How long before the new Bronze Age gets going at UGA?
Even Nick Saban doesn't look too sure about his creepy-looking bronze self. (Associated Press)
It used to be that getting your own statue was almost as difficult as having your face on a U.S. postage stamp.
You might not have had to be dead 10 years like with the stamps, but unless you were a dictator putting up your own monuments, the idea generally was that some time for historic appreciation had to elapse between whatever it was you did that was noteworthy and having your visage erected in bronze.
That was pretty much the case even in the sports world, where the words “all-time” and “greatest” get thrown around with abandon. Bobby Bowden had been head coach at Florida State for 28 years before the school erected a statue of him, and Joe Paterno didn’t become a target for pigeons at Penn State until 19 years after winning his first national championship.
In this Twitterized age of instant gratification, however, the bar for bronze immortality has been lowered considerably.
The University of Florida didn't wait long to honor Tim Tebow with a statue. (Associated Press)
Consider Auburn University, which recently announced that in addition to previously planned statues of Heisman Trophy winners Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson, who won their honors in 1971 and 1985, the school also will be putting up a statue of Cam Newton, who spent all of about a year as a Tiger but who delivered a third Heisman and a BCS championship this past season.
No matter that there’s still the possibility an NCAA investigation could lead to one or possibly even both of those honors going away (and that USC is, no doubt, glad it didn’t rush to put up a statue of Reggie Bush in 2005). Auburn is, as they say, “all in” on Newton.
The news of the Newton statue came right on the heels of the unveiling of a couple of other hastily erected statues at SEC football powers, with Florida’s Tim Tebow having gotten a bronze likeness (along with the Gators’ other two Heisman winners, Danny Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier), just a little over a season after leaving the school. And Alabama recently put up a rather creepy looking 9-foot-tall bronze Nick Saban, despite the fact he’s only in his fifth year coaching there. A trifle premature, maybe? After all, five years into his coaching career at UGA some folks thought Mark Richt should be declared the school’s greatest coach ever; you don’t hear that as much now. But say this for Saban, he did win that national title.
All this bronzing in the SEC prompted quite a bit of media commentary about our region’s football obsession, most notably from HBO “Real Sports” host Bryant Gumbel, who noted, “it seems Southerners in particular have gone bronze bonkers of late. … It used to be you had to serve a lifetime and die for your country or some noble cause to be immortalized. Now, it seems, all you have to do is generate some cheers and win a few football games for those who live and breathe for such things. If nothing else, you’d think they’d wait at least awhile to see how events play out. Recent sports history has taught us that yesterday’s hero might quickly become tomorrow’s outcast.”
Should Vince Dooley's statue in Athens be joined by other football monuments? (University of Georgia)
Knee-jerk assumptions about the South aside, it’s not just in our part of the country that football heroes get statues. Oklahoma put one up of Jason White four years after he won his Heisman, and the school has erected statues of three other Sooners, with another still to come. Oklahoma also plans statues of four of its coaches, including the current one, Bob Stoops. Notre Dame has statues of Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz (I wonder if they managed to capture the spittle in bronze). Syracuse has one of Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman winner, and Nebraska put up a statue of Tom Osborne (along with a player who died in a plane crash) in 2006.
There’s a lot to be said for statues. They honor achievement, celebrate a school’s past accomplishments and tradition, and make great backdrops for fan photos. And it’s hard to complain as long as public funding that could otherwise go for faculty or classrooms isn’t used to pay for them (most are either funded by private donations or athletic association money).
There’s the prestige factor, too. As Bama athletic director Mal Moore told the Wall Street Journal, “I’d just say that, right or wrong, the thing that brings a lot of immediate attention to a university is its athletic programs. It’s a way of recognizing that success.”
UGA has been rather slow about entering this new Bronze Age, with only the Vince Dooley statue on the South Campus athletic complex so far. But if putting up statues is going to become the latest weapon in the recruiting arms race along with fancy weight rooms and practice facilities, it probably won’t be long before someone’s talking about adding to the statuary in Athens.
As I wrote before on this subject, I recognize there are those who question whether a university campus perhaps ought to erect monuments to great scholars or distinguished alumni rather than athletes, and it’s worth noting that the UGA Alumni Association is raising funds now for a North Campus statue of Abraham Baldwin, the school’s illustrious founder.
But it seems almost inevitable that at the very least Heisman Trophy winners Frank Sinkwich and Herschel Walker will one day get bronzed on campus. And if that’s going to happen, I’d argue Maxwell Award winner and Heisman runner-up Charley Trippi ought to join them. Probably Wally Butts, too.
And how cool would it be to tell friends to meet you after the game at the Erk Russell statue?
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153 comments Add your comment
Burma Shave
April 24th, 2011
9:15 pm
It’s third and its one
But you have a weak line
The best you can do
Is to flash the choke sign
BURMA SHAVE
Burma Shave
April 24th, 2011
9:30 pm
Georgia wants to have statues
Like all of their peers
But then they’re reminded
They haven’t won in years
BURMA SHAVE
trupert
April 24th, 2011
10:07 pm
I thought and still feel like both Alabama and Auburn may well regret their latest statues, erected and planned. I feel like the Saban statue came way to early and the Newton thing at Auburn just makes them look desperate.
Saban is only one to two years from being on the hot seat because if he dosent get a SECC this year his seat will begin to heat up and if he fails for three years running, he will be in more trouble than Richt is now.
The timing of the Newton statue may get very intersting because within a year of it being erected Auburn will be on probation but don’t be suprized if they keep it up even if Newton is found guilty because they have a strange way of honoring successful cheaters even after they have been caught, as in Jordon stadium and Pat Dye field.
Tech fan 76
April 25th, 2011
1:33 am
UGA still will not beat UF and SCAR. UGA several years away from climbing out of SEC bottom.
Dawg Gone
April 25th, 2011
8:22 am
Tech fan 76really hanging your hopes on other programs now are we? Remember Bug the bottom of the SEC beats up on the class of the ACC…surely you remember that?
BG
April 25th, 2011
8:32 am
UF should make a statue of Janoris Jenkins smoking a blunt! LMAO!!!!
BURMASHAVESUCKS
April 25th, 2011
8:36 am
BURMA SHAVE’S WILL
SHED BIG TEARS
WHENEVER HE SEES A
BIG MAN NEAR
BURMASHAVESUCKS
BURMASHAVESUCKS
April 25th, 2011
8:38 am
BURMA SHAVE
WHAT A TOOL
HE REMOVES ALL DOUBT
HE IS A FOOL
BURMASHAVESUCKS
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
8:45 am
well we won’t be putting up any Burma Shave statues that’s for sure.
Herschel has gotta get one.
Erk too.
Dawg Gone
April 25th, 2011
8:55 am
DawginLex agree on the statue for Herschel….hell if the Gators had of gotten Crowell they would have had one waiting on him when he enrolls.
PMC
April 25th, 2011
9:22 am
Good thing Bryant Gumbel has that job at Real Sports, this way we don’t have to worry about his PXP career.
Seriously, for a guy who has so much to say, he knows very little when you put him on the spot.
Evansdawg
April 25th, 2011
9:32 am
Bama erected that Saban statue in haste so he won’t defect for another pay check somewhere else. His history of ‘allegiance’ is definitley tarnished considerably. Bama’s gesture was more of a ‘please stay’ statement than anything else.
Beast from the East
April 25th, 2011
9:42 am
Down in Gainesville, we’re putting up another statue. It’s Bob Marley, in honor of all our guys arrested for smoking reefer. Seriously, are they selling it at the local convenience store or what?
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
9:56 am
Is Jenkins going to survive this?
Dawg Gone
April 25th, 2011
9:58 am
Beast from the East your guys smoke pot, our guys can’t remember to keep their licenses up todate cause if they did they would have a way to remember when they are drinking underage. But at Awburn they have “team building” exercises that include knocking off local trailer parks.And at Bama..well no one knows what goes on at Bama as local news media outlets are as tightly controlled as North Korea’s.
Beast from the East
April 25th, 2011
10:02 am
DawginLex,
I hope they boot him. They did a poll on GatorsSports.com and about 75% voted for dismissal. Enough is enough. Also had an article that 2 more were arrested in Jauary for the same thing.
For your reading pleasure: http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110424/ARTICLES/110429725/1136?Title=Report-Two-UF-football-players-arrested-for-pot-in-January
RxDawg
April 25th, 2011
10:24 am
It just seems so lame to me… almost erroneous. It feels like these new statues just aren’t permanent dispite what the schools say. Like they are celebrating your “immortality” today, but are ready to yank em down tomorrow. What if (stop Bama fans and read, I said IF) Saban has a few bad seasons in a row and has to be fired? Or even worse he does decide to coach somewhere because of w/e reason?
I duno, I guess it just seems to fast because Gumble is right. Today’s hero can become tomrrows villian in an instant. I really hope UGA doesn’t follow suit with some of our SEC brethren. But if we actually start losing recruits because of something silly like that (and yeh I think it’s possible) then I guess you gota do what you gotta do.
AltamahaDawg
April 25th, 2011
10:30 am
Hope? Poll? How is that not a given? I am almost certain that the Univesity would have a one semester mandatory suspension for any student arrested more than once on alchohol or drug charges.
AltamahaDawg
April 25th, 2011
10:35 am
I think GG was right that the timing is a factor. Saban most definetely could find his way into the doghouse, any coach can. What then? I do disagree that status have to symbolize some grand or noble sacrifice. You know who has a lot of statues…….Universal and Disney. Its basically a piece of art.
SickandTired
April 25th, 2011
10:48 am
Put up a statue of Mark Richt reviewing an arrest report with a Bible on his desk. That would be appropriate. But do not, make the pose with anything to do with football.
Dink
April 25th, 2011
11:40 am
I’d like to see Herschel and Stanfill.
Go Dawgs!
chiefdawg
April 25th, 2011
12:10 pm
it won’t ever happen at UGA because the Dawgs can’t beat UF, much less win a Nat. Championship.
Santor Blutarsky
April 25th, 2011
12:33 pm
I love Burma Shave. Most intelligent poster ever. Almost as smart as me at my presitigious law firm.
Santor Blutarsky
April 25th, 2011
12:41 pm
Brone Richt, he beat Idaho State last year, and the offense had a record year!!!!
Senator Blutarsky
April 25th, 2011
12:42 pm
Aaron Murray is the most amazing football player to ever live!!!!!!
At my very large law firm we have a bronze statue of him.
Snoop Dawg
April 25th, 2011
1:07 pm
Let”s put up a bronze statue of Mark Richt in a Ford F150 pickup truck with the bed stacked high from all his three million dollar annual salaries. Then, on the door, let’s show a graph of how many wins he won every year since he has been in town. It will be a small price to pay to help educate the Bulldog Nature on this Football Marjoe, and show them all that he is leading the dogs to the SEC cellar.
little dog
April 25th, 2011
1:09 pm
WWWHHOOO CCCCAAAARRREEESSS………
Snoop Dawg
April 25th, 2011
1:09 pm
Here’s another good idea: If we bronze Mark Richt and Bobo, they won’t be able to talk anymore and we can just keep them in the end zone for eternity, hiring some new ball coaches like in the other state universities that surround us. We are the laughing stock of the entire SEC.
WDE
April 25th, 2011
1:20 pm
Snoop Dawg the very idea that you could create a chart or graph made me LOL…very funny !
Snoop Dawg
April 25th, 2011
1:35 pm
WDE, glad to give you a little fun. I know it gets boring picking up garbage along the Interstate 8-5 Monday through Friday in an orange Tennessee vest every week. I’m also happy that someone like you without even a high school diploma can adopt the UGA football team to pull for. I bet you’ve got a big G on the tail end of your Kia.
ROFL..
WDE
April 25th, 2011
2:06 pm
WDE what I have or don’t must pale beside a boy who has nothing better to do than constantly troll another school’s blog you bring nothing to the table except venom and envy. Troll on little fella troll on..
truedawg
April 25th, 2011
2:23 pm
Let other schools do the statues. If UGA does add some, fine. Just the men that won the “stiff arm” and Erk. Dooley was a great coach, but only half of the coin. Erk was the heart and soul Dooley was the brains. Look at 64 and the years prior…and then look after 81. ERK!!
I will say this about CMR he doesn’t want a statue. He wants a title, and another and another…he’s hungry. He has always been a humble man and not looked to single himself out for recognition. Nor his players for that matter. Everyone looks to the dance at the UF game, but look after the loss to Vandy, the players were celebrating and CMR “barked” get back to the side lines you did what you were supposed to do!! Winning games is what the Dawgs are SUPPOSED to do…Go beyond your expectaions and others dreams and then let us be amazed. Too many statues too early,..UF did it right, just Heisman winners..Bama jumped the gun with Saban. Your Supposed to win NC at Bama? right? just ask a fan..;) 2 more years like last and they’ll be yelling to fire CNS like they are at Athens with CMR
Closing, nothing against the coaches, but look at what the other statues in the SEC schools are saying..Is Saban really in the same class and Bryant? Is CMR in the same class and Dooley and Russell? Dooley made UGA a top Powerhouse from nothing(again look prior to 64) Bowden took FSU from nothing, as a player and a coach, Spurrier took UF from nothing to something…
A statue turns a coach or player to an immortal. Let them do it first on there own.
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
If Burma shave
played for Erk,
he would have cried
like a little jerk.
Burma shave is an idiot
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
4:25 pm
If Burma shave
had played for Dooley,
Vince would have said
“you hit like a Julie.”
Burma shave is an idiot
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
4:28 pm
Burma Shave
he wears a wig
belly of blubber
arms like twigs
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
4:30 pm
Burma shave
never walked the UGA halls.
Never played football
didn’t have the balls.
Burma shave is an idiot.
DawginLex
April 25th, 2011
4:31 pm
Burma shave
male leader of cheer.
Cut from the squad
belly of beer.
Burma shave is an idiot.
sav'h dawg
April 25th, 2011
5:09 pm
I hear Florida is making a statue to honor Jenoris Jenkins. It is going to be made from hemp
Proud-Dawg
April 25th, 2011
5:13 pm
@Burma Shave…….You have way too much time on your hands. I have an idea GA fans, let’s start a fundraiser, $1, to get this guy an eHarmony account. The dude obviously needs a lady
Sharkman
April 25th, 2011
7:10 pm
Herschel needs one. So does Sinkwich. Erk would be cool, so would Trippi, however, I’m not exactly sure about that. Screw it! Give them one too!!! Heck, while we’re at it, give one to Lindsay Scott as well! “Run Lindsay!!!”
Dirty Dawg
April 25th, 2011
7:45 pm
Bill, I got a question for you…or at least a suggestion…over the past couple of weeks we’ve been bombarded by our ‘friends’ over in Tuscaloosa with their braggin’ about ninety-umpteen-thousand attending their Spring game. OK, fine, plenty of folks that make this ‘walk-through’ a priority for their Saturday afternoon, I get it. But what I don’t get is that today I picked up a Sports Illustrated – the one with the QBs on the cover – and in it there was a picture of a pass-play at the UA Spring game with a shot of the lower deck of whatever side of the stadium it was, that was, at least, two-thirds empty. My question is just how many folks can get into that stadium, cause if those stands were an indication you could get another 180,000, at least…and these were good seats – between the 30’s…my suggestion, Bill, is to check it out for yourself, and be wary cause somebody’s trying to ‘big-dog’ us, and we don’t stand for that…we do the ‘big-doggin’ around here.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
April 25th, 2011
8:09 pm
How about a bronze statue if we beat FL for a change
King Gator
April 25th, 2011
8:30 pm
Bronzed AD thong? Go Gators!
Benjamin
April 25th, 2011
9:10 pm
A few salient comments:
1. Four different SEC teams have won the last five BCS championships.
2. UGA was not one of those teams.
3. During that period, UGA did not win the SEC championship.
4. During that period, UGA did not even win its SEC division.
5. Red panties. Always the red panties. Forever.
In other words, UGA has sunk into total irrelevancy both regionally and nationally.
So why is UGA paying Mark Richt millions of dollars a year?
Delbert D.
April 25th, 2011
10:09 pm
The Stone Age comes first.
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 25th, 2011
10:18 pm
Still trying to figure out how this is even a sports story. Statues really should be reserved for something more important than college football anyway. I love the game, but can’t really attached legend status to any coach of any sport. Their reward should be the big paycheck they gert, at least in todays society. How about some statues for those kids fighting in the middle east? If we are honest, why have all the statues for politicians, since it is mighty hard to find an honest one of them.
Me
April 26th, 2011
1:23 am
Old Blind Dawg
April 23rd, 2011
6:37 pm,
What did Herschel Walker ever do in the pros???
59bulldawg
April 26th, 2011
8:04 am
If we gotta do it, then I say MOST DEFINITELY Erk and Herschel!
Fred Sanford
April 26th, 2011
8:04 am
How cool would it be to meet girls at the Red Panty statue?
DawginLex
April 26th, 2011
8:41 am
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkHe00.htm
13,000 yards from scrimmage in 13 years.
That’s what he did.
doesn’t even count USFL stats