Hailing from Columbia, S.C., Georgia’s Channing Tindall will be in the unique situation this Saturday of facing his hometown college football program as a member of a rival team. The thought of the freshman linebacker from Spring Valley High School returning to Columbia compelled me to explore what previous Georgia players were natives of the city that has been nicknamed “The Capital of Southern Hospitality.”
I discovered that Tindall will join a handful of Bulldogs from the modern era of UGA football whose hometown was Columbia, or located within 20 miles or so of the city. Of these, I found a quartet of “Top Dawgs” from “Cola Town” (a nickname I personally prefer), who not only had notable careers at Georgia, but ironically stood out when the Dogs and ‘Cocks played one another.
West Columbia’s Jeff Hipp intercepts a Carolina pass to clinch a 13-10 win in 1980.
A standout quarterback and baseball player out of Brookland Cayce High School, West Columbia’s Jeff Hipp began his tenure as a Bulldog moving from under center to safety, playing for merely the freshman team in 1976, missing nearly the entirety of the 1977 season because of an injured knee, followed by missing the majority of the ’78 campaign with a leg injury. However, Hipp’s Georgia career took a sudden turn for the better—much better—when he led the SEC in interceptions his final two years with six and eight, respectively. Specifically against South Carolina, a year after recovering a key fumble against the Gamecocks in 1979, the eventual second-team All-American in 1980 had one of his best collegiate outings versus the ‘Cocks during the Bulldogs’ banner season. In Georgia’s 13-10 victory over South Carolina, Hipp not only graded out at a staggering 95 percent, but his late interception of a Gamecock pass clinched the three-point win for the Dogs.
In the early 1970s, Gene Washington was considered perhaps the fastest teenager in the country while at Lower Richland Academy in Hopkins, located 10-15 miles outside of Columbia. Still, Washington had no interest in attending the nearby university on an athletic scholarship; in fact, he had no intention of attending college altogether until two weeks after graduating high school, when two Georgia assistant coaches talked the speedster’s father into sending his son to Athens.
Playing for the Bulldogs from 1973 to 1976, Washington’s Bulldog career remains one of the most distinguished for a receiver-returner combination. After Georgia didn’t play South Carolina in 1973, each of the versatile wideout’s three outings against the Gamecocks—all Bulldog victories—had its moments despite him being part of a run-heavy offense. As a sophomore, Washington ran four end-arounds versus South Carolina, gaining a total of 32 yards. Notably, a year later in Columbia marked one of the very few times in school history that a Georgia player totaled more receiving yardage (22 by Washington) than his entire team (19 for UGA) in a game. Finally, in a close 20-12 contest with the ‘Cocks in 1976, Washington made six receptions (four for rest of team) for a season-high 96 yards, which would stand as one of the top single-game receiving performances by a Bulldog for the decade of the 1970s.
Gadsden’s Richard Seymour records two sacks against the Gamecocks in 1999 en route to being named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week.
Hailing from Gadsden, or roughly 20 miles outside of Columbia, Lower Richland’s Richard Seymour committed to Georgia over Clemson, North Carolina, and East Carolina, before decommitting—until finally signing with the Bulldogs as part of their 1997 incoming class. For Georgia, it was a good thing for the defensive tackle’s latter change of heart as he twice earned first-team All-SEC honors and was an All-American as a senior. After not playing versus South Carolina as a freshman, Seymour stood out against the Gamecocks in 1998 (six tackles, ½ sack) and 2000 (nine tackles), but his 1999 performance opposite his hometown college football program was especially noteworthy. In a 24-9 victory over the ‘Cocks as a junior co-captain, Seymour totaled six tackles, including two sacks and another tackle for loss, and was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week.
Finally, there’s James Ray, a Georgia quarterback from 1970 to 1972, who is not only the lone “Top Dawg” actually from Columbia, but whose top performance against the Gamecocks occurred in Cola Town. A blue-chip signal-caller at Eau Claire High School, Ray was hardly recruited by South Carolina “since they figure I’d either go to Georgia or Clemson,” according to him. The younger brother of Thomas Ray, a starting quarterback for Clemson in the mid-1960s, James ultimately decided on Georgia “because it had such a great tradition.” Because of an injury during his sophomore season, Ray didn’t face the Gamecocks in 1970, and the Bulldogs didn’t play the out-of-state rival in 1972; however, his game against the ‘Cocks in his hometown in 1971 has to be one of top “homecoming” performances by a Georgia player, regardless of the opponent.
Relieving injured starter Andy Johnson late in the first quarter, Ray promptly led the Bulldogs on a scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by the quarterback and his ensuing successful two-point pass attempt. Later, his 56-yard gallop on an option play set up a field goal, before he broke off an 84-yard touchdown run down the right sideline for the contest’s final score. In Georgia’s 24-0 win, Ray hardly passed, completing only two of three passes for 19 yards; however, his 151 rushing yards (on 14 carries) against the Gamecocks was the most in a single game by a Bulldog in 20 years, and remains one of the top rushing performances by a Georgia quarterback in the history of the program.
Did I miss anyone? Can you recall another “Top Dawg” from Columbia, S.C., who not only had a notable UGA career, but also stood out when the Dogs and ‘Cocks collided?
