This is the first in a weekly series of blog posts featuring Georgia Tech items in the possession of the College Football Hall of Fame, which opened last Saturday in downtown Atlanta. (None of the items in the series are actually on display, but kept in storage by curator Kent Stephens. When you see some of them, you won't need an explanation as to why.)
We’ll start with a jersey worn by Tech great Greg Gathers, who finished his career as the Yellow Jackets’ all-time sack leader at 31, a record that held for 11 years until Jeremiah Attaochu broke it last season with 31.5. Gathers, who played between 1999-2002, bagged his 31 in 37 games, while Attaochu’s career spanned 49 games.
He was a two-time first-team All-ACC selection and an All-American as a junior, but his career was cut short by a kidney ailment. (Gathers is actually not in the hall of fame.)
“I tell you what, Greg had a knack for slipping blocks and filling cracks and crevices, and when offensive linemen were soft, and when they were leaners, he had a great knack for (taking advantage of that),” Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof said this week. Roof was also Gathers’ coordinator for his first three seasons. “He was explosive and had great body control.”
Gathers, who turned 33 on Tuesday, is coaching high school football at his alma mater, East Saint John in Reserve, La., between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Roof visited him in May on a recruiting trip.
“His health is great,” Roof said. “He’s wonderful. He’s doing really good, really well. Raising his family and coaching and teaching.”
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
