Who were the top Georgia football players in each decade? Here’s what we said.

Last summer, a panel of AJC voters selected our top 10 players per decade. The voters have many years of experience, much of it as journalists and some of it earlier as fans, observing our state and local sports teams with a close and often passionate eye — as many of you do.

The backgrounds of the voters lent a knowledge of UGA football that we used to assemble these lists of some of the more accomplished and recognizable players in Bulldogs history, through thick and thin times for the program.

Here’s who we selected as the top players of each decade:

1940s/1950s

Sure, you know Frank Sinkwich and Charley Trippi, but one of these selections was a rare four-sport letterman in college, earning them in football, basketball, baseball and golf.

Full list: The top 10 players of the 1940s/1950s

1960s

Many still consider Jake Scott the greatest defensive back ever to don the red and black, but Dennis Hughes might be overlooked on some all-decade lists as his statistical profile doesn’t tower over others. But if toughness is a factor — and it is here — this combination fullback/tight end/wideout must be included.

Full list: The top 10 players of the 1960s

1970s

Ray Goff, who later went on to coach the Bulldogs, was an obvious choice on offense. On the defensive side, if somebody was making a tackle for Georgia in the years from 1975-77, the odds were that it was Ben Zambiasi (pronounced Zam-BEE-zee).

Full list: The top 10 players of the 1970s

1980s

OK ... you know the first choice here. Probably the second and third as well. But who was the lightly recruited defensive back from Texas that Vince Dooley called “the greatest defensive player I ever coached”?

Full list: The top 10 players of the 1980s

1990s

Not the best era of Georgia football, no doubt. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at this list, which includes several players who had long NFL careers — one of which won three Super Bowls.

Full list: The top 10 players of the 1990s

2000s

A three-time All-American, a current NFL quarterback and a linebacker whose vertical leap changed an NCAA rule were among the 10 best in the 2000s.

Full list: The top 10 players from 2000-09

2010s

Is the 2012 SEC Championship game still a sore subject for you? How about the 2018 national championship? While this decade saw its fair share of heartbreak, it also saw an era of incredible Bulldogs.

Full list: The top 10 players of the 2010s