New book looks back on “Belue to Scott!” Has it really been 30 years?
It was 30 years ago this month–yes you read that right–that Georgia’s football team began preparations for a season full of magic, surprises, and ultimately triumph as the Bulldogs went 12-0 and won the national championship.
In an unforgettable season filled with highlights thanks to the efforts of freshman running back Herschel Walker and so many others, one play will live forever: Buck Belue’s short third-down pass that Lindsay Scott turned into a 93-yard touchdown to give Georgia a stunning 26-21 win over Florida in Jacksonville.
It is, without question, the single most significant play in the history of Georgia football. That’s because the victory, thanks to an assist from Georgia Tech (which tied No. 1 Notre Dame 3-3 in Atlanta), moved Georgia into the No. 1 ranking in the next round of polls. Georgia would never leave that position as it closed out the season with wins over Auburn, Georgia Tech, and ultimately Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Macon author Robbie Burns celebrates the 30th anniversary of the play with his new book “Belue to Scott! The greatest moment in Georgia football history.” The book is set to be on the shelves in early September.
Burns, a former public relations director at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, used contacts developed over a decade to interview over 50 people with some connection to the game. In the process he gives it a fresh outlook while uncovering some different angles to the game and to that play.
“This has really been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done,” said Burns, a graduate of Mercer. “I thought I knew a lot about the 1980 Georgia-Florida game when I started. But I learned so much.”
Burns interviewed a bunch of the Georgia people who played and coached in the game: Scott, Coach Vince Dooley, wide receivers coach Charlie Whittemore, captain Frank Ros, Jeff Harper and UGA owner Sonny Seiler, just to name a few. But he also took great pains to get the Florida side of this story. The agony that Florida felt by letting that game slip away has been an under reported part of the story–until now. For example: Did you know that NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth played in the game and caught a nine-yard touchdown pass?
“I have a lot more respect for those guys from Florida now because they were willing to talk about a game and a play that still troubles them a lot,” said Burns.
Burns talked to Mike Shanahan, who you know best as the former coach of the Denver Broncos and the current head coach of the Washington Redskins. But back in 1980 Shanahan was the offensive coordinator at Florida and had installed one of the first versions of the run and shoot offense with Wayne Peace at quarterback.
He spoke to Joe Delaney, the back judge in the game whose job it was to run with Scott down the Georgia sideline and signal the winning touchdown. He talked to Bobby Gaston, the lead SEC official, whose job it was to explain to Dooley why there was going to be an excessive celebration penalty after the historic play. Of course the mob scene that descended on Lindsay Scott in the end zone ranks with the biggest on-field celebrations of all time. If you’re a Georgia fan it was certainly worth a 15-yard penalty.
But Dooley, of course, was worried about the penalty giving Florida field position on the ensuing kickoff because there was still 1:03 left.
Gaston, who went on to become the SEC supervisor of officials, told me that after the touchdown the conversation with Dooley went something like this:
Dooley: What’s the penalty, Bobby?
Gaston: That’s going to be 15 yards, coach.
Dooley: Seems harsh.
Gaston: Yes sir.
Burns charts the flow of the game in Jacksonville but at the same time he keeps going back to the Georgia Tech-Notre Dame game in Atlanta, which played such a huge role in the events of the day. Georgia Tech’s 3-3 tie with No. 1 Notre Dame knocked the Irish out of the top spot and opened the door for the Bulldogs.
“It is one of the great historical ironies that Georgia got Georgia Tech’s help that day,” said Burns. “So as we’re telling the story in Jacksonville, every now and then we just pause and inject a segment we call ”Meanwhile, back in Atlanta.” People forget that the week before the Georgia-Florida game, Georgia Tech had lost at Duke (17-12). Nobody gave Georgia Tech a chance against Notre Dame.”
Burns is especially proud of the fact that he was able to get a host of pictures from the game that have never been published.
“We have the 4 or 5 pictures that everybody has seen,” said Burns. “But 90 percent of the photos only a few people have ever seen.”
It’s a quick, fun read of 128 pages with a lot of memories on each page. And if that is not enough, Burns was able to convince Larry Munson, who called this Georgia-Florida game and 41 others, to write the Foreword to the book. Munson’s immortal call of the play, where he screams “Run Lindsay!” ranks among the greatest radio calls of all time. And Munson tops off the emotion of the moment, which was considerable, by saying what was on the minds of every Georgia fan at the game: “Man, is there gonna be some property destroyed tonight!”
“I couldn’t imagine anyone else writing the foreword,” said Burns. “Larry’s call captured the feeling of that moment better than any story ever could.”
Burns’ publisher, H&H Publishing Company, is now taking pre-orders for the book at:
If you want to contact Burns directly about the book he can be reached at:
rdburns00@aol.com or at (478) 737-6011.
I only have one question: Where did those 30 years go?
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279 comments Add your comment
WonderDawg
August 12th, 2010
9:03 am
Okay, nerds, name me a national champ that didn’t have some good fortune during it’s season . . .
Mike
August 12th, 2010
9:03 am
BTW, ND was not #2 going into the Sugar Bowl. They had lost their final game of the season at USC and entered the game ranked #7 with a 9-1-1 record.
WonderDawg
August 12th, 2010
9:05 am
3 decades, when last did your team have a perfect record? Waiting . . . .
Lane Kiffin... nail
August 12th, 2010
9:05 am
head, hammer.
30 years of woulda shoulda coulda.
their only claim to fame now is…
no 1 partay school
numerous preseason no 1’s
no 1 in arrests
top 5 in recruiting year in an year out
level of urine an stink on their library carpet
weekly fan arrests due to drunk an disorderly
the amount of litter and trash left on their campus weekly
an ad that likes to sniff the panties of transvestites while driving drunk
oh and of course they like to try an explain all that away by pointing to their current record against gt. bragging if you will.
hey mcfly …. uga is 3-4 times larger than gt. uga is the state flagship university. uga has the curriculum to accommodate athletes with questionable intelligence.
with all those advantages uga SHOULD be even more dominant over gt than it is. doh.
the bottom line these days is…. in the 10 years since richt has been doing the tanning salon’s in athens ugay has peaked. the only thing ugagers can argue over these days are recruiting rankings and arrests.
as much as ugag fans whine an cry etc they have been passed by. they are irrelevant in the sec. on par with usc kentucky ol miss an vandy.
when they have the sec meetings now 3-4 teams are mentioned as possible sec champs… none of which are ugag.
toooo funny.
shreveport here they come…. again.
30 YEAR'S SINCE WE'VE WON...ANYTHING & COUNTING!!!
August 12th, 2010
9:05 am
ALL WE HAVE IS HOPE & DELUSION TO GET US THRU(SIGH)!!!!
Mike
August 12th, 2010
9:06 am
Waaaaaaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaaaaa! Mommy, I messed my pants again!
Paul H
August 12th, 2010
9:07 am
Hey Mike, if “if’s and buts were candy and nuts,” right? What was the final score again? I don’t know who your team is (probably Tech because that would make sense) but I see you apparently like to obsess over UGA like all the other haters.
Guess any publicity is good publicity, as they say…
Dawg
August 12th, 2010
9:08 am
I want a title now. I get tired of remembering what happened 30 years ago, when I was just a kid. He11, I couldn’t even have a celebratory beer the last time we won a title.
Joey
August 12th, 2010
9:09 am
Yeah, fool, we basically were handed the National Championship by the AP and UPI.
12-0-0. THAT’S why UGA won the title.
Paul H
August 12th, 2010
9:09 am
If UGA truly did suck, there wouldn’t be so many haters on this blog because no one would care one way or the other. It’s kind of comforting to know so many non-UGA fans obsess over UGA.
GO DAWGS!
Alan
August 12th, 2010
9:10 am
9. Option offense: Ready for a comeback?
The future won’t belong solely to the pro/spread hybrid. As the spread flourished this past decade, defenses adjusted. More teams adopted a 3-4, allowing more flexibility to spy a quarterback who might double as a fullback.
That shift in defensive philosophy means it’s time for a new-old offensive fad. And since bell-bottoms and platform shoes have already enjoyed minor renaissances, it seems only fair that coaches bring back that staple of the ’70s football experience: the option. We’re not talking about the occasional pitch play. We’re talking about the holy trinity of the dive back, quarterback keeper or pitch.
Paul Johnson, who probably has leisure suits and tearaway jerseys in his closet, has proven at Navy and Georgia Tech that the option still works. How well? In Johnson’s second season at Tech, he won the ACC title.
Most people think the option is a boring, grind-it-out scheme. Not true, said Tom Osborne, an option aficionado who coached Nebraska to national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997. “Most of the zone plays you see now, if you block things perfectly, you may make seven, eight, nine yards,” Osborne said. “If somebody misses a tackle, you might go a long way. In option football, if you execute correctly, you’ve got enough people to block everybody and theoretically score a touchdown on most every option play.”
The option could be the answer for teams that recruit great defenses but struggle to assemble great offenses — we’re looking at you, Nebraska and North Carolina. Had Nebraska run the option last year, the Cornhuskers probably would have won the Big 12 title.
The three rarest specimens on the recruiting trail are, in order, elite defensive tackles, strong-armed quarterbacks and large, athletic offensive linemen. Nebraska already recruits elite defensive tackles, so that’s not an issue. Running the option eliminates the need for the other two. Teams wanted former Cornhuskers quarterback Tommie Frazier as a safety, and he won two national titles running the option. Meanwhile, there is an ample supply of athletic, 6-foot-3, 280-pound linemen — ideal for the trapping and cutting required by the option — being ignored by most big-time programs. So what’s the holdup? Johnson already has proven the option can work in a BCS conference. It’s time to bring it back on a grand scale.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/08/10/new-era/2.html#ixzz0wOfD8cXt
Gen Neyland
August 12th, 2010
9:10 am
Dooley the Vol : When that ol’ saying, ” Back in the day…” becomes passe, which will be never. Time tested, like Lennon/McCartney music, that day will live on for generations to come…Now, back to the unknown : The present and the future.
oakwood dawg
August 12th, 2010
9:11 am
Enter your comments here
RxDawg
August 12th, 2010
9:11 am
“The greatest moment in Georgia football history”
Eh…that’s subjective. I was 3 years old when that play happend. So to me, the Greene to Johnson catch at Auburn 02 (that happend about 30 feet from me) has more meaning than the “run Lyndsey” play. I’d also bet there are some old timers out there that hang onto earlier plays over that one. But, I can certainly understand why a lot of people would say that about 1980 though.
Nevertheless, great read! The conversation with Doley was hillarious.
“Dooley: What’s the penalty, Bobby?
Gaston: That’s going to be 15 yards, coach.
Dooley: Seems harsh.
Gaston: Yes sir.”
Love it!
Now, all that said, It’s nice to relive the past and all but I think it’s time we came up with some new “greatest play” in the history of Georgia Football. Looking foward to a run at the championship this year, Go Dawgs!
LOL...
August 12th, 2010
9:11 am
Sounds like a real humdinger of a book… certainly a story that hasnt been told … while we are at it, lets celebrate Reagan’s inauguration again too.. . or maybe watch “Everybody’s All American” with Dennis Quaid (The Grey Ghost !)
#2 BAMA FAN
August 12th, 2010
9:12 am
I was 16 years old and remember watching the game with my dad and OMG when the play happened!!
Thanks larry for the youtube link and GO DAWGS!!
WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!!
August 12th, 2010
9:12 am
@hammerhead,that’s an excellent question!! WHY ARE U GAY’S SO OBSESSED WITH YOURSELVE’S??!!
Big Dawg
August 12th, 2010
9:12 am
Dang, I’ve never seen such size envy. Little nerds, just get in the line for the stall. No one will see . . .
What dawg?
August 12th, 2010
9:12 am
Living in the past. Bama does it. I guess Georgia can do it too.
WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!!
August 12th, 2010
9:15 am
@ paul h.,OH YOU ABSOLUTELY SUCK THAT’S WHAT FUEL’S THE FIRE,YA BIG DUMMY!!!!
joe
August 12th, 2010
9:15 am
wow…30 years of zero relevance since 80…and the clock keeps on ticking.
Ka-Ching Ka-Ching
August 12th, 2010
9:18 am
Would anyone be surprised…if Barnahrt was getting royalties off the sale of the book?
Barnhart is just a shill for UGA and SEC, masquerading as a sports journalist.
oakwood dawg
August 12th, 2010
9:18 am
Mike, don’t you know that stats are for losers? Who but you would remember the stats. A win is a win and that is and thats the way it recorded for history. You must be an agitated gaytor or a remember the once great fighting irish teams that no longer exist.
Paul H
August 12th, 2010
9:18 am
“Wait till next year,” appropriate title given that’s what Tech fans have been saying for basically 2 decades of getting owned by the Dawgs.
Pulpwood
August 12th, 2010
9:20 am
Didn’t Georgia finish 2nd in the Nation two years ago? That’s lousy I guess.
CONFEDERATE DAWG
August 12th, 2010
9:21 am
WHO CARES WE WON!
GO DAWGS!!!
OH AND THE UGA Uga THING, IT AINT THAT SERIOUS
17 of 20
August 12th, 2010
9:22 am
1980 was Georgia’s good old days. The Gator’s good old days have lasted for the last 20 years. Three National Championships and eight SEC Championships.
5IML
August 12th, 2010
9:23 am
What,
Yes, UGA and BAMA (and many others) do live in the past. The difference is that BAMA can also live in the present. When we revisit the past, its for fun, not out of necessity.
WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR
August 12th, 2010
9:23 am
@ paul h.,thank’s you proved my point “LOVER OF FLEA BAG U”!!!
hello
August 12th, 2010
9:26 am
Thank you for reminding them Tony. Its been 30 years….its also the 20th anniversary of the Scott Sisson kick that beat #1 UVA and propelled GT to its last national championship as they finished the 1990 season as the only undefeated team. They didn’t need 5 downs or a phantom clipping call to win the championship that year.
Paul H
August 12th, 2010
9:27 am
“Wait till,” since you’re probably in high school and don’t know much about football (like most Tech fans), let me shed some light on you. If a team genuinely sucks, no one obsesses over them. Take most ACC teams for example. Or Miss State. Or whatever. If a column is written about a great game that one of those teams played, people read the column and move on. They don’t immediately jump on the blogs to bash that team unless there is some deeply fueled jealousy/bitterness towards that team’s success. Hope that helps.
alpharettadawg
August 12th, 2010
9:28 am
didn’t talk to Belue or Scott? Why?
Not A UGA Fan
August 12th, 2010
9:30 am
Hey Tony, how much did you get for endorsing the book? Man, you’re supposed to be a sports journalist not a book previewer. Go to work and dig up some real sports stories…..some that are relevant.
Jason
August 12th, 2010
9:33 am
Staples and Mandel are Mr college football. Not this buffoon tony.
TML
August 12th, 2010
9:34 am
@hello – you’re absolutely right about Sisson’s kick. I wonder if UGA alum Tony will write a gushing article about that equally important play in another national championship season for a local school, hmmm?
http://www.stinGTees.com
POAD
August 12th, 2010
9:35 am
And 30 years ago I was dreaming of getting my 66 mustang finished and in mom and dad’s garage for my 14th birthday on the 29th of August. Boy arn’t memories great. Now, can we talk about a football and season in the here and now?
Tony has one afternoon getting drunk and smoking Cigars with Munson and now we have to relive a 30 year old football season.
CC
August 12th, 2010
9:38 am
I’ve always wanted to know who was the guy in the red pants dancing around in the endzone. He’s had a few. Every time I see that play, I wonder what he’s up to now.
free steven slater
August 12th, 2010
9:39 am
urban lost his mind because he met a coach who’s better then him in saban, I admire urban for his insanity, that’s a dedication to task most of the bloggers represented here should consider while wiping their collective arses…
David
August 12th, 2010
9:40 am
Don’t you think it is a little pathetic to still be beating this drum? 30 years ago and you are still reliving the experience? That doesn’t say a whole lot for the program’s history does it? It is sad that the fans have so little to hang their hat on. Let’s go back a relive Charley Trippi’s experience. Meanwhile Buck Bulue takes another bow.
BJohnDawg
August 12th, 2010
9:42 am
I was working at the paper mill in St. Mary’s on old #3 paper machine between quarters in college. I remember the supervisor had an old small black and white and we watched that game, it was a wonder we did not have a paper break that afternoon.
One of the few teams in the SEC to go undefeated and winning the NC. Yes Florida has had recent ones, give them their due, but not undefeated.1996 12-1 as I recall. and the two in this decade had losses as well. I think that is what makes 1980 special.
And I have to concur with some others on this board. Sure seems to be a ton of Georgia haters on this board from Florida and Tech.And they Always wanting to put a qualifier on it like ” the last 20 years”, as if the rest of time did not happen. To 17 of 20;Georgia leads in the overall series against Florida.
Deal with that.
bad brad
August 12th, 2010
9:43 am
Hey Mike,
If you want to talk about the worst National championships won in the last 50 years, please don’t leave out the one that Tech claimed in 1990 when they won the CITRUS BOWL. How do you win the Citrus Bowl and win a championship is beyond me.
hate to say it...
August 12th, 2010
9:45 am
Tony, you have become th e Oprah of the sports world. Selling your sole to the highest bidder to peddle books…three days in a row
You do know that your average UGA fan is 1) not going to buy it until it comes out in paper back and 2) will never actually read it becasue it is more than 6 pages
For God Sakes Man stick to the college sports
juvenal
August 12th, 2010
9:49 am
what % of uga’s current fans even saw this?
5IML
August 12th, 2010
9:52 am
brad,
Everyone complains about the BCS but it’s given us one thing–a better matchup to determine the national champion. UGA beat #7 ND to win the NC. GT beat #19 Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl to win their share of the NC.
1eyedJack
August 12th, 2010
9:53 am
30 years ago UGA led by a true freshman “shocked” the college football world after a subpar season the year before.
Flash forward to 2010 and UGA led by a redshirt freshman is poised to “shock” the college football world after a subpar season the year before.
I was at the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1980, but couldn’t get in because I was an ignorant college senior who though I could just traipse down there and get a ticket outside the Super Dome.
30 year anniversary season?
Bob
August 12th, 2010
9:54 am
As a former Dawg lover I am ashamed that there has been no new significant event for GA Football in 30 years.
johnny fontane
August 12th, 2010
9:55 am
Buck is still making a living off of that one play.
Barry
August 12th, 2010
9:57 am
Tom Osborne himself said the toughest team he played against in 1990 was Gt, not Colorado. If the BCS existed in 1990, GT would have played for and won the Nat champ. They proved it on the field. The only team with no loss and the joke that is colorado had a 5th down to beat Missouri on the final drive, had a LOSS AND a TIE AND got a bogus phantom clipping call against ND which would have and should have given them 2 losses. Either way we are the co nat champs for 1990. 1990 is more recent than 190 when Magnum PI first aired.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 12th, 2010
9:57 am
With a 1:03 left on the clock Dooley better thank himself for not having Willie The Great Martinez as his defensive coordinator.
It reminds of last years LSU game
Martinez could not even coach last years Alabama defense to stop Valdosta State from scoring with a minute left if he needed too
Ryan
August 12th, 2010
10:01 am
HAHA, this is too funny. A book about a play from 30 years ago. UGA is pathetic. Kepp living the dream Bulldogs.