Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia Bulldogs
Current season: 2023 Georgia Bulldogs
First season	1892
Athletic director	Josh Brooks
Head coach	Kirby Smart
	7th year, 81–15 (.844)
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium
Year built	1929
Stadium capacity	92,746
Stadium surface	Tifton 419 Bermuda Grass
Location	Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Conference	SEC (1932–present)
Division	SEC Eastern Division (1992–present)
Past conferences	SIAA (1895–1921) Southern Conference (1921–1932)
All-time history
All-time record	868–428–54 (.663)
Postseason bowl record	37–21–3 (.631)
Playoff appearances	4 (2018, 2021, 2022 ,2024)
Claimed national titles	4 (1942, 1980, 2021, 2022)
Conference titles	17
Division titles	12
Rivalries	Auburn Tigers (rivalry) Clemson Tigers (rivalry) Florida Gators (rivalry) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (rivalry) South Carolina Gamecocks (rivalry) Tennessee (rivalry) Alabama Crimson Tide (rivalry)
Heisman winners	2
Consensus All-Americans	Template:American college football All-Americans
Current uniform
Colors	Red, Black, Silver, and White
Fight song	Glory, Glory
Mascot	Uga
Marching band	Georgia Redcoat Marching Band
Website	georgiadogs.com – Football

The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia located in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs are a member of the NCAA FBS Southeastern Conference and play their home games at Sanford Stadium in Athens. The Bulldogs are currently coached by Kirby Smart.

Overview

The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 868–428–54 (a .663 winning percentage). The "Dawgs," as they are sometimes called, play in historic Sanford Stadium in Athens, which, with a capacity of 92,746, is the eighth largest on-campus stadium in the United States and the 15th largest stadium in the world. The Bulldogs claim two consensus NCAA Division 1-A college football national championships and have won 12 SEC championships. The team has also produced two Heisman Trophy winners, namely the running back Herschel Walker and No. 1 draft pick in the 1943 draft Frank Sinkwich, as well as winners of a number of other awards and numerous All-Americans and NFL players. As of the 2009-10 school year, the University of Georgia is the second most profitable program in college football.

Georgia Bulldogs football facility

Conference affiliations

Georgia was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, one of the first collegiate athletic conferences formed in the United States. Georgia participated in the SIAA from its establishment in 1895 until 1921. During its tenure in the SIAA, Georgia was conference co-champion in two years, 1896 and 1920. In 1921, the Bulldogs, along with 12 other teams, left the SIAA and formed the Southern Conference. During its time in the Southern Conference, the team never won a conference championship. In 1932, the Georgia Bulldogs left the Southern Conference to form and join the SEC, where Georgia has won the second-most SEC football championships, with 15, behind Alabama (27).^{[better source needed]}

• Independent (1891–1895)
• Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1896–1920)
• Southern Conference (1921–1932)
• Southeastern Conference (1933–present)

Championships

National championships

Georgia has been selected eight times as national champions from NCAA-designated major selectors, including three (1980, 2021, 2022) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. Georgia claims four national championships (1942, 1980, 2021, and 2022).

Claimed national championships

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl	Final AP	Final Coaches
1942	Wally Butts	Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Houlgate, Litkenhous, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Williamson	11–1	Won Rose	No. 2	–
1980	Vince Dooley	AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF†	12–0	Won Sugar	No. 1	No. 1
2021	Kirby Smart	College Football Playoff††	14–1	Won Orange (CFP Semifinal) Won CFP National Championship Game	No. 1	No. 1
2022	Kirby Smart	College Football Playoff	15–0	Won Peach (CFP Semifinal) Won CFP National Championship Game	No. 1	No. 1

† Other consensus selectors for 1980 included Berryman, Billingsley, Rothman, Football News, Helms, NCF, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Sporting News

†† Other consensus selectors for 2021 include AP, FWAA/NFF, USAT/AMWAY (Coaches)

Unclaimed national championships

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl	Opponent	Result	Final AP	Final Coaches
1920	Herman Stegeman	Berryman	8–0–1	None			–	–
1927	George Cecil Woodruff	Berryman, Boand, Poling	9–1	None			–	–
1946	Wally Butts	Williamson	11–0	Sugar	North Carolina	W 20–0	No. 3	–
1968	Vince Dooley	Litkenhous	8–1–2	Sugar	Arkansas	L 2–16	No. 8	No. 4

Conference championships

Georgia has won a total of 17 conference championships, eleven outright and five shared. The school's 15 Southeastern Conference Championships rank it second all time in SEC history, behind only Alabama.

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall record	Conference record
1896†	SIAA	Glenn "Pop" Warner	4–0	3–0
1920†		Herman Stegeman	8–0–1	8–0
1942	SEC	Wally Butts	11–1	6–1
1946†			11–0	5–0
1948			9–2	6–0
1959			10–1	7–0
1966†		Vince Dooley	10–1	6–0
1968			8–1–2	5–0–1
1976			10–2	5–1
1980			12–0	6–0
1981†			10–2	6–0
1982			11–1	6–0
2002		Mark Richt	13–1	7–1
2005			10–3	6–2
2017		Kirby Smart	13–2	7–1
2022			15–0	8–0
2024			11–2	6–2

† Co-champions

Division championships

From 1992 through 2023, the SEC was divided into two divisions, the East and the West. Division champions were the representatives to the SEC Championship Game. Georgia won 13 SEC Eastern Division championships, and made 11 appearances during the divisional era. The Dawgs were 4–7 in those games. Twice, in 1992 and 2007, Georgia was the Eastern Division co-champion, but lost a tiebreaker for the right to appear in the championship game.

Year	Division	SEC CG Opponent	Result
1992†	SEC East	N/A lost tiebreaker to Florida
2002		Arkansas	W 30–3
2003†		LSU	L 13–34
2005		LSU	W 34–14
2007†		N/A lost tiebreaker to Tennessee
2011		LSU	L 10–42
2012†		Alabama	L 28–32
2017		Auburn	W 28–7
2018		Alabama	L 28–35
2019		LSU	L 10–37
2021		Alabama	L 24–41
2022		LSU	W 50–30
2023		Alabama	L 24-27

† Co-champions

Bowl games

2021 Georgia National Championship team

Main article: List of Georgia Bulldogs bowl games

The Bulldogs have played in 62 bowl games, second all-time. UGA has a bowl record of 38–21–3. Their 38 wins rank the Dawgs second all-time in bowl wins. They have played in a record 18 different bowls including appearances in five of the New Year's Six Bowl Games (2 Rose, 5 Orange, 3 Cotton, 7 Peach, and 11 Sugar Bowls) and appearances in the 2018, 2022, and 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Season	Coach	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1941	Wally Butts	Orange Bowl	TCU	W 40–26
1942	Wally Butts	Rose Bowl	UCLA	W 9–0
1945	Wally Butts	Oil Bowl	Tulsa	W 20–6
1946	Wally Butts	Sugar Bowl	North Carolina	W 20–10
1947	Wally Butts	Gator Bowl	Maryland	T 20–20
1948	Wally Butts	Orange Bowl	Texas	L 28–41
1950	Wally Butts	Presidential Cup Bowl	Texas A&M	L 20–40
1959	Wally Butts	Orange Bowl	Missouri	W 14–0
1964	Vince Dooley	Sun Bowl	Texas Tech	W 7–0
1966	Vince Dooley	Cotton Bowl Classic	SMU	W 24–9
1967	Vince Dooley	Liberty Bowl	NC State	L 7–14
1968	Vince Dooley	Sugar Bowl	Arkansas	L 2–16
1969	Vince Dooley	Sun Bowl	Nebraska	L 6–45
1971	Vince Dooley	Gator Bowl	North Carolina	W 7–3
1973	Vince Dooley	Peach Bowl	Maryland	W 17–16
1974	Vince Dooley	Tangerine Bowl	Miami	L 10–21
1975	Vince Dooley	Cotton Bowl Classic	Arkansas	L 10–31
1976	Vince Dooley	Sugar Bowl	Pittsburgh	L 3–27
1978	Vince Dooley	Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl	Stanford	L 22–25
1980	Vince Dooley	Sugar Bowl	Notre Dame	W 17–10
1981	Vince Dooley	Sugar Bowl	Pittsburgh	L 20–24
1982	Vince Dooley	Sugar Bowl	Penn State	L 23–27
1983	Vince Dooley	Cotton Bowl Classic	Texas	W 10–9
1984	Vince Dooley	Citrus Bowl	Florida State	T 17–17
1985	Vince Dooley	Sun Bowl	Arizona	T 13–13
1986	Vince Dooley	Hall of Fame Bowl	Boston College	L 24–27
1987	Vince Dooley	Liberty Bowl	Arkansas	W 20–17
1988	Vince Dooley	Gator Bowl	Michigan State	W 34–27
1989	Ray Goff	Peach Bowl	Syracuse	L 18–19
1991	Ray Goff	Independence Bowl	Arkansas	W 24–15
1992	Ray Goff	Florida Citrus Bowl	Ohio State	W 21–14
1995	Ray Goff	Peach Bowl	Virginia	L 27–34
1997	Jim Donnan	Outback Bowl	Wisconsin	W 33–6
1998	Jim Donnan	Peach Bowl	Virginia	W 35–33
1999	Jim Donnan	Outback Bowl	Purdue	W 28–25 OT
2000	Jim Donnan	Oahu Bowl	Virginia	W 37–14
2001	Mark Richt	Music City Bowl	Boston College	L 16–20
2002	Mark Richt	Sugar Bowl	Florida State	W 26–13
2003	Mark Richt	Capital One Bowl	Purdue	W 34–27 OT
2004	Mark Richt	Outback Bowl	Wisconsin	W 24–21
2005	Mark Richt	Sugar Bowl	West Virginia	L 35–38
2006	Mark Richt	Chick-fil-A Bowl	Virginia Tech	W 31–24
2007	Mark Richt	Sugar Bowl	Hawaii	W 41–10
2008	Mark Richt	Capital One Bowl	Michigan State	W 24–12
2009	Mark Richt	Independence Bowl	Texas A&M	W 44–20
2010	Mark Richt	Liberty Bowl	Central Florida	L 6–10
2011	Mark Richt	Outback Bowl	Michigan State	L 30–33 3OT
2012	Mark Richt	Capital One Bowl	Nebraska	W 45–31
2013	Mark Richt	Gator Bowl	Nebraska	L 19–24
2014	Mark Richt	Belk Bowl	Louisville	W 37–14
2015	Bryan McClendon (interim)	TaxSlayer Bowl	Penn State	W 24–17
2016	Kirby Smart	Liberty Bowl	TCU	W 31–23
2017	Kirby Smart	Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal) †	Oklahoma	W 54–48 2OT
2017	Kirby Smart	CFP National Championship	Alabama	L 23–26 OT
2018	Kirby Smart	Sugar Bowl †	Texas	L 21–28
2019	Kirby Smart	Sugar Bowl †	Baylor	W 26–14
2020	Kirby Smart	Peach Bowl †	Cincinnati	W 24–21
2021	Kirby Smart	Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal) †	Michigan	W 34–11
2021	Kirby Smart	CFP National Championship	Alabama	W 33–18
2022	Kirby Smart	Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal) †	Ohio State	W 42–41
2022	Kirby Smart	CFP National Championship	TCU	W 65–7
2023	Kirby Smart	Orange Bowl †	Florida State	W 63–3

† New Year's Six bowl game

1980 Georgia National Championship team

Seasons

2020s

Season	Coach	Record
2025	Kirby Smart
2024	Kirby Smart	11-3
2023	Kirby Smart	13-1
2022	Kirby Smart	15-0
2021	Kirby Smart	14-1
2020	Kirby Smart	8-2

2010s

Season	Coach	Record
2019	Kirby Smart	12-2
2018	Kirby Smart	11-3
2017	Kirby Smart	13-2
2016	Kirby Smart	8-5
2015	Mark Richt; Bryan McClendon	10-3
2014	Mark Richt	10-3
2013	Mark Richt	8-5
2012	Mark Richt	12-2
2011	Mark Richt	10-4
2010	Mark Richt	6-7

2000s

Season	Coach	Record
2009	Mark Richt	8-5
2008	Mark Richt	10-3
2007	Mark Richt	11-2
2006	Mark Richt	9-4
2005	Mark Richt	10-3
2004	Mark Richt	10-2
2003	Mark Richt	11-3
2002	Mark Richt	13-1
2001	Mark Richt	8-4
2000	Jim Donnan	8-4

1990s

Season	Coach	Record
1999	Jim Donnan	8-4
1998	Jim Donnan	9-3
1997	Jim Donnan	10-2
1996	Jim Donnan	5-6
1995	Ray Goff	6-6
1994	Ray Goff	6-4-1
1993	Ray Goff	5-6
1992	Ray Goff	10-2
1991	Ray Goff	9-3
1990	Ray Goff	4-7

1980s

Season	Coach	Record
1989	Ray Goff	6-6
1988	Vince Dooley	9-3
1987	Vince Dooley	9-3
1986	Vince Dooley	8-4
1985	Vince Dooley	7-3-2
1984	Vince Dooley	7-4-1
1983	Vince Dooley	10-1-1
1982	Vince Dooley	11-1
1981	Vince Dooley	10-2
1980	Vince Dooley	12-0

1970s

Season	Coach	Record
1979	Vince Dooley	6-5
1978	Vince Dooley	9-2-1
1977	Vince Dooley	5-6
1976	Vince Dooley	10-2
1975	Vince Dooley	9-3
1974	Vince Dooley	6-6
1973	Vince Dooley	7-4-1
1972	Vince Dooley	7-4
1971	Vince Dooley	11-1
1970	Vince Dooley	5-5

History

Early years: 1892–1909

The first football team of 1892.

Herty Field was Georgia’s first football venue. It was used until 1911. (photo October 2005)

The University of Georgia first formed a football squad in 1892, with chemistry professor Charles Herty as head coach. The team played its first game against a team from Mercer University, in what was supposedly the first football game played in the deep south. Playing on what was later called Herty Field, Georgia beat Mercer 50–0. In the second (and final) game of that inaugural "season," Georgia lost 10–0 to Auburn University. That game marked the beginning of Georgia’s longest-standing football rivalry, which is called the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

From 1892–1909, the head coach at Georgia changed frequently, with 14 different head coaches in a 17 year period. The combined record was 47–52–10 (.477 winning percentage). During this time period, Georgia’s greatest success came when Glenn “Pop” Warner coached it and Iowa State for two seasons. In 1896, Warner-led Georgia went 4–0 on the way to its first conference championship, when the team was a co-champion of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. It is thought that the first forward pass in football occurred in 1895 (passing was illegal at the time) in a game between Georgia and North Carolina when, out of desperation, the ball was thrown by the North Carolina quarterback instead of punted and a North Carolina player caught the ball.

In 1897, football very nearly came to an end in the state when a Georgia fullback named Richard Vonalbade Gammon died as a result of injuries sustained in a game. The Georgia state legislature quickly passed a bill banning football from the state, but the bill was vetoed by Georgia Governor William Yates Atkinson, based upon an appeal from Gammon's mother, Rosalind Gammon.

Mehre–Butts era: 1910–63

Beginning in 1910, Georgia started experiencing stability in its head coaches. In 1911, Georgia moved its playing field from Herty Field to Sanford Field, where wooden stands were built. From 1910–63, Georgia had 7 head coaches and a record of 307–180–33 (a .622 winning percentage). Although Harry Mehre and Wally Butts are the two best-known coaches from this era, it was George “Kid” Woodruff who led the Bulldogs to their first claim to national championship. In 1927, Georgia finished the season 9–1 and could stake a claim to the national championship by finishing #1 in at least one national poll. Herman Stegeman coached the Bulldogs to an 8–0 record in 1920, when the team was named co-champion of the SIAA.

Harry Mehre coached the Bulldogs from 1928–37, but perhaps his most memorable game was in 1929. October 12, 1929 was the inaugural game in the newly completed Sanford Stadium and Mehre’s Bulldogs responded with an upset victory over the powerhouse of the day, Yale University, winning 15–0. In that game, Vernon “Catfish” Smith scored all 15 points for Georgia. As head coach, Mehre compiled a 59–34–6 record (.626 winning percentage), but was never able to win a conference championship.

Wally Butts coached the Bulldogs from 1939–60 and continued as athletic director until 1963. Butts came to UGA as an assistant to Joel Hunt in 1938, but Hunt left UGA after a 5–4–1 season to take over at Wyoming; Butts succeeded him. During his tenure as head coach, Georgia had a claim to the national championship in 1942 being selected by 6 polls recognized by the NCAA Division 1-A college football national championship (Ohio St. was also selected by 6 polls, including the AP, and Wisconsin was selected by one poll), and in 1946 after finishing first in at least one national poll and/or rating system. Butts coached 1942 Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich and Maxwell Award winner Charley Trippi. His teams also won four SEC championships – 1942, 1946, 1948 and 1959. As head coach, Butts posted a 140–86–9 record (.615 winning percentage), including six bowl games. His bowl record was 5–2–1. Butts was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Johnny Griffith, a former player and assistant coach to Butts, succeeded him in 1961. He resigned in December 1963 after going 10–16–2, including a combined 1–8 against Georgia Tech, Florida, and Auburn.

Vince Dooley era: 1964–88

Vince Dooley held the head coach position longer than any other Bulldogs coach, leading the Bulldogs from 1964–88. During his tenure as head coach, Georgia won its second consensus national championship in 1980, winning the Grantland Rice Award. Dooley’s 1968 team finished first in at least one national poll, giving Georgia a claim to the national championship in that year. The 1967 Cotton Bowl win over SMU made Georgia only the 3rd school in college football history to have won all 4 of the historical major bowls, Rose, Cotton, Sugar, Orange. His teams gave Georgia six SEC Championships and he coached 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award winner Herschel Walker, 1968 Outland Trophy winner Bill Stanfill and 40 All-Americans. Dooley won the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 2001. He compiled a 201–77–10 record (.715 winning percentage), which included twenty bowl appearances. His bowl record was 8–10–2. From 1976–82, his teams were in contention for the mythical national title 4 times (1976, 1980, 1981, and 1982). His 6 SEC titles ties him for second place all time amongst SEC coaches for SEC titles. Dooley's offenses were known primarily for running the football. He converted UGA's single-wing offense to a wishbone-type scheme in the early 1970s, and later ran a professional I-type offense with the development of Herschel Walker. For awhile during the 1980s UGA was known as "Tailback U." Dooley was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997 In 1981, Professor Jan Kemp complained that Georgia officials had intervened allowing nine college football players to pass a remedial English course, allowing them to play against Pittsburgh in the Sugar Bowl. The board of regents of the University System of Georgia issued a report in April 1986 implicating Dr. Fred C. Davison and the Georgia athletic department, headed by Dooley, who was also the football coach, in a pattern of academic abuse in the admission and advancement of student-athletes over the previous four years.

Post-Dooley era: 1989–2000

Ray Goff took over as head coach in 1989 and coached the Bulldogs until 1995, posting a 46–34–1 record (.574 winning percentage). His teams were 0–5 against Tennessee, 1–6 against Florida, 2–4–1 against Auburn, 5–2 against Georgia Tech and won no conference titles. During his time at Georgia, Goff was often derisively referred to as Ray "Goof", a nickname given to him by former Florida and current South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. Goff had a 2–2 bowl record.

Jim Donnan took over as head coach in 1996 and coached the Bulldogs until 2000, posting a 40–19–0 record (.678 winning percentage). Donnan's teams produced no conference titles and were 1–4 against Tennessee, 2–3 against Auburn, 1–4 against Florida and 2–3 against Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs lost to all four of these rivals in 1999 and only posted a win against Tennessee in 2000. Donnan had a 4–0 bowl record.

Mark Richt era: 2001–2015

File:Mark Richt-May-21-08-CoachesTour2008.jpg

Mark Richt

The current head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs is Mark Richt, who joined the Bulldogs in 2001 after serving as the offensive coordinator of the Florida State Seminoles under Bobby Bowden. Since Richt's tenure began, Georgia has won two SEC championships – 2002 and 2005 – and 5 of their 6 SEC East Division Championships – 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011. (Georgia represented the East in the SEC Championship Game in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2011.) Including bowl games, Richt’s record, as of March 17, 2012, is 106–38–0. His bowl record through 2010 is 7–3. Richt has been a fixture in the recruiting world ending up with top 5 classes the past 3 years. On October 8, 2011 Richt won his 100th career game as UGA's coach against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium 20–12.

Under Richt, Georgia is 7-4 against Tennessee, 3-8 against Florida, 7-4 against Auburn, and 10-1 against Georgia Tech, including games from 2001–11. In 2011, under Richt, Georgia defeated all four in the same season for the first time since 1981.

Conference affiliations

Georgia was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, one of the first collegiate athletic conferences formed in the United States. Georgia participated in the SIAA from its establishment in 1895 until 1921. Durings its tenure in the SIAA, Georgia was conference co-champion in two years, 1896 and 1920. In 1921, the Bulldogs, along with 12 other teams, left the SIAA and formed the Southern Conference. During its time in the Southern Conference, the team never won a conference championship. In 1932, the Georgia Bulldogs left the Southern Conference to form and join the SEC, where Georgia has won the third most SEC football championships, with 12, behind Alabama (22) and Tennessee (13).

Team Nicknames

It was not until 1920 that the nickname "Bulldog" was used to define the football team, a name bestowed by sportswriters. On November 3, 1920, Morgan Blake of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story about school nicknames and proposed:

The Georgia Bulldogs would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity.

Shortly thereafter, another news story appeared in which the name "Bulldogs" was used several times to describe the Georgia team and the nickname has been used ever since. Prior to that time, Georgia was simply known as the "Red and Black." In more recent years, the Bulldogs have been referred to by fans as the "Dawgs."

Traditions

Uga VI Official Photo

Sanford Stadium

• Uga (pronounced UH-guh) is the name of a lineage of white Bulldogs which have served as the mascot of the University of Georgia since 1956. There is currently no active Uga mascot, since the previous mascot, Uga VIII, died of lymphoma on Feb 3, 2011. Deceased Ugas are interred in a mausoleum near the main entrance to Sanford Stadium. Georgia is the only school to bury its past mascots inside the football stadium.
• Glory, Glory is the fight song for the Georgia Bulldogs and was sung at football games as early as the 1890s. The fight song was arranged in its current form by Georgia professor Hugh Hodgson in 1915.
• The ringing of the Chapel Bell after a Georgia victory started in the 1890s when the playing field was located near the Chapel and freshmen were compelled to ring the Chapel's bell until midnight to celebrate the victory. Today, freshmen are no longer required to do the chore, with students, alumni, and fans taking their place.
• "How 'Bout Them Dawgs" is a slogan of recent vintage that first surfaced in the late 1970s and has become a battle cry of Bulldog fans. The slogan received national attention and exposure when Georgia won the national championship in 1980 and wire services proclaimed "How 'Bout Them Dogs!"
• Silver Britches – When Wally Butts was named head coach in 1939, he changed the uniform by adding silver-colored pants to the bright-red jersey already in use. The "silver britches" became very popular, and were a source of multiple fan chants and sign references over the years, the most well-known being "Go You Silver Britches!" When he was hired in 1964, Vince Dooley changed Georgia's uniform to use white pants, but reinstated the silver pants prior to Georgia's 1980 national championship season. Georgia's use of the "silver britches" continues to the present day.
• The "Dawg Walk" is a tradition that features the football players walking through a gathering of fans and the Redcoat Band near the Tate Student Center as they enter Sanford Stadium. Vince Dooley began the tradition, originally leading the team into the stadium from the East Campus Road side. Ray Goff changed the Dawg Walk to its current location in the 1990s, but eventually discontinued the practice altogether. Mark Richt revived it starting with the 2001 season, and it continues to the present day.

Uniforms/logos

Image gallery

Georgia's standard home uniform has not significantly changed since 1980, and consists of a red helmet with the trademarked oval "G", red jerseys, and silver pants.

Wally Butts first introduced the "silver britches," as they are colloquially known, in 1939. When Vince Dooley became Georgia's head coach, he changed the team's home uniform to include white pants. The uniform was changed back to silver pants prior to the 1980 season, and has remained silver ever since.

Georgia's earliest helmet was grey leather, to which a red block "G" logo was added in 1961. The shirts were usually red, sometimes with various striping patterns. Their uniforms in the pre-World War II era varied at times, sometimes significantly. Photographic evidence suggests that black shirts, vests, and stripes of various patterns were worn at times over the years.

Vince Dooley was the first to incorporate a red helmet into the uniform in 1964, adopting the oval "G," a white stripe, and white facemasks. Anne Donaldson, who graduated from Georgia with a BFA degree and was married to Georgia assistant coach John Donaldson, was asked by Coach Dooley to come up with a new helmet design to replace the previous silver helmet. Coach Dooley liked the forward oriented stylized "G" Mrs. Donaldson produced, and it was adopted by him. Since the Georgia "G" was similar to the Green Bay Packers' "G" used by it since 1961, Coach Dooley cleared its use with the Packer organization. Nonetheless, Georgia has a registered trademark for its "G" and the Packers' current, redesigned, "G" logo is modeled after the University of Georgia's redesign of Green Bay's original "G" logo. The helmet change was part of a drastic uniform redesign by Dooley, who also replaced the traditional silver pants with white pants that included a black-red-black stripe. The jerseys remained similar to the pre-1964 design, however, with a red jersey and white numbers.

Prior to the 1980 season, the "silver britches" were re-added to Georgia's uniform with a red-white-black stripe down the side. Since the 1980 season, Georgia has utilized the same basic uniform concept. The sleeve stripes, trim colors, and font on Georgia's home and away jerseys have varied many times, but the home jerseys have remained generally red with white numbers, and away jerseys have remained generally white with black numbers.

The most recent trim redesign occurred in 2005, when sleeve stripe patterns were dropped in favor of solid black jersey cuffs on the home jersey and solid red cuffs on the away jersey. Matte grey pants have also been used at times instead of "true" silver since 2004, mainly because the matte grey pants are of a lighter material.

Alternate uniforms

One of the things that makes Georgia's uniform unique is its relative longevity, and the fact that it has very rarely changed over the years. There have been occasions, however, when alternate uniforms were worn for one game during a season.

• Red pants were used instead of silver as part of Georgia's away uniform at various times during the 1980's.
• Black facemasks and a white-black-white helmet stripe were worn during the 1991 Independence Bowl.
• Black pants were used instead of silver as part of Georgia's away uniform during the 1998 Outback Bowl and the 1998 Florida game.
• Black jerseys were worn instead of red as part of Georgia's home uniform in games against Auburn and Hawaii during the 2007 season, and in 2008 against Alabama.
• A unique away uniform was worn during the 2009 Florida. This uniform included black helmets with red facemasks, a white stripe, and the traditional oval "G" logo; white jerseys with black numbers; and black pants.
• During the 2011 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff against Boise State in the Georgia Dome, Georgia wore a Nike Pro Combat Uniform that was significantly different from the traditional home uniforms. The Nike Pro Combat uniforms used a non-traditional matte-finish red color, and included the following:
  • Silver helmets with a large red stripe and traditional oval "G" logo
  • Black facemasks with a large red stripe in the middle, mirroring the red stripe on the helmet
  • Two-tone red jerseys with black sleeves, trim, and numbers
  • The word "Georgia" on the back of the jerseys instead of players' names
  • Red pants

Rivalries

The Bulldogs have three main football rivals: Auburn, Florida, and Georgia Tech. All three rivalries were first contested over 100 years ago, though the series records are disputed in two cases. Georgia does not include two games from 1943 and 1944 against Georgia Tech (both UGA losses) in its reckoning of the series record, because some of Georgia's players were in World War II. Georgia also includes a game against Florida in 1904 (a Georgia win) that Florida's athletic association does not in their series record, because Florida claims the game was played against a team from a predecessor institution of the modern University of Florida.

Georgia has long-standing football rivalries with other universities as well, with over 50 games against five additional teams. Since the formation of the SEC Eastern Division in 1992, Georgia has had an emerging rivalry with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry has been a game of increasing importance; South Carolina won the SEC Eastern Division championship in 2010, Georgia in 2011.

Georgia Bulldog Rivalries: All-Time Records

Rivalry	Rival	Games Played	First Meeting	Last Meeting	UGA Won	UGA Lost	Ties	UGA %	Streak	Most recent win
Auburn–Georgia football rivalry	Auburn Tigers	116	1892	2012	54	54	8	.500	2 wins	2012, 38-0
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	103	1893	2012	63	39	5	.617	4 wins	2012, 42-10
Florida–Georgia football rivalry	Florida Gators	90	1904	2012	49	40	2	.546	2 wins	2012, 17-9
Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry	Vanderbilt Commodores	73	1893	2012	53	18	2	.726	6 wins	2012, 48-3
Alabama–Georgia football rivalry	Alabama Crimson Tide	65	1895	2012	25	37	4	.403	1 loss	2007, 26-23
Georgia–Kentucky football rivalry	Kentucky Wildcats	65	1930	2012	52	12	2	.797	3 wins	2012, 29-24
Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry	South Carolina Gamecocks	65	1894	2012	46	17	2	.701	3 losses	2009, 41-37
Clemson–Georgia football rivalry	Clemson Tigers	62	1897	2003	41	17	4	.693	5 wins	2003, 30-0
Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry	Tennessee Volunteers	42	1899	2012	19	21	2	.476	3 wins	2012, 51-44

Notable Alumni

• Matthew Stafford - Detroit Lions QB
• Herschel Walker - 1982 Heisman Trophy winner

See also

• Magazine covers

External links

• Georgia Bulldogs football article at Wikipedia
• Official team website

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