Welcome to our countdown, and we are less than three weeks away from game one! Each day leading up to the season opener, Patrick Garbin and I will each show three unique and creative ways why we think that number is special to the Dawgs. British jazz musician and composer Paul Hardcastle is labeled a “one-hit wonder,” but I think it depends on what you call a hit. He had a minor hit in 1984, “Rain Forest,” which was a top-ten song on the dance and soul chart. But, if you had heard of Hardcastle it is likely because of another song. In 1985, he released the anti-Vietnam War song, “19,” and it peaked at No. 15 on the U.S. Billboard charts, and was No. 1 in 13 other countries. In 2009, VH-1 recognized “19” as the No. 73 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of the '80s. Anyway, here are six Georgia football moments that weren’t one-hit wonders, but they all have something to do with “19”:

By Dave McMahon—Twitter @dave_stats_mc

3 – My first “19” nugget of information deals with current Colorado State head coach, Mike Bobo—a former Georgia quarterback, who had an interesting career as a player. He was a backup to Eric Zeier, one of the all-time Bulldog greats; Bobo then suffered a season-ending injury; he followed by strugglng, but then dominated. After his first three seasons, I personally was skeptical. Bobo passed for 19 career touchdowns in 19 career games through his junior year. But, during his senior season of 1997, he set a school record by completing 65 percent of his passes. Bobo also had 199 completions that season, including throwing for the same number of touchdowns he passed for his first three seasons combined—19.

2 – As I mentioned several times throughout this series, No. 19 Hines Ward did just about everything for Georgia as a very special player during the mid-1990s. He was a running back, quarterback, wide receiver, kickoff returner and punt returner. Ward ended his collegiate career with 1,063 rushing yards, 1,965 receiving, 918 passing and 842 on returns. He also passed for 413 yards and added 56 yards rushing in the 1995 Peach Bowl. Speaking of passing, Ward threw for three touchdowns in his career at Georgia with his longest score covering 19 yards to Larry Brown against Mississippi State in 1996.

1 – I have also mentioned this name or, I guess, this play before, and a UGASports.com subscriber mentioned it the other day, as well: At Auburn in 2002, Georgia trailed 21-17 with fewer than two minutes left in the game. On fourth and 15 from the 19-yard line, David Greene found Michael Johnson in the corner of the end zone. And, I think we all know what happened after that… "Put glasses on it," watching again for yourself, while listening to the great Larry Munson:

By Patrick Garbin—Twitter @PGarbinDT

3—Beginning with Marquis Elmore in 2002 through Jacob Eason, Mecole Hardman, and Issac Nauta this year, Georgia has signed 19 five-star prospects since Rivals began releasing its team recruiting rankings 14 years ago. The Bulldogs’ 19 five-star signees are tied for the ninth-most in college football during that time. The top 15:

2—Besides undoubtedly earning a spot on Georgia’s all-time “All-Nickname” team, Hugh “Puss” Whelchel (1919-1922) was one of the program’s greatest linemen during the pre-modern era. The standout guard earned All-Southern recognition for each of his last two seasons (back when an all-conference team was one team, featuring only 11 players). Still, perhaps more so, Puss had the knack of blocking kicks (i.e., punts, field goals, and PATs). In fact, his reported, but unofficial, 19 blocked kicks during his four-year career would be tied with the NCAA’s official record set by New Mexico State’s James Ferebee, who totaled 19 blocked kicks from 1978-1981. Currently, Bernard Williams (1990-1993) is the Bulldogs’ official all-time career leader in blocked kicks with six.

1—No. 19 Mark Stewart is assuredly one of Georgia’s all-time most courageous and chieftain-like of players. For instance, just prior to the start of his junior year, the quarterback-turned-defensive back from Charleston, W.V., was leaving a private party in Massachusetts during the summer of 1967. Suddenly, an older man drove by, got out of his truck, and attacked a nearby youth. In an effort to assist the youth, Stewart intervened and was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife by the man. Overcoming the stabbing, he returned to UGA, where he backed up Jake Scott at safety during the ’67 campaign. For his final season, Stewart was moved to cornerback, where he started for one of the greatest Georgia defenses of the modern era. Against Kentucky that year, he hit a Wildcat ball-carrier with such a tremendous teeth-rattling jolt, it not only caused a fumble, but caused defensive coordinator Erk Russell to later declare, “That is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen, or anyone else [has seen] for that matter.” Following a 10-10 tie with Houston, whereby 230 rushing yards were gained by the Cougars’ Paul Gipson—an African American facing a Georgia team still three years from integrating its program—Stewart went to the Houston locker room to shake Gipson’s hand and tell him what a great athlete he was. This No. 19 for Georgia was not only elected defensive team captain of the Bulldogs’ 1968 SEC championship team, but was also named to, and chosen co-captain of the East squad in the Coaches All-American Game—at the time, what was considered the most reputable of all college football all-star games. After serving in the Secret Service during the Nixon Administration, Stewart was employed for many years in insurance sales, and lived in Athens as a prominent resident. In 2008, after a long and courageous battle with cancer, Mark Stewart passed away at 61 years of age.