College football spawns a lot of over-the-top, bizarre behavior, as the poisoning of Toomer's Corner oak trees showed once again.
Here are some examples, ranging from deadly to merely damaging:
2010: Tennessee fans angry with Lane Kiffin's decision to leave for USC after one season burn mattresses and shirts, paint an explicit message on The Rock (a giant boulder on campus), and block the entrance to the staff parking lot at the Neyland Thompson Sports Complex. The "traitor" Kiffin is driven from campus with a police escort after midnight.
2006: A 42-year-old man is charged with killing his friend over a $20 bet they had on the South Carolina-Clemson game. Authorities say James Walter Quick shot Richard Allen Johnson, 43, once in the chest with a rifle. The two had been drinking beer all afternoon and got into an argument over their bet, according to authorities.
2002: After Ohio State's 14-9 win over Michigan, vandals set fire to couches and cars, overturn vehicles and try to loot a bookstore on the main thoroughfare through the Columbus campus. "We witnessed the very worst reaction to what had been a joyful occasion," University President Karen Holbrook says. "The behavior was criminal and unacceptable. And unfortunately, most of those responsible appeared to be students." Ten students are arrested.
2000: Thousands of fans rush the field after UGA ends a nine-game losing streak to Tennessee. A 19-year-old UGA student is seriously injured, and the fans cause $75,000 in damage to Sanford Stadium.
1988: A disgruntled Alabama fan hurls a brick through then-coach Bill Curry's office window following a 22-12 homecoming loss to Ole Miss in which the Tide failed to complete a pass. Curry, who was in his second season at Alabama, joked about it recently with AJC columnist Jeff Schultz, saying, "My first thought was, if the quarterback had been as accurate as the guy who threw the brick, we wouldn't be discussing this."
1986: Visiting Georgia, playing without starting quarterback James Jackson, upsets then-No. 6 Auburn 20-16 as a three-touchdown underdog. UGA fans pour onto the field, prompting Auburn's grounds crew to turn water cannons on them, as well as the Georgia section in the stands. An Auburn official accuses Georgia fans of throwing bottles and attacking police officers. A Georgia player's girlfriend suffers a gash on her head when she was hit by a liquor bottle apparently thrown from the Auburn student section. Twelve fans were detained and handcuffed. Georgia sends Auburn a bill for water damage to UGA band instruments.
1978: Late in a 38-21 Notre Dame win over Georgia Tech at Grant Field, Yellow Jackets fans hurl fish, ice cubes and liquor bottles at the Irish. A rum bottle lands near Irish coach Dan Devine, who picks it up and runs onto the field to show it to a referee. He gathers his players at midfield and warns them not to lose their tempers, according to Sports Illustrated. Devine later downplays the incident: "The fish smelled like hell, the eggs were interesting and the ice sort of stings when it hits your face," he tells SI. "Let's talk about the game."
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