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
POAD
August 12th, 2010
2:52 pm
JB you kid wouldn’t get money for a Varsity dog and a PC walking North Ave. Now, he could go closer to Piedmont Park and bet he could afford a stake and a beer with some free crack on the slide.
Tide4u2c
August 12th, 2010
2:52 pm
POAD,
Sorry for the reality check but why was it the Florida Gators that arose in the east to the top of the SEC?Would’nt you have rathered it had been Georgia instead?, I would’ve SHH!.If Bama can’t do well and it won’t effect Bama I usually pull for the Bulldogs mainly because ya’ll can’t stand Auburn and Tennessee too.I remember going through Bama’s down years and thinking well if Bama can’t be on top for now why can’t Georgia and yet it was Florida? Florida? I mean they use to be easy to beat Bama did it twice in 99 by the way to win the SEC championship.
Greg
August 12th, 2010
2:53 pm
The Tech angle is a little over-hyped since Georgia beat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
UGAY in the Papa Johns Bowl
August 12th, 2010
2:55 pm
hahaha…this is too funny
POAD
August 12th, 2010
2:55 pm
Tide4u POAD stands for Pi$$ on a Dawg. I don’t want UGA to do a damn thing. Now that you know I dislike the dawgs read my post to you again and you will get it better.
JB
August 12th, 2010
2:55 pm
Hell POAD, I’ll answer it for you……Curry Said to himself, ” I’ll never be able to win here.Bobby Dodd is long gone, and we can’t sell tickets, recruit, or hardly make a showing………….Hell, Fulcher, Pepper couldn’t do it, I’ll let them hire Bill Lewis, A Georgia guy, yea, that’s the ticket……
POAD
August 12th, 2010
2:59 pm
GREG with Notre Dame undefeated they would not have played UGA. UGA was not that respected. Penn St. Oklahoma and Pitt were more respected. They all had loses but better/harder schedules.
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
3:00 pm
I still remember that play. I was a kid and wasn’t a UGA or UF fan but I watched that game just cause it was a great game. And it was the first game that truly taught me that it aint really over till its over. Anything can happen.
People can say the Belue to Lindsay play was just pure luck. Maybe so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another play like that where both safetys completely overrun the play. But ya know what. It counts. And for that matter if you go back and look at the last 30 national champions you would be extremely hard pressed to find any champion that didn’t have a close call, a little good fortune, or some just dumb luck to win a game.
That play should go down as one of the alltime greatest plays ever by any team and certainly for the dawgs because that one play was so instrumental in the 1980 drive for the title. Not to mention that later listening to Munson’s replay of “run Lindsey run” gives you a real feel for the play.
When I think about past Bama glory I still think about the goal line stand against Penn State in 79, the George Teague theft of Lamar Thomas in the 92 title game, Nothing wrong with the dawg fans reminiscing about the play and the dawgs fans should always relish,enjoy it, and be proud of it and the 1980 season in particular.
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:00 pm
POAD, Why is an elitist Tech guy like yourself trolling with Georgia Trash in the Middle of the day on a UGA story….Unemployed? Thought you guys were highly educated and successful and you’re getting flea’s lying with Dawgs
POAD
August 12th, 2010
3:02 pm
JB now you are just making things up. Bill never said anything close to that, but Dooley did say that his player were going to class and making the grades. Dooley just didn’t say a 4th grader could pass those classes without a tutor.
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:04 pm
POAD…ya think……90 % of the stuff on this blog is made up……maybe 95% for me….LOL
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:07 pm
POAD, I will give you Tech guys your due…..Your hate is like Islamic Terrorist, you’re committed to it.
Never seen anything like it.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
3:07 pm
RISING TIDE: TEAGUE “RAPED” the Miami player on National TV with everybody watching for a National Championship on the 100th year of SEC football. That would be like having a video of Bill and Monica playing behind Bill when he ran his mouth. I really felt bad for the Miami player for about 5 seconds.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
3:10 pm
JB I run a small business and I crushed a few fingers a few month back. I don’t go on jobs as much right now. the Doc. says the typing is goo therapy for my fingers. It is helping my fingers but not my spelliing.
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
3:11 pm
POAD,
Teague ‘raped’ the Miami player? I have to admit I laughed out loud when I read that. Teague went to my high school (Jeff Davis in Montgomery) so that play was super extra special for me. Also, now that I know what POAD means I’m surprised that you didn’t make it SOAD given your disdain for all things UGA.
CaptainDave
August 12th, 2010
3:14 pm
I wonder if the book includes the perspective of someone speaking for the late Jan Kemp? The perspective that “student” athletes like Lindsay Scott were playing years without taking college level courses? That the “proudest” moment of the football program was earned by players that never earned a single college credit?
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
3:19 pm
CaptainDave,
That seems like a pretty serious charge. Where to you get your info that Lindsay Scott wasn’t taking college level courses or that he never earned a single college credit? You can’t really believe the guy went to UGA for 4 years and never earned a college credit? That sounds a little over the top to say the least.
CaptainDave
August 12th, 2010
3:27 pm
You must not remember the Jan Kemp story. I did not say players went there for four years without earning a college credit. It was well documented, however, that some played two full seasons without taking a single college level course. Look it up.
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:28 pm
Sorry to hear that POAD……
POAD
August 12th, 2010
3:31 pm
Rising I have an Ex Bro-in-law UGA grad his daughter/my neice is a dawg fan that goes to TECH Volleyball camp. I don’t hate all things UGA. I hate that most not all of my friends that call themselves DAWG FANS have never gone to a game or have ever sat in a UGA classroom. NOW, they all have a UGA MBA in drinking and acting the BUTT but that is all. 2 great friends are longtime Bama fans. They never went to UGA but like me one of their dads is a grad and they piggyback on him to get Bama season tickets since 88. My Step dad is a 60 GT grad and we go to the games. I have been going since 74 so I am no sidewalk fan. I went to Pepper Rogers Football camp too. Some Dawgs give me crap for my North Georgia College and Kennesaw State degrees, but I know I have been to more TECH games in 2 years than most of them have actually had their butts in a seat for a DAWG GAME in their lives. From 74 to 89 I went to GT v UGA games in Athens and all the home GT v UGA games. Hell I went to A Bama v UGA game when E Zeire came in the game and won the starting position after that loss. I went to UGA games when my friends were at UGA. I don’t hate all things DAWG just many of them.
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:37 pm
Trash talk Captain Dave is all that is……..You’re a Tech guy I’m guessing and you and your ilk will throw anything against the wall about UGA to see if it sticks. We are not without sin, and neither is Tech…….We hear a lot of the Football players are farmed out to Atlanta University, Clark and Morris Brown for Core classes….Is that true….I don’t know….. I hear it……..But the University of Georgia has a ton of smart students who will graduate and do very well……….and a lot of very successful alumni.
Tech students are taught from day one to HATE anything UGA…….And mostly academic type lies.
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
3:43 pm
CaptainDave,
Interesting. I don’t see how that can happen but I guess its probably true. I read the Jan Kemp thing and I do remember reading that some players were graduating who were functionally illiterate and that was one of the things she was upset about so I guess what you’re saying could very well be true. I’m certainly not saying you’re lying by any means. AU and Okay State also had some players graduate who were functionally illiterate- Dexter Manley at OSU and I can’t remember the AU player except that it was an rb I think. Anyway, seems that kind of craziness was going on at a few schools back in the 80s.
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:50 pm
Tide, And you think it’s never happen at Bama……….??????
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
3:51 pm
JB,
I gotta feeling that kinda stuff was going on at a lot of different places in the 70s and 80s and still occurs today at some b-ball programs from what I understand. Today much harder to graduate guys not doing the actual classwork. Much more oversight. I know at UGA they have professors report when players miss a class. Same thing at Bama and Saban recently dismissed a former 4 star safety competing for the other starting safety spot- reason was either behavioral or academic and the word from Bama is that he wasn’t doing his classroom work so Saban asked him to move on.
The most recent academic abuse that I’ve seen was at UT when professors gave passing grades to 21 players to keep them eligible for the title game in 98 and then changed their grades back to failing grades after the bowl game. The NCAA looked into it but determined that the NCAA has no authority to go into a classroom and tell a professor what grade a student deserves or how he should be graded which makes sense. Other than that I’ve not seen any massive academic shenanigans by anynone.
JB
August 12th, 2010
3:53 pm
Oh , and by the way, The last school in Georgia to go on NCAA probation for academic problems would be our own little sweethearts at Georgia Tech…………..Look it up…..only been 3 years or so ago……Yes, probation……as in lost Scholarships……..How bout it Capt. Dave ?
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
3:55 pm
JB,
As we all know no one is without sin including Bama obviously. Our problems haven’t been with preferential grading towards football players. Its been more trying to keep the boosters out of the program, keeping agents away from players-Antonio Langham and Andre Smith and now Dareus. But would it surprise me if there has been historical easy grading in the past to help out players? Nope. Not at all.
JB
August 12th, 2010
4:00 pm
Tide, I have a feeling if the NCAA knew it all, it would shut down college ball…..and they may know….
It’s a multi Billion dollar business and also part of the American Feel good treasuries we have left.
JB
August 12th, 2010
4:03 pm
Boy, mention Tech, NCAA and probation, it’ll clear a room,……..LOL
JB
August 12th, 2010
4:06 pm
Crickets
Lindsey
August 12th, 2010
4:08 pm
Thanks for the article Tony, I just placed my order!! My Mom was pregnant with me in October 1980, my Dad loves to tell this story about how there were sitting in the top corner of the stadium and the magic happened. He said how everyone went crazy, his new gold watch he got for graduation flew off and all the UGA fans were rubbing my Mom’s belly…4 months later they named me Lindsey!
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:12 pm
JB it was not intentional cheating. The Compliance officer did a bad job by not getting the players to take enough qualiflying classes towards graduation during the football season. He thought the players could take more class hours in other semesters and stay elidgable. They were wrong and lost their job. The TECH player were not taking “Learning to read and evaulate DICK & JANE Watch Spot Run” like UGA players.
Riga
August 12th, 2010
4:13 pm
Since dawgtards seem to love living in the past, how about remembering the Jan Kemp trial, which exposed UGA and Vince Dooley for the jokes that they were. My favorite quote from the trial was this one:
O. Hale Almand Jr., a lawyer for the defense, offered a justification for the favorable treatment accorded the athletes, citing a hypothetical player. “We may not make a university student out of him,” he told the jury, “but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbageman when he gets through with his athletic career.”
The best thing about the trial was that it completely killed Vince Dooley’s shot at Congress, since he was exposed as a fraud and a cheat during the trial. Make no mistake – Dooley knew everything that was going on.
Nothing has changed in the almost three decades since the trial. If anything, the abuses are even worse. Exhibit #1: Jim Harrick and son.
Today the players are even more illiterate and felonious and, well, just plain stupid, as evidenced by their arrest records and record number of penalties. Even Vince Dooley couldn’t have controlled this mob, much less Mark Richt. And now even the AD is a drunk debaucherer.
There’s a reason why UGA is known as The Cesspool of the South.
Beast from the East
August 12th, 2010
4:14 pm
I remember that game like it was yesterday. I was 13 years old and I just about came unglued when our DB fell down and Lindsay was off to the races. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. Enjoy the memory, Dagws. It’s one of the biggest plays in the history of college football and probably the biggest for UGA.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:16 pm
Lindsey not being mean, but are you a boy or girl. The name works for both. I played football with Lindsey Marshall at NYO at Chastain Park in the 70’s. I do say the rubbing the belly by strangers is still a lil creapy. There were a few UGA football players back about a year or 2 that got in trouble a lil for doing that to a girl in the dorms.
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
4:17 pm
JB,
You may well be right that maybe they would shut down everything. I don’t remember the specifics of the Tech case except that it was unintentional. I think what happened was that an academic advisor made a mistake and thought a course counted toward credits and it didn’t or something like that. Not sure except that it was just a mistake and I thought they hammered Tech a little hard for what was just a mistake.
Beast from the East
August 12th, 2010
4:18 pm
POAD and Riga,
Those type of things went on at most universities that fielded a decent football team back then. I cannot say all or even which ones, but back then the mindest was basically “if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying”. UF had some serious issues in the 80’s, as well. It took the hiring of Spurrier to get the program cleaned up and competetive. Remember the old saying….let he without sin cast the first stone. There will be no stone throwing from this Gator.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:24 pm
BEAST the “IF you ain’t cheat’n. You ain’t try’n” phrase is still ver much alive today. Look at Ga schools, Politics, NASCAR, Drugs in SPORTS, amd Marriages. HAHAHAHA. I love me some deer hunt’n widows when I don’t travel to the away Tech games. This year I may have to pass on those ladies at the bar. I think I am going to go to Ga. State games when Tech is on the road.
Tide Rising
August 12th, 2010
4:24 pm
Beast,
“If you aint cheatin ya aint trying”- A great friend of mine an AU fan greets me with that saying every time he sees me in reference to our recent NCAA troubles. Its become somewhat of a running joke between us.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:28 pm
Back to some FOOTBALL in this year. Do you think the SEC refs will call the “Horse collar” Tackle more this year? The SEC seem to let it go a lot last year. It is not a judgement call, but SEC refs seemed to make it one. Like if you tackled the guy, but didn’t drag the runner down backwards it was ok.
AGTfan
August 12th, 2010
4:30 pm
I don’t understand the need of some Tech Fans and FLA fans to rain on UGAs parade about this book. It was one of the most electrifying moments in college football history. Larry Munson’s call of the play was incredible. I’ve spent most of my life (good naturedly) hating the DAWGs, but when I hear that call replayed, I still get chills. Good story Tony. Sounds like a good book.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:30 pm
Rising do you know Bo and Otis in Duluth?
Beast from the East
August 12th, 2010
4:31 pm
POAD,
I think it was ok to grab the collar, but not bring the player down by the collar. At least that was my understanding.
Too many rules. I mean, IT’S FOOTBALL!!!!!!
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:36 pm
I have the old WAX Single of Run Hershel Run song they made back then. I think that is the name of the song. It is somewhere in my VINYL ALBUM Collection. For you kids: an ALBUM is what music used to come on. You played it on a turn table with a needle. It was not a CD you play on your computer or a file you download on an Ipod. It had linernotes and great artwork or photos that came with the ALBUM.
Salparadise
August 12th, 2010
4:54 pm
Did the dogs wear their cute little black jerseys?
POAD
August 12th, 2010
5:04 pm
Salparadise they were in their white jock straps with red panties in their laps and it was up to the other team to bring the any color HELMETS.
DAWGSRule
August 12th, 2010
5:19 pm
Great article but an Auburn Fan in my office constantly reminds me that we likely were the weakest National Champion ever. I argue he’s insane but he mentions we only beat two teams that finished with winning records (UF finished 8-4; South Carolina finished 7-5) up to the Bowl game against ND that only lost once. But the War Eagle argues that ND couldn’t have been nearly as good as the record since they did tie a team that did not win a single game all year. Georgia Tech (he argues) finished 0-10-1 that year. Someone please give me some firepower to retort this reasoning. He also brings up how weak of a QB Belue was and said he finished 1 for 11 passes in the NC game and without one player we would have lost multiple games (UT, UF, ND, etc.). He states that Walker was simply the second best collegian ever behind Jackson! LOL I know that is a myth and have given data to back this idiotic assertion but the weakest Champion ever based on schedule strength is more difficult. I need help UGA statisticians!!!
POAD
August 12th, 2010
5:29 pm
Dawgsrule you can’t be a DAWG for sure. ND would have played a team with a loss or UGA if ND had not tied TECH. ND would have played I think it was PITT, PENN ST or OKLAHOMA. UGA didn’t have a schedule for crap. Like this Year UGA could go 12-0 and play in the SECCG, but they play a joke schedule. 78-74 is the record of the teams UGA plays this year. UGA’s OOC teames were 21-28 and Tech had 11 of those wins. 1980=2010? So easy even Bobo could get a title with the lil option qb Belue running the show.
A. N. Flash
August 12th, 2010
5:32 pm
It was 30 years ago I had sex with my ex-wife. Still a nightmare.
Techwreck
August 12th, 2010
5:47 pm
POAD….You have no class….in fact your an a$$hole…You show your stupidity everytime you post…you’re an embarressment to Tech fans everywhere. …I laugh when you try to justify your comments as being “all in fun”. I’ll bet you never even went to Tech…there’s no way you could have gotten in school there….no way.I’ll bet your a college drop out living somewhere around Warner Robins and most likely can’t hold onto a job longer than a year because people can’t stand to be around your pompous a$$. You spout your bullsh_t on this blog like your an authority on college football…but everyone on here knows you wouldn’t know a 4-3 defense from a 3-4 defense.Even your blog name shows everyone what an inmature little boy you are. If your married I feel sorry for your wife…but then again anyone that marries you is most likely dumb as a rock and uglier than a bowling shoe.Go play with your GI Joes and pick your nose in the corner…isn’t that what little boys like you do?
1eyedJack
August 12th, 2010
6:00 pm
POAD – “I don’t hate all things UGA. I hate that most not all of my friends that call themselves DAWG FANS have never gone to a game or have ever sat in a UGA classroom.”
You are an elitist my friend. What you are saying is that the millions or so Georgia citizens who never attended college have no right to be a fan of the team of their choice?
We’ll my friend, I never had the privelege of sitting in a UGA classroom, not because I didn’t want to (I have the acceptance letter to prove it) but because of finances. However, I was a Dawgs fan before I ever started elementary school and though I attended a local college I was in New Orleans on January 1, 1981 (foolishly expecting to be able to buy a ticket). And I have been to a game and hope to go to more in the future (ya’ll got any tickets still available for the 2011 GA-GT game?).