Dave McMahon and Patrick Garbin
Welcome to our daily countdown! Our countdown to the Bulldogs’ opening game began recently and, today, we’re at 96. In 96 days, Georgia will be facing North Carolina at the Georgia Dome. Each day leading up to the season opener, Patrick Garbin and I will show three unique and creative ways that we hope will relive memories of why that particular number is special to the Dawgs. Sung by Question Mark and the Mysterians, the song 96 Tears hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966. The B-52’s mention that song playing on a juke box at Allen’s Bar in their song “Deadbeat Club,” so there are some Athens ties to it. So, think back to some good Allen’s hamburgers and good football moments. And, sit back and enjoy the ones we came up with for “96,” and if there are others that you can think of please mention them at The Dawgvent.
96 – by Dave McMahon
3 - Macon’s own Ben Zambiasi makes this list because of his tackling. Zambiasi was seemingly everywhere in the mid-70s, making 467 tackles during his Georgia career, which is still number one on the Bulldog list. In 1977, he had 165, including 96 primary tackles, which is still the school single-season record. After that season, Zambiasi won the William K. Jenkins Award as Georgia's top lineman, as well as the Wallace Butts Memorial Award, presented annually to the Georgia football player who best "pays the best price" to be a success. He played 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League and was named to the CFL hall of fame in 2004.
2 – We mentioned Brandon Boykin in a previous article... He and our next person share something in common in terms of returns for Georgia. In 1952, Jimmy Campagna returned three kicks for touchdowns: two came via punt, and one a kickoff return. Resulting against Auburn, where one of the quarterbacks for the Tigers that day was future Georgia coach Vince Dooley, his kickoff return went for 96 yards. Campagna and Boykin are the only two Bulldogs in history with a punt return for a touchdown, and a kickoff return for a touchdown that were at least 90 yards each.
1 – I will choose a man who is one of the first names you should think of when you hear the term "football": number one on my list is Glenn “Pop” Warner. Warner was one of Georgia’s first football coaches, and led them to their first undefeated season: finishing 4-0 in 1896 with victories over Wofford, North Carolina, Sewanee and Auburn. Besides Georgia, he also coached Iowa State, Cornell, the Carlisle Indian School, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Temple. Warner had a career record of 319-106-32 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. Many set plays designed by "Pop" Warner are still run by all age groups today.
96 – by Patrick Garbin
3 – 96 were the number of tackles one of my favorite Bulldogs of all time (with perhaps the greatest nickname of all time, as well), defensive guard Eddie “Meat Cleaver” Weaver, totaled in 1980. Weaver’s 96 stops were a career high during his four-year career (1978-1981), and the third-most on Georgia’s national title team, trailing linebackers Nate Taylor (112) and Frank Ros (108).
2 – 96 is for No. 96 Dale Carver (1979-1982), Georgia’s starting defensive left end in 1981 and 1982. For his career, the Melbourne, Fla. native recorded 186 tackles, seven sacks, and forced four fumbles. In 1982, he also blocked a punt against Clemson for a touchdown, which proved to be the difference in the Bulldogs’ 13-7 victory. The most critical of his seven sacks also came in 1982 at Auburn when, two plays prior to “The Dogs broke it up! They broke it up!” according to Larry Munson, “Carver got ‘em from behind back on the 30!”
1 – 96 were the number of yards true freshman Gene Washington returned a late kickoff for a touchdown in a 31-14 victory over Clemson in 1973. The return, which was then regarded as the school record, was also the first kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Georgia freshman during the modern era. Starting at split end against the Tigers, Washington, who hailed from Hopkins, S.C., and had been clocked anywhere between 9.3 and 9.8 in the 100, became the first Bulldogs’ freshman to start a game since freshman became eligible to play. After the speedster returned the kickoff 96 yards for a score—only his second kickoff return of his collegiate career—he returned his third collegiate kickoff for a touchdown, as well, resulting the next week versus NC State and covering 86 yards.
