While playing high school football in the early 1970s, Craig Hertwig caught the eye of University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley, who had gone to Macon on a recruiting trip to see a different player.
Mr. Hertwig's 6-foot-8-inch stature was what drew the coach's attention and Mr. Dooley eventually offered him a scholarship to UGA.
"His mobility didn't catch up with his body at first, so we redshirted him that first year," Mr. Dooley said.
But despite not getting to play in his first year at UGA, Mr. Dooley said, Mr. Hertwig "went up into the stands and got the fans cheering for our team. He truly was the greatest Georgia fan."
Mr. Hertwig, also known as "Sky," went on to have a stellar career as an offensive tackle for Georgia and was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press in 1974.
He was drafted in the third round by the Detroit Lions of the NFL and played for them three seasons before moving on to the Buffalo Bills for his final two years of professional football.
After leaving the NFL, Mr. Hertwig returned to Athens, where he owned and operated various nightclubs for the next 32 years, including the Fifth Quarter and, most recently, the Nowhere Bar, which is still in operation.
John Craig Hertwig, 60, died of heart failure Wednesday at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lord & Stephens West Funeral Home in Bogart.
Mr. Hertwig was known for his hospitality. His home in Athens was always the family's gathering place for Christmas, said his sister, Merry Johnson of Macon, and that evening "Craig would take all the leftovers to one of his clubs to share with the patrons."
Another sister, Willa Hertwig of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., said Mr. Hertwig had a quiet strength you could always count on. "All you had to do was call him and he'd say where or when do you need me. He didn't ask any other questions."
Mr. Hertwig never married or had children, so he channeled his time and energy into everything UGA.
"Craig was a gentle giant around town and very well-liked," said Athens radio personality Jeff Dantzler. "He was so recognizable because of his height and everybody knew him; Athens was his extended family. He was a huge UGA sports fan -- and not just of football, but all sports."
As a daily routine, Mr. Hertwig and his bulldog Cleo would take a walk around Athens, where he would greet everyone he met. "He had a certain route and he would go by stores, stick his head in the door and say, ‘Hey, what's up?'" Merry Johnson said. "Those store owners are telling us they already miss him."
Mr. Hertwig's brother, Ed Hertwig of Greenville, S.C., played football for South Carolina. He said that when the Bulldogs and Gamecocks played in Athens, they could walk to Sanford Stadium from his brother's house, but when the game was in Columbia, "I had to buy two parking places to accommodate Craig's enormous RV -- so I got the raw end of that deal."
Ed Hertwig's wife, Camilla, recalled that her brother-in-law was very generous to UGA students. "He would pay their tuition or help them find a job or employ them himself. He never talked about who he helped or boasted about what he did, but those he helped knew firsthand about his compassionate and caring heart."
Surviving in addition to his brother and sisters are nieces and nephews.
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