The following, a new weekly feature of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows our reporters to open their notebooks and provide even more information from our local teams that we cover daily. We think you’ll find in informative, insightful and fun.
Surprise vacation highlights Hall of Fame meeting
Regularly scheduled Hall of Fame meetings can be staid affairs sometimes. Monday’s get-together of the Athens chapter of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame was anything but, however.
For starters, the keynote speaker was comedian Jeff Foxworthy. The converted Georgia Tech-student-turned-Georgia Bulldogs’ zealot kept the overflow crowd in stitches all night. But there were some tears shed, too, and not just from all the laughing.
The highlight of the evening was UGA Athletics employee Ben Brandenburg receiving the first annual Mark Richt Altruism Award. Known to friends and family as “BB,” Brandenburg has worked for the Bulldogs since he was an undergrad student, wearing many different hats, ranging from sports communications to football recruiting. Now a father of two and husband to his wife, Mobley, Brandenburg became associate director of external operations in 2017, a title he still holds.
He was diagnosed with ALS two years ago. But Brandenburg hasn’t let that awful disease stop him. Getting around now in a wheelchair, he still works every day and serves in leadership at Athens Church.
The surprise of the night was when Georgia coach Kirby Smart and chapter president Loran Smith announced that they were sending the entire Brandenburg family, grandparents’ included, on an all-expenses-paid, all-trimmings-included trip to Disney World in Florida. The package includes round-trip travel via private plane.
There were many award presentations made, including Foxworthy receiving the Distinguished American Award and coach Sonny Smart – Kirby’s father – receiving the Contributions to Amateur Football Award. Receiving it from his son made it even more special.
Post-Graduate Achievement Awards also were presented to former UGA football players Mike Cavan, Terrence Edwards, Travis Stroud, Todd Wheeler and Eric Zeier. And Richt was, of course, recognized for his impending induction into the NFF Hall of Fame in December.
But it was the Brandenburgs’ gift that had the building buzzing. Afterward, Smith, who’s association with the local chapter of the NFF Hall dates to the 1960s, called it “the chapter’s best banquet in three decades.”
Tech gets new graduate assistant
After playing four seasons for former Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, walk-on guard Coleman Boyd will be a graduate assistant for new coach Damon Stoudamire.
“He sacrificed a lot,” Boyd’s father, Cal, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He could have been a really good college player at other places and chose Tech for really this reason, to get in position to be a college coach.”
Before his dismissal, Pastner was planning to have Coleman be a GA for him, Cal Boyd said. After the change, Pastner and his assistants endorsed the younger Boyd to Stoudamire.
In four seasons, Boyd played in 14 games for the Yellow Jackets and was a part of the 2021 ACC championship team. In high school, he starred at Mount Bethel Christian Academy, where he played for his father and was a teammate of former Tech forward Jordan Meka, now in the transfer portal.
Boyd will pursue a master’s in international relations as he assists Stoudamire.
“Hopefully he can help build things with the new coaching staff,” Cal Boyd said.
Skoronski hid his ice cream from Vince Lombardi
Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski is one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL draft.
His grandfather, Bob Skoronski, played center and left tackle for the Green Bay Packers from 1956-68. He won two Super Bowls and five NFL titles and played for the great Vince Lombardi.
The younger Skoronski shared a Lombardi story that was passed down to him.
“There was one when (Bob Skoronski) was getting ice cream with his family – my dad and uncles and aunt,” Skoronski said. “Lombardi was on him about keeping weight down, stuff like that. He was getting ice cream, and Lombardi walked in the ice cream shop. (The grandfather) saw him and hid his cone behind his back so Lombardi wouldn’t see him eating ice cream. He was putting on some weight. That’s one funny story I remember.”
Skoronski admits that he grew up a Packers fan and would be conflicted if he gets drafted by the Bears, who hold the ninth overall pick.
“I played football there in college in Chicago,” Skoronski said. “I grew up a Packers fan, but I’m not too attached to any particular destination.”
Fence around Georgia
When Kennesaw State athletic director Milton Overton introduced new men’s basketball coach Antoine Pettway last week, he said that in recruiting the school wanted to “build a fence around Georgia” to keep local talent.
Kennesaw State has signed three local players to its incoming class.
Pettway addressed the importance of recruiting locally in a recent interview with the AJC.
“We are definitely going to try right here around our home base,” he said. “I tell people, the reason Georgia is so heavily recruited is because of the coaching. We’ve got great AAU programs and really good middle school and high school basketball coaches. You get a guy as a freshman, he’s going to be more apt to be ready to play than someone from another part of the country. Definitely want to capitalize on your location and then take your home base and extend throughout the Southeast.”
Medlen remembers
During an interview with the AJC, new Bally Sports analyst and former Braves pitcher Kris Medlen remembered his remarkable two-month run in 2012. Medlen, an unheralded reliever turned starter, went 9-0 with a 0.97 ERA over those starts. It’s considered one of the best pitching runs in Braves history.
“That’s what (fans) remember,” Medlen said. “Of course, I remember it. I spent my minor leagues as a reliever and get called up as a starter. I started for half of a year in Double-A and then a month in Triple-A, and I’m up facing, you know, (pitchers) Aaron Cook, Tim Lincecum and Max Scherzer three in a row. While Tommy Hanson’s in Triple-A, and he’s the one throwing 100 mph. It wasn’t unexpected to me because I was doing really well. A ‘forced prospect,’ I always called myself. I was like, you had no choice but to respect what I was doing. I don’t care how short I was, how hard I was throwing, whatever. I just wanted to get outs and did.
“So that 2012 season for me was like – I always reflected back on me as a child, like, man, that would be so cool. And I’m sitting on top of the world for two months. It made my life. It made my career. It was awesome.”
Medlen will work around 43 games on “Braves Live” for Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast this season.
Georgia quarterback bond
Georgia quarterbacks Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff are in competition on the field. Off it, they’ve developed a bond.
“Me and Carson get along well,” Vandagriff said when the AJC asked about the competitor’s relationship. “I believe that’s a tribute to last year, we had a couple classes together, so we were riding to class together every time. It’s just a good dynamic between us. When he threw his first touchdown pass (Saturday), I jumped up and threw my hands in the air. All the defensive guys on our sideline were looking at me like I’m crazy. Me and (quarterback) Gunner (Stockton) were just happy for him. I want to see them succeed, and they want to see me succeed as well.”
Beck, a fourth-year junior, went even further when presented a similar question: “Honestly, I’d say this is one of, if not the closest quarterback (group) I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Reason to be thankful
The Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom spoke this week for the first time since becoming the NFL’s first $100-million guard. Lindstrom and the Colts’ Quenton Nelson are the only two guards earning more than $20 million annually.
Nelson signed his deal in September 2022, while Lindstrom received his last month. They’ve drastically raised the rate for premium guards, given the largest contract before them was Brandon Scherff’s, a contract that gave him $16.5 million annually. He earned that deal in free agency from Jacksonville, whereas Nelson and Lindstrom never tested the market.
“Just super, super thankful,” Lindstrom said. “Thankful for the guys who came before me. There are so many guys who set the standard to build upon. And so I really hope that guys surpass it and guys continue to grow. It’s good for the position, which is good for everybody.”
Why the hate?
In an episode of “Gil’s Arena” this week, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas was asked about Hawks star Trae Young on the web show.
Arenas was asked why Young get so much hate among NBA players.
“Because he is a (expletive)-talker when he scores,” Arenas said. “When you are a (expletive)-talker, people hate you. It’s one of those things, when you score buckets and talk trash after each bucket, it’s like ‘man, you ain’t that good anyway.’ That’s where that comes from.
“(Russell) Westbrook was called overrated when he averaged a triple-double. … You average 26 and 10 and you are overrated, where is the love?”
-Staff writers D. Orlando Ledbetter, Chip Towers, Gabe Burns, Ken Sugiura and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this article.
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