Time to revise your vote for UGA’s greatest receiver?
A.J. Green makes a leaping catch for a first down in the 2009 game against South Carolina in Athens. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Amid speculation A.J. Green might be the top pick in this year’s NFL draft, our enterprising Web folks put up a photo gallery looking at candidates for the honor of best receiver in UGA history.
That’s a subject we’ve dealt with here before. Just before Christmas, I wrote that A.J. is, hands down, the best receiver I’ve ever seen play for Georgia, thanks to those circus catches, his running after the catch and, most importantly, his ability to go up high in double or triple coverage and still snag the ball in a clutch situation.
A couple of years ago, I raised the question of who was the Dogs’ all-time best receiver and threw out quite a few names, including Jimmy Orr from the Wally Butts era, Pat Hodgson, Charlie Whittemore and Lindsay Scott from the Vince Dooley years, Andre Hastings and Brice Hunter from Ray Goff’s tenure, Hines Ward from the Jim Donnan years, Terrence Edwards under Donnan and Mark Richt, and Reggie Brown, Mohamed Massaquoi and Green from the Richt era.
Do Blawg readers still think Hines Ward is UGA's all-time best? (Associated Press)
At the time, I said if I had to narrow that list down, I’d have Orr, Hastings, Ward, Edwards (even with that infamous drop against Florida), Scott (for the most important reception in Bulldog history) and Massaquoi, and based on just his freshman year at the time I said I thought Green probably would top the list before his career was done.
In a poll at that time, 46 percent of Junkyard Blawg readers voted Ward the all-time best receiver, followed by Scott (13 percent), Edwards (11 percent), Hastings (10 percent), young A.J. (10 percent), Orr (7 percent) and Massaquoi (3 percent).
Loading ...Vote in the poll and also feel free to sound off in the comments on Green’s place among the Dogs’ all-time greats.
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192 comments Add your comment
Dawg in gatorville
February 20th, 2011
3:59 pm
Fred Gibson should have at least been mentioned! He was truly great.
Actually, ...
February 20th, 2011
4:29 pm
…Kent Lawrence is the all time best – “but judge, I voted for you, now please don’t throw the book at me”…
chazzo
February 20th, 2011
5:16 pm
If Terrence’s miss vs. UF (for which UGA fans will forever owe him a huge apology) discounts his rating, then AJ’s four game suspension discounts his stock. Just saying.
I agree w/ Dawg in gatorville. Where is the love for Fred Gibson? Certainly as big if not bigger impact than Masaquoi.
It was fun watching the Gibson, Edwards, Gary, Bailey days. I don’t think there has been as big a deep threat in quite a few years. Of course, Stafford had trouble throwing that particular route.
Fire Dave Perno
February 20th, 2011
6:28 pm
Stetson….. wow UGA baseball is in big big trouble..
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2011
6:39 pm
A.J. is the best ever in the SEC? Alshon Jeffery and Julio Jones were 1st team All-SEC for 2010. Will A.J. be voted into the College Football Hall of Fame? Catfish Smith is in in it.
secondguesser
February 20th, 2011
8:53 pm
From a childhood friend,fellow teammmate and life long Gator, this vote for the best athlete I have ever known and watched personally, is for Lindsay. Never, ever saw the man get caught from behind from grade school on up. Hope God is smilling on you today.
Camden Mark
February 20th, 2011
9:31 pm
Taking in the whole body of work from top to bottom Hines Ward is one of the all time great Dawgs of any position.AJ has all the talent in the world but what has he done with it? Seems like a good kid but he couldn’t cast a shadow to Hines
A.J. finished the drill by running out of bounds
February 21st, 2011
7:44 am
FACT: . . . A.J. Green has never had 1,000 yards recieving in one season
and probably never will.
EmoryDawg
February 21st, 2011
9:41 am
Crowell @ 6:15 AM your remark is his highly inappropriate and has no place on public blogs.
wasted days and wasted nights
February 21st, 2011
10:45 am
Hines was truly great, but he didn’t spend enough time at wr, thanks to injuries, to fully develop until Donnan came along.
AJ spent all of his time at wr, and therefore he gets my vote with Hines a close second. The next best is so far down the line he’s not even worth discussing.
TE U
February 21st, 2011
10:48 am
The greatest receiver ever for the Dogs was not mentioned here. Dennis Hughes, circa 60’s, was.
#82
February 21st, 2011
10:50 am
Had it not been for all of the dropped passes, Michael Moore would win this competition, hands down!
Terrence?
February 21st, 2011
10:52 am
Terrence Edwards, really? The balls that Edwards dropped were too numerous and too important (Florida, junior year) to ever garner consideration on such a list as this
dawgfacedboy
February 21st, 2011
11:27 am
Put it a different way;
If you were the HC and you could have any 1 of those receivers healthy and in their collegiate prime who would you take. Personally I don’t know how you could say anyone other than AJ.
Just because he doesn’t have a championship doesn’t mean he isn’t extremely talented.
Fire Mark Richt
February 21st, 2011
11:50 am
dawgfaceboy, to answer your question I would take Hines Ward or Lindsay Scott. Scott was more of a gamebreaker, and Ward is maybe the toughest player at the position Georgia has ever had. In addition to being a talented pass-catcher.
Growing up a Georgia fan in North Florida, I am biased towards the guys who made a difference in the Florida game. Scott’s contribution in ‘80 is legendary, but Ward made two big plays in the ‘97 game that stand out – a leaping sideline grab on 3rd and long that kept a scoring drive alive after Florida had taken the momentum, and a crushing block of a Florida DB that helped spring Robert Edwards’ last TD run.
AJ was 0-3 against Florida and two of his Georgia teams were bad and the other fell way short of expectations. Not his fault, but ultimately greatness doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t translate into wins against the biggest rivals.
Fire Mark Richt
February 21st, 2011
11:58 am
secondguesser, in ‘80 I was a 12-year old watching Lindsay run to the opposite endzone from where I was sitting. It looked like he was shot out of a cannon, I’ve never seen a human gain so much speed in so few strides. His speed just obliterated a Gator DB’s pursuit angle, and Florida was no different then than they are now – loaded with talent and speed at the skill positions. Imagine Scott in a modern, pass-happy offense.
AltamahaDawg
February 21st, 2011
12:14 pm
Since when did anyone say that not having a ring equated to no talent? Why even defend that. Nobody said he didn’t have “talent”.
BUT The question was about “UGA’s Greatest Receiver”. It HAS to be considered in the context of UGA. Obviously the players actual career at UGA does matter.
The question was not Hypothetical Greatest Receiver on some inter-decade fantasy team.
Carlton
February 21st, 2011
12:18 pm
AJ was by far the most talented, but hardly the best overall receiver. He only played a total of two years including injuries and suspensions. He was a very selfish player and knew it. He sold his jersey and got suspended for 4 games (which is what ultimately killed the Dawgs this year-Richt & Co. looked lost about what to do on offense without #8 on the field), he was injury prone, and he didn’t really help us win anything.
Not to mention (and this wasn’t entirely his fault, it WAS a bad call) but he’s the reason we lost the LSU game 2 years ago with the penalty. But that’s also an indication of his arrogance as a player.
I’d go with Hines or Reggie Brown. Brown’s numbers weren’t all entirely impressive but he was a beast at receiver. Hines was a pure athlete.
Tereence Edwards also-he still holds a lot of UGA records for receiver.
DawginLex
February 21st, 2011
12:36 pm
Joey Hester caught a fake punt one time.
He is the greatest ever.
Mountin Dawg
February 21st, 2011
12:41 pm
Had to go with Jimmy Orr. I grew up as a Johnny U and Colts fan. Not many receivers get a corner of an endzone named after them, college or pro.
WIN WITH RICHT
February 21st, 2011
1:27 pm
Don’t forget Juan Daniels or Arthur Marshall.
crossdawg
February 21st, 2011
2:56 pm
The Great Gentleman Jimmy Orr has my vote. aj green could catch, but definitely not a role model foe my grandchildren.
AltamahaDawg
February 21st, 2011
2:58 pm
Reggie Brown if the category was Greatest Receiver who just decided to be and worked his way into being a productive player.
IlliniDawg
February 21st, 2011
3:55 pm
“Well I broke my chair…came right through a steel chair…Now they do have to renovate this thing…Man is there gonna be some property destroyed tonight!”
(Larry Munson after calling Lindsay Scott’s 87-yard TD catch)
I was there – about 30 rows up on the 20-yd line, watching Scott run right in front of me. For that play alone, he will always be my #1 receiver of all time.
chazzo
February 21st, 2011
5:19 pm
Edwards is #1, and i would put Hastings t #2 , Hines at #3, and AJ at #4. Look at the record books. Edwards dominates the stats. Hastings is also highly ranked in all the receiving categories, and he did it during the Goff years.
Bug Zapper
February 21st, 2011
7:39 pm
Hines Ward was the greatest all-around player for UGA in the 90’s in light of the roles he filled among the injuries. So I voted for him. However, in the 90’s there can be no dispute he is third behind Zeier and Hearst. The elder Edwards is 4th.
AJ is the best pure receiver we ever had.
Terence Edwards cost us the Florida game in 2002 and can kiss my butt.
LakeDawg
February 21st, 2011
8:09 pm
AJ hands down, but someone has been left off of the list…Gene Washington.
dude
February 21st, 2011
9:47 pm
Green had as much talent as Stafford. Both we’re underachievers.
Natureboy809
February 22nd, 2011
2:20 am
The lack of Juan Daniels’ name in this article upsets me.
SteelerDawg
February 22nd, 2011
4:25 am
Couldn’t agree with you more nature boy… Juan was by no means the best receiver ever to play at UGA but he is definitely in the Top 10 ever to play there. When he left, I believe he was #3 in most all-time receiving records. He was a very consistent receiver his entire career at UGA. He got lost in the shuffle a bit his SR year when Donnan came in and focused the offense around Hines. I remember he got Zier’s last TD pass and Bobo’s first TD pass and carried us in a win against Tech. He definitely belongs in the conversation.
UGA FRIEND
February 22nd, 2011
5:06 am
Bill: There is no way to get a fair vote on a “best ever” player at any position, at any level or in any sport.
The reason being that some or most of those voting do not rembember the accomplishments of the older generation players. For example, one blogger mentioned John Carson who you did not list. I remember John who was a great UGA reciever back in the late 1950 era. He went on to be a solid NFL receiver for the Washington Redskins for several years. He was a native Atlanta guy who played high school ball at Roosevelt in Southeast Atlanta.
Florida Dawg
February 22nd, 2011
6:45 am
I think we are discussing two different questions. It looks like AJ is UGA’s best receiver ever but what game did he play in and did well that made a historical statement about our program?
I can’t think of any.
Lindsey Scott’s catch against Florida in 1980 ….yes just ONE of many made it’s mark and has been replayed more often than any other play in Georgia history and WILL continue to be the most replayed catch.
So two different questions I think…probably best “receiver football player”….Hines Ward.
Noon58
February 22nd, 2011
8:53 am
UGA only has one receiver on the list with an offical National Championship Title. Based off that there is no question it is Lindsey Scott. Run Lindsey Run
Big Dawg
February 22nd, 2011
9:45 am
Talent wise I would say AJ Green, but best receiver that would be between Hines Ward and Ben Watson. And before any of you say Ben Watson was a tight end, yes he was, but he is still one of best receivers to come out of Georgia. I also hesitate not to put Jimmy Orr in this because he was a great receiver in his own right.
Go Dawgs
Dan
February 22nd, 2011
9:53 am
no I don’t think so, the Dawgs had two mediocre years with Green as a receiver. I think for what he did on the field Hines Ward still holds that title.
Felix Millan
February 22nd, 2011
10:12 am
if Eric needed to complete a pass he threw it to Hastings
Felix Millan
February 22nd, 2011
10:15 am
and is Perno in trouble yet?
Loyal Dawg
February 22nd, 2011
1:07 pm
A.J. Green is the most talented receiver that we didn’t get to see enough of. I don’t think there is any doubt he is the most talented- and maybe that makes him the greatest. It’ is amazing; however, that he is not near the top of career or even single season receiver stats because he just didn’t plan enough games. I’d have to vote for T. Edwards first- the guy caught a lot of TD passes. That’s what I want to see a great receiver do, catch touchdowns. I’d have to vote for Hines Ward next, because he was clutch and had great hands. A.J is definitely the most talented ever. We’ll never really know though because Cox was the QB in 2009 and A.J. missed too many games in 2010. Here’s a reason I really don’t like the NFL that much- it deprives us of seeing some of the greatest college football players in their senior years!!!!! DANG IT!!!!!
Loyal Dawg
February 22nd, 2011
2:01 pm
Additionally, blaming T. Edwards completely for the FL loss is ignorant. There were plenty of other opportunities for us to win that game. Would we have been in and won the SEC Champship without him? He lead the team in receptions all four years. Holds both the single season and career TD records. Has everyone forgotten? Fred Gibson, someone mentioned? He could have been so much better if he had any work ethic at all. I loved Fred and he made some great plays for us and we needed him too. But our kicker out bench pressed him (true story). A.J. is going to be an awsome pro. DANG IT!!! Can you tell I’m frustrated???
Loyal Dawg
February 22nd, 2011
2:04 pm
One more thing. Dawg fans, go to the SEC Championship game website and watch the highlights from the 2002 and 2005 games. It will bring great memories cascading back over you! Awesome!
LawDawg
February 23rd, 2011
12:32 pm
Tedwards doesn’t even make my top-50 based solely on the drop in the UF game. That same game is the reason I never liked DJ Shockley.
ATLSN
February 25th, 2011
9:47 am
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