Good times in the Dogs-Gators series
A few more of my favorite Georgia-Florida games over the years …
The 1964 game in Vince Dooley’s first season as coach. I remember rushing back from a Boy Scouts outing to turn the radio on and listen to this one. Late in the game, the two teams were tied 7-7 and after a Georgia drive bogged down at the Gator 5-yard line, the Dogs were going for a field goal when the snap was fumbled. The Georgia kicker, Bobby Etter, whose name was usually preceded by the word “little,” picked up the ball and ran to his left, giving a pump fake while he was a it. The Florida defender came up, holder Barry Wilson blocked him and Etter dove over the goal line for the winning score. I vividly remember listening to Ed Thilenius describing the action on the radio. It was, I think, when Georgia fans knew something special was happening to the program.
Steve Spurrier probably still sees Bill Stanfill in his nightmares. (Dozier-stanfill.com)
The 1966 game during Steve Spurrier’s Heisman Trophy season. Spurrier was sacked a number of times by the Georgia defense, led by all-Americans Bill Stanfill and George Patton, and safety Lynn Hughes, my favorite player at the time, ran an interception back 39 yards for a touchdown as the Dogs prevailed 27-10 in Dooley’s first SEC championship season. Spurrier has never forgiven Georgia.
The 1975 game, in which No. 11 Florida came in as a heavy favorite. This was about three weeks before my wedding and I seem to recall my bride-to-be was at a shower being held by one of my parents’ neighbors and I watched it with my brothers and Dad in my parents’ basement den. Florida scored early off a Georgia fumble but Erk Russell’s Junkyard Dawgs held the Gators scoreless the rest of the game, which was won with 3 minutes left on a trick play immortalized in one of Larry Munson’s most memorable calls as tight end Richard Appleby faked the end-around and stopped and threw that famous 80-yard pass to flanker Gene Washington. We were all on our feet screaming as Washington “caught it, thinking of Montreal and the Olympics, and ran out of his shoes,” as Munson put it, adding: “Gator Bowl rocking, stunned, the girders are bending now!” Georgia won 10-7.
Sweet memories.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
113 comments Add your comment
Skipper
October 29th, 2009
2:45 pm
I’m not saying we should just leave out everything before the 1940s, I’m just trying to point out that there was, in fact, football in Florida before Steve Spurrier. And it was generally on par with or better than the football being played in Georgia.
Georgia people always point to the all-time series record and assume that means the Dogs dominated up until 1990. That simply is not true. Florida was quite successful in the 1950s and 1960s (please, I beg of you to look this up). In the 70s and 80s, Georgia had a 20-year run similar to the one that Florida is currently enjoying.
The bottom line is that IN THE MODERN ERA, the Florida-Georgia rivalry has been very competitive. From 1940-1969, it was pretty darn even (14-14-1, actually). From 1970-1989, it was all UGA, all the time. From 1990-2008, it has been all UF, all the time.
Now, go on and crow about all that domination from 1915-1939.
chazzo
October 29th, 2009
2:48 pm
I remember some friends of mine tore out the wall in between there rooms at the Motel six. They wanted a suite. That was a good time.
Message
October 29th, 2009
2:51 pm
I appreciate that the Dawgs owned the Gators before the 1990’s started but I have a message for you: It is never going back to those days. Those days are over, done. UGA will not have a run like the Gators are having again, believe it or don’t believe it, because it is the truth, the future. The Dawgs are never going to win 3 National Titles in a 13 year span with an excellent chance for a 4th 7 games into a season. End O’ story.
Dillan Hatcher
October 29th, 2009
2:59 pm
The overall series record is 46-36-2 Dawgs. They way the Gaytors have played the last 2 weeks, its gonna be a good ballgame in Jacksonville. Georgia comes up with a win, 45-42, on Blair Walsh’s last second Field Goal. GOOOOO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Dawg94
October 29th, 2009
3:14 pm
Arn’t rivalries fun. If it wasn’t for all of these die hard, trash talking fans, it would still be “just a game”.
Mark MGwire
October 29th, 2009
3:15 pm
I’m not here to talk about the past, I’m here to talk about the future.
Paul's Johnson
October 29th, 2009
3:22 pm
My record vs LSU : nevermind
AthensSG
October 29th, 2009
3:24 pm
Never is a long time, Mr Message.
UKnowY
October 29th, 2009
3:27 pm
Message is just upset that his schools domination of UGA is almost over. What ever will the gayturds do when the messiah graduates and the great crier leaves for the promise land in South Bend???
47-38-2 Dawg
October 29th, 2009
3:28 pm
Skipper….Florida does have some great history and some things I know Georgia will never accomplish. Like the famous Gator 1979 team going 0-10-1 no wins at all not even over the cup cakes they scheduled like Tulsa, but they did tie Georgia Tech!!!!
UGA_2001
October 29th, 2009
3:38 pm
So does that mean you had your wedding on the day of the tech game? I thought real fans didn’t have weddings during football season,especially during a big rivalry game.
How did you get to become the Junkyard Blogger anyway?
Saint Simons
October 29th, 2009
3:49 pm
Florida 77 uga 0!!!!!!!!!!!
Joe Cox 5 ints!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike Bobo
October 29th, 2009
3:50 pm
I just want to say my offense averages less rushing yards than Tech does in 5 attempts. but Caleb King is the next Herschal ….. i mean Jasper Sanks. Sorry….. by the way can anyone help me and a friend of mine build a resume we never learned how in college.
45-42
UKnowY
October 29th, 2009
3:54 pm
I wonder how much money Rogers Redding is making from FU and UA this season. He’ll probably have his SEC officals make some interesting calls against Vandy this weekend and UGA on 11/28. It’s good to know low people in high places right yeckies?
How2fish
October 29th, 2009
3:55 pm
Skipper no one cares when you where born…but like any Gator you want to talk about whichever era is best for you…loser…if you go back 50 years why not go to the beginning of the series and have ALL the games count…..I know I know UF doesn’t look so good when you do it that way but hey fair is fair…wait if we were going to be fair we would count ALL of Mr.Walkers TD’s like we do Timmy’s
jawga boy
October 29th, 2009
4:00 pm
Skipper , since when does a 25 yr. old punk decides on what constitutes “The Modern Era”? You Florida kids are looking at history through the earhole of your hemet? Like we’ve knocked it around on your heads since the game started. Grow up will ya?
jawga boy
October 29th, 2009
4:02 pm
UKnowY…. Rogers Redding was a chemistry major at GT. chemistry majors don’t know jack about football, nor does anyone from ACC.
UKnowY
October 29th, 2009
4:08 pm
Thank you for the help of making my point jawga boy.
polskidawg
October 29th, 2009
4:24 pm
1983 game, which featured “the drive” – 99 yards for the winning score in the 4th quarter. Final score UGA 10 UF 9.
UF had a great defense, anchored by Wilbur Marshall and a decent offense with QB Wayne Peace.
UGA had a great defense as well, including Freddie Gilbert and Terry Hoage. The UGA offense was led by the pedestrian skill of John Lastinger – decent player but not the guy you’d expect to lead a 99-yarder in the biggest game of the year.
I same to remember the John scored to winning points in the Cotton Bowl against Texas.
Call Joe pull a Lastinger Saturday?
BCS
October 29th, 2009
4:27 pm
Who cares about a team with a 4-3 record.
E
October 29th, 2009
4:27 pm
We have Willie,,,they do not. Therefore we lose!!!
Georgia is next
October 29th, 2009
4:33 pm
Sorry Bill, Saturday will not be good times for a Dawg fan.
Delusional Leghumpers
October 29th, 2009
4:33 pm
Skipper..I thought you were older than 19. Apparantly not, because that is the time frame Fla has been not awful.They were a joke until 1990
UGAly’s all-time winning percentage: 64.5%
UF’s all-time winning percentage: 62.7%
By way of reference, Michigan is the most successful program at 73.9%.
Sorry, leghumper, but your “regal” history is much closer to UF’s than it is to the traditional power programs.
But don’t let things like statistics get in the way of your opinion.
Bob Horner stayed hurt
October 29th, 2009
4:38 pm
polskidawg…..ummmmm I’m thinking no….Lastinger’s team had a great defense…but thanks for the memories….
jawga boy
October 29th, 2009
4:44 pm
L-Dawg , I wouldn’t ride MARINE JACKET so hard about game attendance. You and I both know Grant Field will be full when UGA shows up to play. U see they’ve included that game in their 6-pak offering…… to the homeless in ATL. come to the game and we’ll give you a ticket and a six pack if you’ll wear gold and white. It will be a sellout as always.
Denver Dog
October 29th, 2009
4:47 pm
Skipper, I’m 104 years old and when I first saw UGA beat UF we were down 2-3 in the series, since then we have owned you for a few decades and you have owned us for a few decades. The only thing about your math is the following:
Figures don’t lie, but liars sure can figure. Here is one for you, to figure out. There was a football game in which on team scored 45 points in the first quarter, and the other scored 38 in the 4th quarter, who won the game. Maybe you should get a refund on your statistics class, and it appears that you have the ethics of Congressman Grayson. Remember 07 and 85.
nemov
October 29th, 2009
4:49 pm
Florida: The arrogance of Miami with the tradition of Wake Forest.
Dink
October 29th, 2009
4:52 pm
Skipper
Have the Gators ever had a perfect season?
nemov
October 29th, 2009
4:54 pm
Joking aside… Florida is on a run that’s unsustainable. Enjoy it Gator fans there’s just no way any team stays on the top like this for the long haul. Not to say that they won’t be a contender, but the chips fell in the Gator’s favor the past three years.
jawga boy
October 29th, 2009
4:59 pm
U Dawgs just hang in there. All this gator talk is caused by an ecological reversal down at the Everglades. They have returned it to its orginal state and they say the gator population is getting out of hand. They’ll soon open their borders again to gator huntin’ and soon there’ll be gator hides, belts, shoes all back in vogue. Just be patient.
Skipper
October 29th, 2009
5:00 pm
jawja boy,
If you were paying attention in class, you would have read that I am defining the modern era as having begun in 1938 when Riddell introduced the plastic football helmet. If you want to argue that games played with leather helmets should be considered in the modern era, then I think you are a little misguided. Actually I thought I was being generous in going back as far as I did.
Again, I am conceding that Georgia owned Florida from 1915-1939 and again from 1970-1989. Good work, boys. The rest of the way it’s been pretty even. Up until, you know, present day.
UKnowY,
When Shane Matthews is gone…
When Danny Wuerffel is gone…
When Rex Grossman is gone…
When Steve Spurrier is gone…
When Tim Tebow is gone….
When Urban Meyer is gone…
We’ve heard it ALL before. Same stuff, different year. This domination transcends individual players. We beat you with Jesse Palmer at quarterback. It transcends coaches. We beat you with Zook. It transcends location. We beat you (worse than anyone, ever, actually) in Athens. We beat you in Gainesville. Move it to Atlanta, you say? We win there fairly regularly, too.
We beat Eric Zier. We beat Hines Ward. We beat Champ and Boss. We beat Terrell Davis. We beat Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. We beat Ray Goff (many times). We beat Jim Donnan (and got him fired for it). We beat Mark Richt and we will beat whoever you trot out next.
jawga boy
October 29th, 2009
5:06 pm
Skippy….. not so fast my friend. UF didn’t beat Zier. Rogers Redding and that ACC crew helped you out a little, or were you still in diapers then? Or did your mommy give you one of those little plastic hemets and you had it on backwards? You myopic doomas.
How Bout the 100 years before 91
October 29th, 2009
5:10 pm
Yep. Gaytors were the joke of the SEC…still are actually. Funny how UF can only go back 19 years but you never hear anything prior to that. hahahahahaha
jawga boy
October 29th, 2009
5:10 pm
Skippy…. you are coming around. That comes you know with growing up and maturing. So you concede that UGA has owned UF for 43 years during the last century. We have another century to go…. may the best team win.
Skipper
October 29th, 2009
5:11 pm
You’re right, jawja. Florida may just open it up again and allow Gator giggin’. The Everglades are overrun with a once endangered species.
Guess what? Those aren’t actual alligators suiting up on Saturday.
Dink,
Good point. We’ve never won all our games. But we have won 17 in a row dating back to last year. That’s the nation’s longest active streak, for those keeping score at home. How many have the Dogs won in a row? One? Yeah. One. Over Vanderbilt.
How many times has Georgia won all their games? Once in more than 100 years? It’s not easy to do. I think this could be our year, though. The streak probably won’t end this week.
Starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk
October 29th, 2009
5:12 pm
Beam me up Scotty, there is no intelligent life here.
polskidawg
October 29th, 2009
5:12 pm
Bob Horner stayed hurt – I believe I mentioned that the Dawgs had a great D the season.
By the way – Bob was hurt all the time, but I was fortunate to also see his 4 HR game in person, as well as the aforementioned UGA/UF game.
ugaaccountant
October 29th, 2009
5:13 pm
Skipper, not so fast my friend. Your streak ends Saturday. Whether it be your 1 game streak over UGA or your 17 win streak overall, both will be gone when you wake up Sunday.
Skipper
October 29th, 2009
5:14 pm
Jawja,
Eric Zeier was the starting quarterback at UGA from 1990-93. Three Florida wins.
Please look this stuff up. I’m begging.
polskidawg
October 29th, 2009
5:15 pm
Bob – actually it just dawned on me that what you are saying is that ‘83 had great D, as opposed to current D.
Got it, and I agree.
Skipper
October 29th, 2009
5:16 pm
Oh I’m sorry. Zeier was around in ‘94, too. Final score: 52-14, Gators.
Skipper
October 29th, 2009
5:19 pm
Actuall, jawja, it’s not as many games as you may think from 1915-1939. We didn’t play each other but five times (yes, all Georgia wins) from ‘15-’26. We’ve played every year since ‘26.
WTF?
October 29th, 2009
5:20 pm
Skipper
STFU!
Bob Horner stayed hurt
October 29th, 2009
5:24 pm
polskidawg…I’m a huge Bob Horner fan…my other screen name is “bob horner had a sweet compact swing”…..but when I’m grumpy I use..”bob horner stayed hurt”….Bob could pull ANYBODYS fast ball….he hit lollipop homeruns deep and high….what a talent….and yes..I’m worried about UGA’s D this year and this saturday….that Tennessee game is still giving me nightmares….that was truly ugly….no other way to describe it….
Darrin in Elberton
October 29th, 2009
5:25 pm
All you drunk Dawg fans be sure to toss the booze away before you stagger in to one of those safe havens in Jacksonville. The local fuzz will arrest y’all quicker than you can say “How da hell did we luze by 50 points?”
Starring Jackson DeForest Kelley as Leonard "Bones" McCoy
October 29th, 2009
6:01 pm
My God Jim. These people are hopeless.
The Prime Directive states that we shall not interfere.
Scotty beam me up too.
Bob Horner stayed hurt
October 29th, 2009
6:09 pm
The safe havens are for the gayturds….we dawgs can hold our liquor…
GR82BAG8R
October 29th, 2009
6:12 pm
L- Dog, please release the Caps Lock button. It is hard to read your postings. I understand how easy it is to recite Georgia’s four word, 6 letter fight song, though we have not heard it much this year.
I am looking forward to Saturday. Are you?
Bob Horner stayed hurt
October 29th, 2009
6:15 pm
GR82BAG8R …I totally agree with your first paragraph….
But your last statement…..get back to me Sat at halftime….
go dawgs…
ugaaccountant
October 29th, 2009
6:15 pm
No dawg fan will be at a “safe haven”. How pathetic is that idea.