Archive for May, 2012

DESTIN, Fla. – The football games scheduled for 2020 and 2021 between Georgia and Ohio State have been called off.

Ohio State recently informed UGA that it is exercising its right to cancel the games, which had been set up in a memorandum of understanding between the schools in December 2010.

“They couldn’t make it happen due to the Pac 12-Big 10 football schedule deal,” Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said Thursday, referring to a recent agreement between those conferences for a series of regular-season matchups beginning in 2017.

“And we understood,” McGarity added.

McGarity said Ohio State would not face a financial penalty for canceling the games, one of which was to have been played in Athens and the other at Ohio State. Specific dates had not been set. Ohio State recently informed Georgia that it could not confirm dates.

Continue reading Ohio State cancels football games against UGA »

ATHENS – Danna Durante’s decision to leave Cal to become Georgia’s gymnastics coach made her a wealthy woman.

According to a memorandum of understanding, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through state open records laws, Durante agreed to a financial package worth more than $1.2 million dollars to coach the Gymdogs.

Durante agreed to a six-year deal that will expire in June 2018 and guarantees her $175,000 annually in base salary. She will also receive $10,000 annually per UGA’s shoe-and-clothing endorsement and another $10,000 per year as a longevity bonus to be paid at completion of the contract. Durante also is to receive a $30,000 signing bonus and another one-time payment of $25,000 as recovery for lost revenues from her gymnastics camp at Cal.

That adds up to $1,225,000. Durante will have the opportunity to earn more money through performance bonuses, camps and outside endorsements. All of that will eventually be spelled out in a contract, which is in the …

Continue reading New gymnastics coach Danna Durante gets rich deal from UGA »

Among the many claims to fame for Craig "Sky" Hertwig was a small acting part in the movie "North Dallas Forty." (Photo by BulldawgIllustrated.com)

Updated with funeral information . . .

ATHENS — An Athens icon has died.

Craig Hertwig, better known as “Sky” around Athens, passed away at about 6 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mary’s Hospital, family members confirmed. He was 60.

Ed Hertwig said his brother died of heart failure. Sky was actually admitted to the hospital on Tuesday evening and “died in less than 24 hours.” his brother said.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Lord & Stephens (West) of Athens, 1211 Jimmie Daniel Road, Bogart, GA 30622. There will be there service Saturday at 1 p.m.

Hertwig, a Macon native, at 6-foot-8 was unusually tall for a football player, hence his nickname. He starred for the Bulldogs as an offensive tackle from 1972-74 and earned All-America honors from The Associated Press as a senior. He was drafted in the third round by …

Continue reading Athens icon ‘Sky’ Hertwig dead at 60 (updated) »

DESTIN, Fla. — Strong differences of opinion surfaced among SEC coaches Wednesday about how the soon-to-be-14-team league should format its football schedule.

Entering the league’s spring meetings, “the leader in the clubhouse” — as SEC commissioner Mike Slive put it — was a 6-1-1 format in which each team would play six games against intra-division opponents, one game against a permanent cross-division opponent and one game against a rotating cross-division opponent. That formula would preserve annual rivalries such as Georgia-Auburn and Alabama-Tennessee.

But some coaches found fault with the 6-1-1 approach Wednesday.

“It was kind of all over the place,” Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said. “Everybody had sort of a different agenda.”

The SEC’s athletic directors will vote Friday on a format to recommend to the league’s presidents, who will make the final call. The pending decision is for the 2013 season and beyond; the SEC previously adopted …

Continue reading SEC coaches can’t agree on football schedule format »

DESTIN, Fla. — South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier continues to pitch his proposal to count only intra-division games in deciding the SEC East and SEC West champions.

That way, Spurrier said, “you’d have a true division champion to play the other division champion” in the SEC title game.

Spurrier raised the idea after his Gamecocks went undefeated against SEC East opponents last season, but finished second behind Georgia in the division because of two losses to SEC West foes.

Spurrier said several SEC coaches support his proposal, which was discussed on the first day of the league’s annual spring meetings here. But the proposal seems an extreme longshot at best.

“I think that will be brought to the table for athletic directors to think about,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. But asked his opinion of the proposal, Slive said: “I think it’s hard for me to think about a conference game that doesn’t count.”

Georgia coach Mark Richt good-naturedly …

Continue reading Spurrier, Richt still disagree over how to tally division standings »

UPDATED WITH COMMENTS FROM COACH MARK FOX . . .

Georgia basketball player Donte’ Williams was arrested at Lenox Square Mall this past weekend for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, Atlanta police confirmed on Tuesday.

Williams

Williams, a 6-foot-9 starting forward and rising junior for the Bulldogs, was booked into Atlanta City Jail around 9 p.m. this past Friday night, Atlanta police officer Curtis Davenport said.

“I am aware of the situation,” Fox said from the SEC meetings in Destin, Fla., on Tuesday. “I will be gathering more information and will deal with it accordingly.”

According to a preliminary police report, Atlanta police officers had just pulled into the Zone Two police station in the mall parking lot when a black Dodge Charger with the personalized license plate of “DWILLS15″ drove by. Officer Sauderan reported smelling “an extremely strong odor of burning marijuana coming from this vehicle.” After the Charger parked in a space “right next to an Atlanta Police …

Continue reading UGA basketball player Donte’ Williams arrested for marijuana possession (updated) »

GREENSBORO, Ga. — We’ll have a full story later, but here are the quick highlights from this morning’s UGA Athletic Association board of directors meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation:

• UGA President Michael Adams and athletic director Greg McGarity said the contract extensions still are not completed with head football coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.  McGarity did say for the first time that Richt’s new contract will keep his salary “basically the same” — about $2.8 million per year — as his current deal but that the incentive bonuses, for things such as winning SEC and national championships, will be doubled as a way of “rewarding excellence.”  As previously disclosed, three years will be added to Richt’s contract, extending it through 2016, and two years to Grantham’s, extending it through 2014.   McGarity said again that there are no major unresolved issues with the contracts. Adams attributed the delays to routine legal …

Continue reading Performance bonuses will be doubled in (still unfinished) Richt contract »

UPDATED WITH QUOTES FROM DURANTE, YOCULAN . . .

ATHENS – Georgia didn’t waste any time choosing a new direction for its championship-rich gymnastics program.

Durante

The Bulldogs on Wednesday announced they had tabbed Danna Durante (pronounced DAN-uh Doo-RAN-tay) as the new gymnastics coach. Her official hire comes 19 days after athletic director Greg McGarity asked for coach Jay Clark’s resignation and word of her appointment was circulated among Georgia’s gymnasts and administrators as early this past weekend.

Durante, 39, comes to Georgia from the University of California-Berkeley– aka Cal — where she was head coach for just one season. She was a longtime assistant at Nebraska and Washington before that — she was the 2007 National Assistant Coach of the Year — and was a gymnast herself at Arizona. She is considered a expert coach on balance beam, an area where the Gym Dogs have struggled in recent years.

Though she has only one year of head coaching experience, Durante …

Continue reading Updated: New UGA gymnastics coach Danna Durante ‘not intimidated’ by size of job »

Georgia is expected to step up with more years and more money to keep Mark Richt and Todd Grantham together to lead the Bulldogs' football program.

ATHENS – The Georgia Athletic Association end-of-the-year board meeting is scheduled to get started tomorrow morning at the Ritz Carlton Lodge on Lake Oconee. Actually, current and emeritus members will gather there to socialize tonight, then commence with business first thing in the morning.

And I’m expecting a lot of business to be conducted. UGA so far has offered only a very vague agenda for the meeting, which lists things like “AD’s Report,” “New Projects” and “Financial Update” and the like. But the most important item of business isn’t spelled out there and we all know that it’s going to take place (likely during AD’s report).

Georgia is expected to finally reveal the details of football coach Mark Richt’s new five-year contract. Legal representatives for both Richt and the university have been dickering over the final …

Continue reading Raises coming for UGA football coaches Mark Richt, Todd Grantham »

Georgia enters SEC Tournament a desperate team once again. After dropping two of three games to last-place Alabama in the final regular-season series this past weekend, the Bulldogs are assured of nothing beyond this week’s double-elimination tournament in Hoover.

But that’s kind of the way it has been all season for the eighth-seeded Diamond Dogs, who open play late tonight against fifth-seeded Vanderbilt. They faced adversity even before the first pitch of the season. So needing to win a couple of games in the conference tournament is hardly a daunting task.

“We’re on edge a little bit,” said pitcher Alex Wood, who will get the start against the Commodores. “We feel like we need to win two or three to be safe. But we’re used to having our backs against the wall. We’re ready to get started and excited about playing Vanderbilt.”

Because it dropped two of three to Alabama — including an excruciating 6-4 loss in Game 3 — Georgia (31-24, 14-15 SEC) finished a game below .500 in …

Continue reading It’s ‘Desperation Dogs’ again as Georgia faces Vandy in SEC tournament »

THE MONDAY REWIND

It was an eventful weekend in Athens and for several Georgia teams. Let’s get caught up:

Men’s Tennis

The men’s tennis team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Pepperdine in the NCAA Championships. Playing before a raucous pro-Georgia crowd that filled the stands at Henry Feild Stadium, the No. 2-seeded Bulldogs were upset to the seventh-seeded Wave 4-3. Here’s Ken Sugiura’s MATCH REPORT.

This was one of those situations where you simply had to tip your cap to the opponent. Pepperdine really played out of its mind and played as good as it possibly could, especially at all the crucial moments.

Here’s what Pepperdine coach Adam Steinberg said about it:

“Incredible. What a great college match. If you know me, I’m not usually at a loss for words, but I’m a little bit. Incredible match against such a great team. I’m so proud of the guys. We’ve never really been in this situation with this team in front of a crowd like that and how they handled …

Continue reading Rewind: Eventful weekend in Athens results in two Georgia teams advancing »

ATHENS — I’m over here in the press box at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex watching the No. 6-seeded Georgia women take on 11th-seeded Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tennis Championships. The Lady Bulldogs won the doubles point, so it’s 1-0 and Georgia is up a set at all six singles positions.

Georgia Tech’s women’s team played earlier today and lost to No. 9 California 4-0. That ends the Yellow Jackets’ season at 16-12. The men get underway tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I’ll take this opportunity to catch you up on some other news happening in and around Athens and UGA sports.

I dropped by the UGA Golf Course before here to catch the end of the NCAA Athens Regional. Georgia is hosting 12 other teams in that event, with the top five advancing to nationals. They’ll play 36 more over the next two days to determine which teams advance.

The Bulldogs had a so-so day, closing strong to finish at 4-under as a team and in fourth place. But they were shown up by some visitors, including …

Continue reading NCAA golf and tennis underway at UGA, softball on Friday »

ATHENS — The NCAA Men’s Golf Regional at the UGA Golf Course is underway today and the Bulldogs are feeling good about advancing to the NCAA Championships.

And why shouldn’t they? There has been a lot of good karma oozing out of the Bulldogs’ clubhouse  at the Boyd Golf Center here lately.

University of Georgia golfers or alums have been winning tournaments all over the place for the past year or so, including those played right there off their back porch. Two weeks ago Hudson Swafford holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole and shot a final-round 62 to win the Stadion Classic Nationwide Tournament at UGA. That came exactly a year after Swafford’s teammate Russell Henley won the same event as a UGA senior. Georgia alums Bubba Watson, Harris English, Chris Kirk, Erik Compton and Brendan Todd all have won tournaments in the last year.

So with the Bulldogs playing a regional on their home turf, there has to be some good vibes flowing. Right?

“There are a lot of good things going …

Continue reading UGA golfers hopes to ride wave of good karma through NCAA regionals »

ATHENS – There are some nervous coaches around Georgia’s athletic department these days. That tends to happen when the coach of perennial top 10 program abruptly resigns the week after finishing 11th.

Georgia gymnastics coach Jay Clark offered his resignation shortly after meeting with UGA athletic director Greg McGarity on May 4 and it served as an overture to his staff. Clark had two years remaining on a five-year contract he signed when he succeeded ultra-successful head coach Suzanne Yoculan in 2009.

The Gym Dogs weren’t awful under Clark, not by a long stretch. But they fell well short of the standards set by Yoculan’s teams, which won 10 national championships, including their last five in a row.

“We’re expected to win championships and we wanted to,” Clark said. “We just didn’t get it done.”

It didn’t matter that Clark was part of that run as an assistant coach for Yoculan or that of two of his gymnasts were crowned individual national champions. Three …

Continue reading Florida influence apparent in management style of UGA’s Greg McGarity »

ATHENS — For a little while there, the horrifying thought of not being able to play in the NCAA Championships while hosting them entered the minds of the Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday. But just as quickly, the No. 3-ranked and No. 2-seeded Bulldogs put that notion to rest and steamrolled Florida State in singles to advance to this week’s Round of 16.

Georgia (25-2) lost the doubles point in its second-round match against Florida State on Sunday afternoon. But in the matter of an hour it was clear the Bulldogs weren’t in mid-stumble toward a face plant. The Bulldogs quickly regained their balance and clinched victory with Wil Spencer’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles.

“When you lose your doubles it kind of gets your attention,” Georgia coach Manuel Diaz said. “When that happens you either raise your level or you just kind of get a little tense and play a little scared. We didn’t do that today. We played very assertively and confidently. We showed can handle a little adversity …

Continue reading No. 2 seed Georgia ready again to rock NCAA tennis championships »

ATHENS – Alex Wood didn’t make many mistakes. But when he did, South Carolina made him pay.

Georgia’s crafty left-hander had allowed only five base runners and one solid base hit all night when Gamecocks third baseman L.B. Dantzler turned on an inside pitch and launched it off the top of the scoreboard in right field for a home run and 1-0 lead in the seventh.

South Carolina scratched across another run in the eighth on a two-out single by Evan Marzilli — the inning ended with Marzilli getting thrown out at second base — and scored again on a two-out, two-strike squeeze bunt in the ninth. It was was a stunning display of opportunism at its finest.

On the flipside, Georgia left nine runners on base, stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and left empty-handed after getting back-to-back singles to start the ninth. It was the epitome of wastefulness.

Therein was the difference. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina 3, Georgia 0.

“We never answered all day,” Georgia …

Continue reading Opportunistic Gamecocks best Bulldogs in pitcher’s duel, 3-0 »

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Alex Wood has been like a block of granite at the front of the Bulldogs' rotation. (AP photo)

ATHENS — For no other reason than the opportunity to see Alex Wood pitch in what will likely be his final home start as a Georgia Bulldog, Friday night would be a great time to come to Foley Field. But then throw in the added element of opponent and stakes, and it’s understandable why tonight’s game against South Carolina is already sellout.

Wood, a redshirt sophomore left-hander from Charlotte, is arguably the SEC’s best pitcher. Tonight, the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week is on the hill against the No. 4-ranked and two-time defending national champion Gamecocks (37-12, 16-8 SEC). The Bulldogs (28-21, 12-12) not only need to win this game but at least one more to enhance their position to qualify for the SEC tournament and ultimately for an NCAA tournament at-large bid. After this weekend’s three-game series, a Teusday game against East Tennessee State …

Continue reading UGA pitcher Alex Wood relishes matchup against defending champion Gamecocks »

Georgia's Friday starter Alex Wood (6-1, 2.64) is a big reason the Bulldogs believe they can get this weekend's series against No. 4 South Carolina off to a good start. (UGA photo)

ATHENS — Tough loss for Georgia last night to Georgia Tech. On a designated “staff night,” in which the Bulldogs planned on getting innings for several midweek pitchers, they simply could not come up with enough quality innings and fell 8-6. Seven pitchers gave up seven walks and Georgia’s late rally came up short. Here’s a link to Ken Sugiura’s GAME REPORT.

“We pitched poorly tonight, and I take the blame for that as we just can’t do that this late in the year,” said Georgia coach David Perno. “We wanted to keep guys fresh for the upcoming South Carolina series, but we needed to do better tonight.”

In case you’re keeping count — and you can bet these two teams are — that’s the third consecutive season the Yellow Jackets have gotten the edge in the three-game series. Georgia leads the overall …

Continue reading Diamond Dogs must shake off Tech loss, get busy in SEC »

A long list of Bulldogs graduating at spring commencement on Friday at Sanford Stadium. In fact, 68 UGA student-athletes will receive degrees.

Some of notable football players grabbing their sheepskin include: Quarterback Aaron Murray, wide receiver Tavarres King and offensive lineman Clint Boling. Murray, who has two years of eligibility remaining, got it done in three-and-a-half years. Also of note, the 11 gridiron graduates brings to 222 the number who have received degrees under head coach Mark Richt.

Here’s the whole list:

Baseball

Kevin Ruiz, Finance, Alpharetta, Ga.

Men’s Basketball

Matt Bucklin, Marketing, Marietta, Ga.; Connor Nolte, Masters in Sport Management, Alpharetta, Ga.; Dustin Ware, Sport Management, Powder Springs, Ga.

Women’s Basketball

Brittney Crews, Biology, Jefferson, Ga.

Equestrian

Alex Andes, Broadcast News, Atlanta, Ga.; Kelsey Berry, Marketing, Alpharetta, Ga.; Ali Eidson, Consumer Journalism, Tuscola, Texas; Sarah Gravely, Management Information …

Continue reading Aaron Murray, Tavarres King among 68 Bulldogs graduating Friday »

Hudson Swafford watches his shot leave the bunker below the 18th green at UGA Golf Course on Sunday. It went in, giving him a birdie, a course record 62 and a victory in the Stadion Classic at UGA. (Photo courtesy of Stadion Classic)

ATHENS – Hudson Swafford made a back nine charge worthy of that April invitational about 100 miles southeast from here, punctuating a record round of 62 by slam-dunking a sand shot from a greenside bunker on No. 18 for a birdie to win the Stadion Classic at UGA.

When he holed out on his last shot of the tournament for a 17-under score on Sunday, the roars and barks that ensued shook the needles on the stately pines that mimic those at Augusta National and could be heard from the farthest reaches of this 7,300-yard Robert Trent Jones design.

Swafford said he wasn’t immediately certain his ball went in until he“felt the vibration” of the crowd’s spontaneous appluase.

“Such a surreal feeling,” he said. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any …

Continue reading UGA grad Hudson Swafford holes out on 18 to shoot 62 and win Stadion »

Josh Broadaway putts left-handed with a baseball grip . . .

ATHENS — When it comes to his golf swing, Josh Broadaway doesn’t do anything right. But fortunately for him, the golf ball doesn’t seem to mind, and the Albany native finds himself a stroke out of the lead in the Stadion Classic at UGA.

A self-taught player, Broadaway plays right-handed but with a cross-handed grip. He putts left-handed with a baseball grip. Nevertheless, he manages to get the ball in the hole. It took him just 66 whacks to do that on the par-71 University of Georgia Golf Course on Friday, and he trails only Jim Horschel and Jim Herman, who are at 10 under par.

“I started playing that way when I was 5 years old because I didn’t have any left-handed clubs,” said Broadaway, who Nationwide Tour regular. “From hitting baseballs and holding a bat left-handed, that’s just the way I gripped it and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve been doing it 28 years that way.”

Broadaway was …

Continue reading ‘Pseudo Bulldog’ Josh Broadaway plays his own style of golf »

Following is the (uncut) news story I filed for the newspaper on the resignation of gymnastics coach Jay Clark. You should note the comments from Gym Dogs coaching legend Suzanne Yoculan, who said “anything could happen” when asked if she’d consider coming back from retirement. You should also note that McGarity said “I don’t think so” when asked if they’d consider her a candidate. Below the story is the actual news release cirulated by UGA at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and then the comments I got from Clark and McGarity. . . .

ATHENS – Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity has often said that he judges the Bulldogs’ coaches on SEC championships and NCAA postseason performances. Georgia gymnastics coach Jay Clark on Friday felt the wrath of that philosophy as he resigned just three years after succeeding legendary coach Suzanne Yoculan.

Clark met with Athletic Director Greg McGarity Friday afternoon and tendered his resignation in person at some point during that meeting. …

Continue reading UPDATED: UGA gymnastics coach Jay Clark resigns after third year »

ATHENS — There are those who might complain about the way University of Georgia President Michael Adams went about his business as chairman of the Georgia Athletic Association’s board of directors. But most will agree that he was, first and foremost, a sports fan who wanted the Bulldogs to win in the worst way.

Adams, 64, announced Thursday morning his plans to retire from the university on June 30, 2013. That will mark the end of his 16th year in office.

During that time, Georgia has enjoyed perhaps its most success as an athletics program. The Bulldogs won 27 national titles (including equestrian and indoor tennis) and 53 SEC championships (regular season and tournament titles combined).

UGA also saw tremendous growth in athletic facilities. Among the improvements that were made during Adams’ tenure were Butts-Mehre and Sanford Stadium expansions, a complete renovation of Stegeman Coliseum, the Stegeman Athletic Training Facility, the Rankin Smith Academic Achievement …

Continue reading Management style aside, Adams has been a driving force for athletics »

ATHENS – I just returned a short time ago from the UGA Chapel where Dr. Michael Adams’ announced he was retiring as the University of Georgia’s president after 15 years. It was a very brief and matter-of-fact affair where Adams essentially read from a prepared statement that he had handed out to reporters beforehand, greeted well wishers at the end and took questions for about five minutes.

One of the first calls I made afterward was to former Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. Clearly Coach Dooley was expecting some calls as he spoke as though he might be reading from a prepared statement. Not surprisingly, he rebuffed repeated attempts to get him to engage in the his controversial relationship with Adams, who refused to extend his contract in 2003 and essentially forced Dooley into retirement.

Here’s what Dooley said/read:

“First of all, I commend President Adams on his retirement, his service and his contributions to the University of Georgia. I do …

Continue reading Vince Dooley: ‘I look forward to Bulldog Nation uniting under new leadership’ »

UGA's athletic facilities saw dramatic improvement during the tenure of Dr. Michael Adams, seen here at the dedication of the expanded football complex in February of 2011. (AJC photo by Curtis Comption)

ATHENS – One of the most successful — and tumultuous — periods in the University of Georgia’s long history will come to an end when Dr. Michael A. Adams officially retires as the school’s president 13 months from now. Adams will make that decision public on Thursday, The AJC has learned.

The question I want to pose is, what will Adams’ legacy be with regard to Georgia’s athletics?

Certainly, Georgia’s athletic teams continued to fare well and maybe even improved during his tenure. He took over for Charles Knapp in 1997, which was coach Jim Donnan’s second year as the Bulldogs’ football coach.

It was only a short time later that UGA supporters witnessed Adams’ willingness to weigh in on athletic matters. After Georgia lost to Georgia Tech for the third year in a row in Athens …

Continue reading What will Michael Adams’ legacy be in regard to UGA athletics? »

Georgia sophomore Brian Carter will be playing in the first professional tournament of his career on a sponsor exemption in teh Stadion Classic at UGA. (UGA photo by Evey Wilson)

ATHENS – Georgia’s Brian Carter is playing in his first professional golf tournament on Thursday. He’s worried, but it’s not what you’d think.

Weighing most heavily on Carter’s mind on the eve of the Stadion Classic at UGA golf tournament – a Nationwide Tour event — was how he was going to do in three final exams. While the professionals were practicing on the UGA Golf Course and playing in Wednesday’s pro-am, Carter was going to be in the middle of a comprehensive final in consumer economics.

“I’m probably more nervous about that than I am the golf,” said Carter, a sophomore from Augusta.

Carter had nothing on teammate Nicholas Reach. The freshman from Moscow, Pa., had finals Wednesday in calculus and economics. He, too, is going to be teeing off with the pros on …

Continue reading Georgia golfers get a hands-on education in Stadion Classic at UGA »