‘It was awesome!’ Goalposts take a dip after the Georgia Tech victory
After a 24-21 victory over No. 12 Clemson, Yellow Jacket fans rushed the field Saturday to pick up the goalposts and marched over to the university’s President’s Mansion, where they deposited them into a pool.
“Everybody was just going crazy filming everything,” Owen Patton, 20, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the game. “It was awesome.”
Last year, after the team’s 28-23 home victory over the previously undefeated No. 4 Miami, fans made the same trek from Bobby Dodd Stadium to the pool of the president’s mansion, parading a goalpost around campus before eventually dumping it in the pool.
Fans did the same when Georgia Tech upset Virginia Tech in 2009 and in a win over No. 7 Virginia in 1998.
Fans who spoke to the AJC after Saturday’s game said they’re happy with the team’s performance so far, and they’re hopeful the Jackets’ momentum will last through the season.
“It feels like Georgia Tech is back,” said Chuck Caste, a Georgia Tech alumnus.
Caste, 59, said he’s seen a lot of ups and downs over the decades he’s been a Yellow Jackets fan, but this year he’s feeling very optimistic about their performance.
“How can you not be?” he said.
Fans said it was worth it, but the Tech tradition comes with a cost.
That’s because Georgia Tech will be fined after fans rushed the field for violating ACC rules.
In September, the ACC announced an event security policy that fines member institutions $50,000. If fans storm the field again this season, the school will face a $100,000 fine.
The fines collected go toward a postgraduate fund that helps ACC athletes pursuing graduate school.
“The fines are going to come and then we’re going to be mad, but that’s just how it goes,” said Monish Jampala, 20, a Georgia Tech student studying neuroscience.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
