‘In Russ they trust:’ Uga IX is inaugurated at Sanford Stadium
UGA President Michael Adams "collars" Russ the bulldog, officially inaugurating the dog as Uga IX shortly before Saturday night's kickoff against Florida Atlantic. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
ATHENS – Everybody loves Russ it seems, even Mark Richt. On the eve of Russ’ inauguration as an official Uga mascot – “collaring” it’s called in these parts – the Bulldogs’ head coach talked about how Russ exemplifies a football player who has been overlooked but just did his job to the best of his ability and finally got a break.
“You know what, the guy, he could have gotten bitter,” Richt said with a laugh this week. “Everybody was saying that he couldn’t get it done. It was a little bit like Kwame Geathers hearing about John Jenkins so much. He didn’t like it, so he bowed his neck and won the job. I’m proud of him.”
Russ, an 8-year-old half-brother of Uga VII, has served as interim mascot for 25 games over four seasons when Ugas VII and VIII died. He’ll be sworn in as the official Uga in a ceremony before tonight’s 7:30 p.m. game against Florida Atlantic.
Russ has brown patches on his fur, so doesn’t meet the pure-white requirement traditionally needed to be the mascot. But after filling in and representing Georgia in all 14 games last season and two this one, the Sonny Seiler family decided to reward Russ for his loyalty.
That will satisfy a growing number of Georgia fans, who had started a grassroots effort to make Russ the permanent mascot. “In Russ we trust,” was their mantra.
“People have bought into Russ,” UGA president Michael Adams said at Friday’s meeting of the UGA Athletic Board. “I think this has been a well-received decision, and the notion that he earned it has really resonated.”
Adams noted that the interim mascot’s promotion to Uga IV has been the talk of the town.
“I’ve even heard people on the street say, ‘Go Russ,’” he said. “I think it has hit a chord, the decision that was made to go ahead and make him official.”
Uga IX entered Saturday night’s game with a 16-9 record.
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
178 comments Add your comment
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:20 pm
I love watching Malcome drag defenders!
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:22 pm
Any of y’all on the blog tonight at the game? How was the inauguration of Ruga?
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:23 pm
Awww… Russ is the man!
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
10:24 pm
QUEENDADDY, YOU GOT A BIG DAMN MOUTH AND YOU NEVER LEARN OR SHUT UP. FAU LOST BEFORE THEY GOT ON THE BUS DUMMY. GEORGIA HAS CAME OUT THE GATE SLOW IN ALL PHASES OF THE GAME IN THEIR FIRST THREE OUTINGS. THEY HAVE GOT TO COME OUT STRONG FROM HERE ON OUT. BUT WHY AM I TRYING TO HELP MORONS LIKE YOU AND WDE? DANG IT TEXAS JUST SCORED. C’MON SHAKE IT OFF REBS.
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
10:26 pm
TOUCHDOWN OLE MISS! SEC,SEC,SEC!
Dawgs1965
September 15th, 2012
10:28 pm
How does a trick play score two?
ARdawg
September 15th, 2012
10:28 pm
kingdaddy
Yes we are. Listen, I’ve been on these boards since they started and over the years the white noise has grown by leaps and bounds bigger than the fan chatter. I just tune it out. The longer you have been here you will too. Seriously, a new nickname will have one and at most, two posts to make enough impression for me to ever read any farther. My advice is to leave the trolls and haters to themselves. The more you recognize or acknowledge their presence, the more they post.
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:30 pm
Not a good play…
Dawgs1965
September 15th, 2012
10:30 pm
Dadgum it, LeMay.
Dawgs1965
September 15th, 2012
10:33 pm
Parker Welch?
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
10:35 pm
ARdawg
thanks bubba. Hate that for Christan. He’s a good kid, just not ready. Now we will have to listen all week how the D gave up 21, lol…haters gon hate…
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:35 pm
Wish they’d let LeMay get back out there and regain some confidence.
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:38 pm
Yep, kingdaddy, I can hear it now.
WDE
September 15th, 2012
10:38 pm
@Dawg Haus agreed they need to let Lemay try and make up for the pick 6…not that I begrudge Parker a chance to play but he would really help Lemay’s confidence
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
10:41 pm
IF GEORGIA COMES OUT SLOW VS VANDY, TENNESSEE, OLE MISS, OR UF, THERES GONNA BE A LOSS SOONER OR LATER. THEY GOTTA COME OUT STRONG AND DOMINATE. UF IS GETTING BETTER EVERY WEEK. THEIR OC WHIPPED UGA WHEN HE WAS WITH BOISE. I WANT TO SEE HOW UF WILL PLAY AGAINST LSU. KENTUCKY IS NEXT FOR THE GATORS AND UF HAS ALREADY WON THAT ONE. HATE TO SAY IT BUT UF MAY BE BACK. DAMN WKU BEAT UK !
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
10:41 pm
Only an idiot types all in “CAPS”…
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:43 pm
Looks like we got our wish, WDE! Hope he can put some points on the board before it’s all over.
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:45 pm
I just thought that meant they were serious, kingdaddy.
WDE
September 15th, 2012
10:45 pm
@kingdaddy who are you talking to..caps ?? why read a post in all in caps.it never makes any sense and it might be cahtching..
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
10:46 pm
Haus
Yeah, a SERIOUS IDIOT, lol…
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
10:48 pm
WDE
Just having fun at toppers expense…
WDE
September 15th, 2012
10:51 pm
Members of the Bull Dog Nation we are 3-0 its a heck of a better story than this time last year!
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
10:52 pm
3-0——–3-0——–3-0 713 yards tonight! Offense, oh yeah, we got offense. Bring on Vandy…
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
10:53 pm
ARDAWG= THE VOICE OF REASON. KINGDUNCE= AN ABSOLUTE IDIOT.
STANFORD HAS ROCKED USC. UPSET ALERT.
ARdawg
September 15th, 2012
10:54 pm
kingdaddy
It went completely over Toppers head…LOL…stopped at the line for no gain
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:54 pm
Amen, WDE!
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
10:56 pm
Defense gave up 14 and looked bad doing it, but stiffened in 2nd quarter. They will be fine and will have a long, long week in practice this week. CTG, time for a couple of blitz packages for your buddy, Franklin…
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
10:59 pm
Looks like LSU has given up 14 to Idaho, kingdaddy. I wonder if those TDs were scored on their D?
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:02 pm
Louisiana, Monroe should have, could have beaten Auburn. Vandy will be much more of a challenge, but they won’t be playing the “Blue Hose”… Conner Shaw got “knocked the fcuk out” again…
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:05 pm
LOL, Haus, I don’t think anyone at LSU will complain. I was busy watching my Doggies win one for Russ. We have to start callling him Uga???
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
11:06 pm
So long as the D comes out playing like they mean it in the 1st, I’m not worried about Vandy. But under no circumstances should the Dawgs’ D let Stacy get into a groove.
ARdawg
September 15th, 2012
11:07 pm
I don’t know if I want to call Russ Uga but, I guess I will
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:10 pm
To most of us he will always just be “Russ” a DGD. LONG LIVE RUSS!!!
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
11:11 pm
Ruga!
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:11 pm
Russ is the real Top Dawg…
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
11:12 pm
STANFORD IS LINING UP IN THE I-FORMATION AND RUNNING THE BALL DOWN USC’s THROAT AND KILLING CLOCK. I WISH MY HOMEBOY FROM THOMASVILLE AND UGA OC WAS THAT SMART.
WDE
September 15th, 2012
11:14 pm
@kingdaddy agreed Russ is the true Top Dog!
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:16 pm
I hope everyone gets home safe from the game.
Florida Atlantic played a good clean game and have my respect. Hope they win some games this year…
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:21 pm
LeMay needs to shake it off and hold his head up. He will be fine. He’s a smart kid with a great arm, but Aaron is a very good QB. Christan, you will be fine, just practice and be ready for your next chance. We are pulling for you…
1980 and NEXT YEAR!
September 15th, 2012
11:23 pm
Good news is, it only cost us $1000000.00 to get this win and feel good about ourselves!!! I know we will get beat by South Carolina, back step in to thW championship game(cause our schedule is weak) and then get destroyed by Alabama but y’all just wait till next year!! We gotta send some of these ten star recruits to smaller schools when they turn out to be punks, so we can sign the next batch of inmates, I mean freshman. Man I love herschel and next year!!!
Dawg Haus
September 15th, 2012
11:25 pm
True, kingdaddy. Not LeMay’s best showing, but he’ll be a good player for the Dawgs. Just gotta keep practicing.
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
11:33 pm
THE SNAKE ALWAYS SWALLOWS THE FROG. OLE MISS PLAYED WITH SEC HEART, BUT TEXAS HAS TOO MUCH TALENT. MACK BROWN HAS A LITTLE LEFT AND IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR THE BLACK BEARS OF MISSISSIPPI.
Game Changer
September 15th, 2012
11:37 pm
Michael Adams can leave now — not a single tradition remains regarding UGA football –
A @@@@ ???? SPOTTED UGA MASCOT —
NO LEADERSHIP OR ACCOUNTABILITY REMAINS IN BUTTS MEHRE AND UGA FOOTBALL
Game Changer
September 15th, 2012
11:39 pm
Lemay will never make it as a UGA quarterback. I hope he transfers quickly and his brother decommits and goes to another college.
dbc
September 15th, 2012
11:41 pm
Kingdaddy, sorry if I sound like chicken little, but I’ve been an ardent Dawg fan now for over 40 years. I graduated in the Herschel years so those were obviously good times. I suppose I’ve listened and learned from too much Larry. I get so frustrated with these Dawgs because they always have the talent, but somehow their brains get in the way. I live in Arizona now, so I don’t have many (any) Dawg fans to talk to — I mainly come on these blogs to comment every now and then and talk some football. But with all the garbage on here, it really is hard to say anything meaningful or even read anything meaningful with all the freaks. Unfortunately I tend to think out loud sometimes at the keyboard, voicing frustration as it unfolds. I remain eternally optimistic of all things UGA football, even if it doesn’t come off that way. My wife asks me the same question every year: “Why do you put yourself through this?” She’s from the north and just doesn’t understand.
dbc
September 15th, 2012
11:44 pm
Lemay reminds me of an early Shockley — he tries so hard to make something happen in his limited reps, but presses just a bit too much. He can and will be a future star.
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:50 pm
dbc
we are good bro. I was joking with Mustang Sally tonight about how my Dad would get so mad watching the games he would turn the channel for a couple of minutes until he couldn’t stand it anymore, then turn it back. I was just trying to get our fans to remember that it was early, not to worry and say something they would regret later. I don’t take things personal and you are still a DGD…
Top Dog
September 15th, 2012
11:51 pm
DBC. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I TOO AM A 1980 CHAMPIONSHIP DOG FAN. DO NOT APPEASE THE NEW-JACK RICHT LOVERS LIKE KINGDUNCE AND WDE. THEY ARE WANNABE DOG FANS WHO PROBABLY WERE NOT EVEN BORN BY 1980. THEY DON’T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT UGA GLORY DAYS. THEY LOVE AND REVERE MARK RICHT, THE MAN NOT UGA.
Wayne
September 15th, 2012
11:57 pm
Absolutely pathetic…..get ready for a loss or two, or hell maybe three. Have the defense play that way against a mediocre SEC team and we will get spanked. And rolling up the yards and points on FAU is hardly Breaking News. Too bad we can’t hang with the big boys………..those days are gone. I tremble at the thought of us having to play Bama….a damn shame!!
kingdaddy
September 15th, 2012
11:58 pm
dbc
LeMay will mature into a very good QB for UGA. Patience with this talented kid. His time will come. Murray is always one play away from an injury. Once LeMay gets to stay in long enough to get into a rhythm, he will settle in and play like he is capable of…