retirement.

Instead, he finds himself up at 5:30 each morning, dropping off kids at school by 7:30 a.m. and burning up the pavement on Georgia Highway 316.

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AJC File

Randall Godfrey had 365 tackles as a four-year starter as an inside linebacker at Georgia from 1992-95. He left school early and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

THE GODFREY FILE

• Residence: Duluth
• Hometown: Valdosta
• Family: Wife Rhonda; four children - Billy, 16, R.J. 5, Grant, 4 and Kendall, 11 months.
• NFL career: Played linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys (1996-99), Tennessee Titans (2000-02), Seattle Seahawks (2003), San Diego Chargers (2004-06) and Washington Redskins (2007).
• UGA career: Had 365 tackles as a four-year starter as an inside linebacker from 1992-95.

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His destination is the University of Georgia. His motivation is an undergraduate degree.

“I’ve always been a guy that set goals, and one of my biggest goals has been to finish my degree,” said Godfrey, 35, who lives in Duluth with his wife, Rhonda, and four children. “I promised my mom that I’d come back and do that and it’s just always been on my mind. So I finally said, ‘Hey, man, you have a lot of time now. Take advantage of it.’ “

Well, at least he thought he’d have a lot of time.

Godfrey was 10 classes short of meeting requirements for a degree from UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences when he left Georgia after the 1995 season. But after the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in 1996, he stepped onto the UGA campus just once over the next 12 years.

“It’s just something I’ve never had a chance to finish,” said Godfrey, who played for the Cowboys, Titans, Seahawks, Chargers and Redskins. “I’d pick at it every now and then. Every year I’d sign up for an independent study course but I’d always have to drop it. I was trying to chip away at it and that just didn’t work.”

So Godfrey signed up for a full load of classes last fall.

More and more former Georgia football players are coming back to school to earn degrees. Including Godfrey there are five ex-players who are currently enrolled: Chester Adams (2004-07), Terreal Bierria (1999-2001), Kelin Johnson (2004-07) and Ken Shackleford (2004-06). Two more former Dogs were among 11 football players that graduated last December. Most of them either played or attempted to play in the NFL.

All told, 102 Georgia football players have graduated with degrees since December of 2004, according to UGA.

“Randall’s is a very exciting situation because he’s setting a really positive example,” Georgia athletics director Damon Evans said. “When you have a guy like that, who has made a whole lot of money and done very well in the NFL and he still sees the importance in an education, it sends a strong and clear message to current and former student-athletes about the value of an education. Hopefully people will be inspired by what he’s doing.”

In the meantime, Godfrey’s days and weeks are way busier than he expected when he retired last summer. In addition to the heavy workload that comes with four classes, his schedule is crowded with the endless activities of his four kids.

Godfrey has a stepson, Billy, who’s 16, and three children under 6: Randall Jr., or R.J. as they call him, 5; Grant, 4; and 11-month-old daughter Kendall. He is coaching his two youngest boys in basketball and soccer.

Asked what he knew about coaching soccer, Godfrey laughed. “Nothing,” he said. “Not a thing. I just looked up and we didn’t have enough volunteers. I didn’t see any coaches showing up so it ended up falling in my hands. I had nine kids. We had a pretty good year actually. I finally figured the game out toward the end.”

Godfrey’s family is the main reason he is out of football.

“My family has revolved around my career most of these last 12 years. So now I’m trying to make them more of the focal point,” he said.

He insists he could still play.

“My muscles are still trained,” said Godfrey, who rejected an offer from the Redskins and was contacted by the Vikings and 49ers before last season. “I get up at 5:30 every morning and work out. I stay in shape. I love the game and I keep my body trained and prepared to play. I miss it. I miss the camaraderie. I miss the locker room. But I’m going to try to wean my way out of it because I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time.”

Godfrey is taking four classes again this semester. He expects to graduate after taking two more this summer.

“I’m just waiting for that moment that I can walk across that stage and pick up my diploma,” Godfrey said. “That’s something I’ve been looking forward to doing for a long time.”