The Countdown 2010: 6 Days To Go, Terry Hoage

6: Terry Hoage, DB #14 (1980-1983)

"The best defensive player I've ever coached and maybe the best one I've ever seen," is what Vince Dooley said about Terry Hoage at an Academic All-America Hall of Fame induction. Such is fitting for a superior athlete that dominated on the field, in the class room (graduating with a 3.85 GPA), and helped Georgia dominate college football in the early 1980s.

Hoage came to the Georgia Bulldogs from Huntsville, Texas and as a freshman he was responsible for a blocked field goal in the 1981 Sugar Bowl that secured the 1980 National Championship for the Bulldogs.


Go to the 38 second mark in this video to see Hoage's blocked FG

His next three seasons saw him perform at a legendary level, as he helped guide the Bulldogs (as one of the team’s essential playmakers), in an era of Georgia football that would claim a national championship, three SEC championships, and go 43-4-1. In that time, Hoage would display his talents through such achievements as claiming the SEC record for interceptions in a season with 12 during the 1982 season, and finishing his career 3rd all time at Georgia in career interceptions.

Hoage’s college career was filled with a plethora of honors and accolades: Two time consensus All-American, two time Academic All-American, two time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, 1984 SEC Athlete of the Year Award, and also being awarded the 1984 Top V Award that is given to the country’s top student athletes. Hoage also finished 5th in the balloting for the 1983 Heisman Trophy, gaining more votes than any other defensive back had ever received up to that time.

His post-career honors continue his legend with his inductions into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, UGA’s Circle of Honor, the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame, Academic All-American Hall of Fame, and being named to the Walter Camp All Century Team.

Hoage would go on to be drafted in the 3rd round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Hoage’s professional career would last 13 seasons, where he would play for 6 teams and win a Super Bowl Championship with the 1991 Washington Redskins.

Hoage currently lives in California where he and his wife operate Terry Hoage Vineyards. As is typical with Hoage’s football career, Wine Spectator Magazine named the Hoage’s the Top New California Wine Producers for 2008.

Terry "Superman" Hoage pic courtesy of DawgBone

The Countdown 2010: 55 Days to Go

55: Nate Taylor, LB #47 (1979-1982)

Before David Pollack and before Robert Edwards, Nate Taylor wore #47. However, the Tift County product wasn't even wanted as a walk-on at Vanderbilt.

"He was the kind of guy who I don't think you would go back and see him play in high school twice," said the late Erk Russell. "Yet when you turned him loose, he seemed to know where the ball was. He had a Tasmanian, devil-type disposition."*

Taylor entered the 1979 game vs. South Carolina as a scout team player. He filled in at linebacker due to injuries and made 18 tackles. He received a scholarship the next week and never left the starting lineup the rest of his career.

In the 1980 opener in Knoxville, Terrible Nate Taylor from Ty Ty might've forced the most important fumble in Georgia's history. He met Tennessee's Glenn Ford inside Georgia's 5-yard line with the Dawgs protecting a lead for the first time all night, 16-15. The Dawgs' Pat McShea recovered and Georgia's national championship season was on.

Weighing 193 pounds, Taylor led the team in tackles in 1979 with 120, and again in 1980 with 112. He is 5th all time on UGA's career tackles list with 390.

Linebacker coach Chip Wisdom remembers Taylor wasn't the fastest player either. "He ran a 5.3 forty. I don't think Nate ever broke five-flat. I'm exaggerating obviously, but he was slow."*

Following in his father's footsteps, Tony Taylor was involved in one of the biggest fumbles in the Tech series, returning it for a touchdown and upsetting the Jackets in 2006.

*From "Tales from the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs"

The Countdown 2010: 80 Days to Go

80: Meat Cleaver #61, Nose Guard (1978-1981)

A good nickname goes a long way. A great one makes you a household name. A great player to go along with a great nickname makes you legendary. That's Eddie "Meat Cleaver" Weaver. One of Georgia's best interior defensive linemen of all time. And one of the best nicknames in college football history, if not the best...evah...

If you run across a Georgia football game on ESPN Classic from the early '80s, ABC announcer, and former Arkansas head coach, Frank Broyles will reference Meat Cleaver Weaver to Keith Jackson within your first 2 minutes of watching, guaranteed. Try it next time.

And who wouldn't reference Meat Cleaver every chance possible? I know I would.

Meat Cleaver was the Dawg who welcomed the #1 player on this list to the Georgia practice fields by burying him the first two times he carried the ball. He didn't like the "prima donna attitude" when Herschel hesitated before signing with Georgia.

"I just wanted to let him know what it meant to be a Bulldog," said Meat Cleaver. Was Herschel picturing Meat Cleaver's face on Bill Bates that fateful night in Knoxville?

1981 Sugar Bowl - Eddie "Meat Cleaver" Weaver (#61) drops Notre Dame's QB on the first play of this clip

The Haines City, Fla. native is listed on the state of Florida's top 100 high school football players for the first 100 years of the Florida High School Football association. He went on to a career in the USFL for the LA Express and the Orlando Renegades, and was a perfect fit for the colorful spring time professional football league, saying once to a St. Petersburg Times writer that football was a game of "paybacks."

"You kill my dog, I'll kill your dog and your puppy too," said Meat Cleaver, who was on the all-USFL first team in 1983.

He was all-SEC on Georgia's 1980 National Championship team, and again on Georgia's 1981 SEC Championship team.

Legend has it by the time Meat Cleaver left Georgia, he could bench over 600 pounds.

His younger brother, the late Mike Weaver, followed Eddie to Georgia and was an offensive lineman during the early '80s. In "What It Means to be a Bulldog," Meat Cleaver reflects that Florida heavily recruited the younger Weaver, showing Mike film of Florida's offensive guards grading out at only 30-35% against Meat Cleaver. They needed Mike to block his older brother. The Weavers' mother wouldn't allow it, telling Mike he could either go to Georgia or to a school that didn't play Georgia.

The Pig that Brought a Championship

With the Independence Day holiday this weekend, I thought it fitting to share the story of how a a stolen pig that was cooked at a players' party in 1980 could have cost the Dawgs dearly but ended up uniting the team for its National Championship run. I had never heard this story until I ran across it in a book the other day, so while some of our readers may know this one, I hope you enjoy hearing it again.

The Story of the Purloined Pig

Back during the Vince Dooley years, players on the Georgia football team celebrated the end of spring practice by throwing a team only party known as Seagraves. The team came together and basically celebrated by drinking as much beer as they could (according to Scott Woerner, the team had 127 cases and 8 kegs at the 1980 party.) In 1980, five senior players decided they wanted to not only have beer but serve food at the party as well. Because they were short on money, they decided the best way to get food for the party would be to steal a sow from the University Research Center.

The senior players (All-American Scott Woerner, Defensive Captain Frank Ros, rover Chris Welton, and linemen Nat Hudson and High Nall, set out to steal the pig. Using a bow and arrow, Nall managed to shoot a nearly 400 pound sow and it took the entire effort of all five of them to get the pig out of the pen. They slow roasted the pig and served it at the party , much to the delight of the rest of the team. Their plan had worked perfect and they almost got away with the whole thing.

In true "Lord of the Flies" fashion, they mounted the head of the dead pig on a stick. When the party was over, a couple of freshman decided it was a good idea to bring the head to campus, where it ended up at the feet of some un-expecting students near the dorm. The freshman players were going to get nailed for the whole event, but Ros and Woerner decided to turn themselves in. Dooley and Russell were pissed, as you can imagine, and the players nearly were kicked off the team.

Instead of kicking them off, they were forced to work for Dooley that summer while not being on scholarship. The players performed a number of tasks, including painting the brick fence near the practice field...twice. All this during what was recorded as the hottest summer Athens has ever experienced. By the time the season rolled around and the story had reached the papers, they were using it as a rallying point for the season. As Erk Russell said, "Hugh and Frank, all of them, were in positions of leadership on that team, and darn if I don't think it was a bond for everything. Now that may seem far-fetched to you, but it doesn't to me. Right off the bat, they had something in common. It drew people together and the team, too."

Who would have known that a college prank of stealing a pig from the University would be a catalyst for a national championship season. Can you imagine what would happen if something like this happened today?

* You can read the full story, along with many others about the 1980 team in Vince Dooley's book, Tales from the 1980 Bulldogs.

The Countdown 2009: 80 Days to Go

80

As in 1980, the year of Georgia's last National Championship. Georgia finished the year with a perfect 12-0 record as Coach Vince Dooley brought home the first National Championship to Athens since 1942.

This video shows members of the '80 Championship team discussing the attitude of that team.

What would Lewis Grizzard have written about Chizik?

With the fiasco that has been Auburn hiring Gene Chizik, you have to wonder what Lewis Grizzard would have thought about the whole situation. In 1980, Grizzard wrote a piece about Doug Barfield who had recently left as Auburn's coach. Auburn was attempting to hire Vince Dooley away from Athens and in all the media mess, Barfield became the forgotten man. It seems like the Auburn boosters were sticking their noses into the football business even back then:

I remember back several weeks ago when the rumors started flying that Barfield would be fired. A man named Charles Smith, a member of the Auburn Board of Trustees, made all sorts of noise about finding a coach who could be tougher on the players than Barfield.

Charles Smith runs a laundry in Montgomery. Can you imagine having some guy who runs a laundry deciding how well you were performing in your chosen profession?

More on Doug Barfield from my friend in Auburn:
“He’s warm. He has more class than he’s ever been given credit for. He’s kind. And under all this pressure and criticism, he was a man of steel.”

While auburn officials offered Dooley the farm this week, Doug Barfield quietly resigned. He said, “I don’t want to be anyplace I’m not wanted.” He also said, “But I don’t feel like I have to hide my face.”

I wouldn’t be a football coach if you gave me the pick of cheerleaders.

Monday, when all the hoopla about Dooley was at its height, Doug Barfield was in Montgomery.

He had been summoned for federal court jury duty. Each prospective juror was asked to stand before the court and give his name, place of residence, and occupation.
Doug Barfield stood and said:
“Doug Barfield.
“Auburn, Alabama.
“Unemployed.”
War Eagle. ***

How many people remember Doug Barfield? Probably about as many people who will one day remember Gene Chizik.

***You can read the rest of this story and others from the 1980 season in "Don't Sit Under the Grits Tree With Anyone Else But Me" by Lewis Grizzard available HERE.

"The Annual Celebration of the Repeal of Prohibition"

Lewis Grizzard wrote this story following the Georgia victory over the Gators in 1980. The beginning of this story is even more relevant given BulldawgJosh and CMatt's cross country trip from New Orleans to Jacksonville for the game this year. Special thanks to Uncle Dawg for posting this story over at The Anti-Orange Page.

God Is a Bulldog

Jacksonville, Fla. - Dorsey Hill, the world's biggest Bulldog fan, left here Sunday afternoon, bound for Auburn, Alabama, where Georgia's undefeated football team next appears.

"I don't think you can get from Jacksonville to Auburn," I had said to him.

"You can change buses in Waycross and Columbus," Dorsey answered.

"You aren't going home first?"

"Home?" He screamed back. "I haven't worked since Texas A&M, and I haven't slept since Clemson. You expect me to go back home when we play Auburn in only six more days?"

I lost my head, I suppose.

A lot of people lost their heads here Saturday afternoon. Georgia played Florida. Georgia won the game, 26-21. It's a lot more complicated than that, however.

Georgia came into the game ranked second in the nation. To continue to compete for its first Big Banana ever, the national championship, Georgia had to continue its winning streak. Florida ( "bunch of swamp lizards and beach bums," according to Dorsey Hill), wanted to step on Georgia's dream.

Dorsey arrived here Thursday afternoon with thousands of others who made the early departure south from various points in Georgia. Many of those individuals were as drunk as five eyed owls by the time they reached the Florida line.

As local wit Rex Edmondson says, the Georgia-Florida game is the "annual celebration of the repeal of prohibition."

Dorsey waited until Friday to get into his serious pre-game drinking, however.

"I stopped at the New Perry Hotel Thursday for lunch and filled up on collards," he said. "It's hard to drink on a belly full of collards."

Agreed.

Now that I have had time to digest all that did eventually happen in college football Saturday, I think I can say without fear of charges of blasphemy that the whole thing was a religious experience. "Deacon Dan" Magill, the "Baptist Bulldog," read a prayer to the Georgia faithful in which he beseeched the Almighty to help the Bulldogs "smite the Florida Philistines."

Then there was the game itself. Georgia behind 21-20, ninety-three yards away, time running out.

"We need a miracle!" screamed Dorsey Hill, now fortified with more than collards.

Georgia got its miracle. Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott, for ninety-three yards and the winning touchdown with only seconds remaining.

If that wasn't enough, there was the astounding news from Atlanta. Georgia Tech had tied No.1 Notre Dame. Surely, Georgia will be ranked first in America when the ratings are released.

"A tie was a gift from Heaven," said Dorsey. "Notre Dame gets knocked out of number one but Tech doesn't get a win. God is a Bulldog."

Verily.

I must make one confession here. I did it, and I must suffer the consequences.

I gave up at Jacksonville Saturday afternoon. Florida had the ball. Florida had the lead. There was only three minutes to play. I left the stadium. I was in the street when the miracle came.

"You are a gutless disgrace," Dorsey Hill said to me later.

He detailed my punishment: "We're going to a tattoo parlor in this very town tonight," he began. "And you're going to have '26' tattooed on one of your cheeks in red. And you're going to have '21' tattooed in black on the other cheek. I don't want you to forget what you did."

I won't, but which cheeks is between me and the tattooist.

--Lewis Grizzard