Sports
Sports

Watch: Eddie Lee Ivery was a Georgia Tech football great

Running back Eddie Lee Ivery is a member of the Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. Ivery played at Georgia Tech from 1975 to 1978. He set a then-NCAA record for rushing yards in a game in 1978 by piling up 356 yards on a frozen field against Air Force. Bill Parcells, later to become a legendary NFL coach, was Air Force’s coach that day. Ivery averaged 13.7 yards per carry on 26 carries. Ivery ran for 3,517 yards in his college career. “Although he was probably the greatest football player in America in his
By Mike Luck
Nov 22, 2017

Eddie Lee Ivery was like a one-man Army and the Air Force could not stop him in 1978. Neither could Bill Parcells, ice, snow or a howling wind.

The Georgia Tech star running back set an NCAA record at the time for rushing yards in a game by piling up 356 yards against Parcells-coached Air Force in the Jackets’ 42-21 win in frigid Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Ivery was one of Tech’s greatest players ever. His statistics were astounding for that era: 3,517 rushing yards in college and 2,933 rushing yards plus 1,612 receiving yards in the NFL.

Watch the video above to reminisce or to learn about Ivery’s stellar career.

About the Author

Mike Luck is an Audience Specialist on the sports team at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has worked at the AJC since 1980.

More Stories

Keep Reading

Kennesaw State's Milon Jones is a senior who starts at free safety. Jones isn’t the biggest guy but has earned a reputation for being a hard worker and a tough tackler. (Kennesaw State Athletics)

Credit: Kennesaw State Athletics

How Jerry Mack saw a then-walk-on as ‘one of the key pillars’ of KSU football

Milon Jones began playing football when he was 7 years old. Today he is the starting free safety for the Kennesaw State football team.

60-yard FG breaks Georgia State record set by former NFL standout Wil Lutz

Braeden McAlister provided a highlight in an otherwise dismal season for Georgia State last week when he kicked a school-record 60-yard field goal against Marshall.

Atlanta awaits: Celebration Bowl picture comes into focus

The annual showcase pits the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in a spotlight game for HBCU football.

The Latest

General view as the Atlanta Hawks host the San Antonio at State Farm Arena, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Atlanta. The Spurs won 126-125. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Atlanta TV sports listings

How Jerry Mack saw a then-walk-on as ‘one of the key pillars’ of KSU football

60-yard FG breaks Georgia State record set by former NFL standout Wil Lutz

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

‘Worst nightmares come true.’ Atlanta confronts shift in homelessness funding.

Trump’s overhaul threatens permanent housing for an estimated 600 Atlanta households and 170,000 people nationwide, advocates warn.

Microsoft’s newest AI ‘superfactory’ opens at sprawling Fayetteville campus

One of the largest data center campuses under construction in Georgia has its first operational tenant, and it’s one of the most recognizable names in technology.

Atlanta officials quietly rebrand city’s DEI office

The city of Atlanta office overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion is getting a rebrand amid assaults at the federal level on such initiatives.