A panel of AJC voters chose these players as the top 10 Georgia football players of the 1980s. The players are listed alphabetically.
Buck Belue
There is nothing about Belue’s career numbers on the field that will produce awe. A career 54.5% passer, he finished with 3,864 yards with 32 touchdowns and 32 interceptions and averaged a mere 1.6 yards per carry on the ground. But nobody made more monumental plays for the Bulldogs. As a freshman in 1978 he came off the bench to threw 42-yard TD pass and then 2-point conversion pass – both to Amp Arnold – to beat Tech 29-28. And, of course, he combined with Lindsay Scott to make the most famous play in Georgia football history, a 92-yard TD in the last minute to beat Florida 26-21 in 1980.
Credit: AJC archive
Credit: AJC archive
Kevin Butler
As great as Allan Leavitt and Rex Robinson were before him, Butler was an even greater place-kicker. Signed by Vince Dooley in the Class of 1981, Butler would become one of Georgia’s four-time All-SEC players. He established the school scoring record at the time (353 points) and still owns the UGA record with a 60-yard, game-winning field goal against Clemson in 1984. After a stellar NFL career in which he won a Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears, Butler was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
Freddie Gilbert
A two-time All-SEC performer and four-year starter, Gilbert headlined a defense that helped Georgia win 43 of 48 games, three SEC champions and a national title 43-4- from 1980-83. A 6-4, 275-pound defensive lineman from Griffin, Gilbert specialized in getting after opposing quarterbacks. His 26 career sacks ranks sixth in UGA’s record book. He’d play six seasons of pro ball and made two Super Bowl appearances with the Denver Broncos.
Credit: SEE CAPTION
Credit: SEE CAPTION
Rodney Hampton
Hampton signed with the Bulldogs out of Houston, Texas, in 1987 and quickly contributed to Georgia’s reputation as Tailback U. Despite sharing carries with the likes of Lars Tate and Tim Worley and battling knee injuries throughout his career, Hampton managed to pile up 2,268 yards rushing, 438 receiving and 25 touchdowns in just three seasons. Drafted in the first round by the New York Giants, Hampton became a two-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl in 1991.
Terry Hoage
Vince Dooley called this lightly-recruited defensive back from Huntsville, Texas, “the greatest defensive player I ever coached.” That’s because all Hoage did was make big plays in his career. He blocked a field goal against Notre Dame in the national championship game in 1980 and led the nation in interceptions with 12 in 1982. An exceptional student, Hoage planned to attend medical school. But after the Saints drafted him in the third round, he ended up playing 13 NFL seasons. He now owns a winery in Paso Robles, California.
Jimmy Payne
Payne was part of the most fearsome defensive front in college football in the early 1980s, joining forces with Gilbert, Eddie Weaver, Tim Crowe and Dale Carver to stymie opposing offenses. A three-time All-SEC performer, Payne led the Bulldogs in sacks three of his four years, including a record 12 in 1981, and finished with 28 in his career. An Athens native, Payne died at just 38 years old after a long illness.
Credit: AJC archive
Credit: AJC archive
Lindsay Scott
“Lindsay Scott, Lindsay Scott, Lindsay Scott!” Larry Munson’s call echoes with every mention of this fleet-footed receiver from Jesup. That’s all Munson could say as Scott completed a 92-yard, game-winning touchdown catch from Belue in the final seconds of Georgia’s 26-21 win over Florida in 1980. That play preserved Georgia’s perfect season. Scott would’ve made even more big plays in his career if a car accident had not slowed him. As it was, he finished with 2,098 yards and 10 TDs receiving and 1,151 yards and another score on kick returns.
Credit: AJC file / 1980
Credit: AJC file / 1980
Herschel Walker
The greatest player in Georgia football history, Walker chose the Bulldogs after a long and intense recruiting battle with Clemson. A consensus All-American all three seasons he played for Georgia, Walker won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 and probably should have won the other two years as well. The Bulldogs were 33-3-1 with the “Goal-line Stalker” at tailback. Starting with a freshman rushing record of 1,616 yards, Walker left Georgia as a junior holding 10 NCAA, 15 SEC and 30 school records. He played pro ball for 15 years.
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
Eddie Weaver
Nicknamed “Meat Cleaver,” no Georgia player stuck more fear in opponents than the defensive guard who wore No. 61 for the Bulldogs from 1978-81. At 6-foot, 280 pounds, Weaver was considered large for his day, yet reported could run a sub-4.9 40. Walker said Weaver delivered the hardest hit he ever took in a Georgia practice. Weaver finished his career 269 tackles, eight sacks, 17 tackles for loss and six fumble recoveries.
Credit: AJC archive
Credit: AJC archive
Tim Worley
No Georgia tailback looked or ran more like Walker than Worley, who came Athens from Lumberton, N.C., in 1985. But three things held him back from matching Walker’s production: A knee injury cut short his sophomore season; he shared carries throughout his career with other great backs such as Hampton, Lars Tate and Keith Henderson; and Worley was ruled ineligible in 1987. Still, Worley piled up 2,255 yards and 29 touchdowns in his career, was named All-American in 1988 and became a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Credit: AJC archive
Credit: AJC archive
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