UGA legends Jake Scott, Bill Stanfill ham it up before Auburn game

Georgia legends Bill Stanfill, Jake Scott and Mike Cavan ham it up in the Dan Magill Pressbox before Saturday's Georgia-Auburn game. (AJC photo by Chip Towers)

ATHENS – Greetings from Sanford Stadium on yet another beautiful Saturday afternoon. It’s about 65 degrees and sunny here today. Aside from some frigid winds last week early in Georgia’s homecoming game against New Mexico State, I think that’s a perfect 10-for-10 on nice days for football games.

The No. 15-ranked Bulldogs play No. 20 Auburn here today in a game of great significance. With South Carolina apparently taking care of business against Florida in Columbia (Gamecocks lead 17-12 late in the fourth quarter), the scenario as it is shaping up right now is that a Georgia loss here today eliminates it from the SEC East race. Of course, a victory keeps the Dogs in first and will set up a potential next week at home against Kentucky.

But enough of that. We have plenty of time to weigh in on the important matters of the SEC race. In the meantime, I got a chance to talk to a couple of UGA legends in the press box just now. Safety Jake Scott is being recognized today for his upcoming induction into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame (official in December). One of his closest buddies is former Bulldog and Miami Dolphins teammate Bill Stanfill.

The two of them were being ushered around by Mike Cavan, who also starred for the Bulldogs and now is a chief fundraiser for the UGA Athletic Association.

Anyway, anybody who knows this trio knows that the stories start flying whenever they get together. I spent just a few minutes with them and I found myself laughing so hard my face hurt.

I asked Scott, who has been known for being a bit of a hermit in retirement, if he had planned a big speech for his induction ceremony.

“What, you mean like Stanfill?” Scott says with a laugh. Here begins to mock his buddy. “‘I grew up in the dirt on a farm trying to catch chickens.’ Nah, you don’t have to give a speech. I don’t plan to.”

I asked Scott what he might say if he did. “I grew up in pool hall, hustling!” he said with a laugh.

Asked if he got to see Stanfill very often nowadays, Scott quipped, “Don’t want to.”

And so it went.

Stanfill talked about how they get up now about the time the used to come home in the old days. Scott said he still lives in Hialeah, Hawaii, but has a condominium in Atlanta where he stays often and checks in on his mother, who still lives here.

There were legends all over the press box on Saturday. I already ran into Charley Trippi, Vince Dooley and Dan Magill today. They tend to come out of the woodwork for big games like this one.

More on that big game later.