Upon Georgia defeating Georgia Tech in baseball last week, whereby the Bulldogs remain perfect (6-0) in the present academic year against their intrastate rival in the “big 4” sports—football, men’s basketball, baseball, and women’s basketball—I was reminded of a story.

A couple of years following the conclusion of his head coaching tenure, Erk Russell was speaking at a chamber of commerce meeting in middle Georgia, when he announced to the crowd that every football player should follow two rules: “Do right off the field,” he said, “and GATA.”

Speaking to the chamber, the legendary and acclaimed Georgia defensive coordinator-turned-Georgia Southern head coach had not acknowledged the Ghana Art Teachers Association or even the Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association—not even close—but rather, “Get After Their . . .” he started before pausing, then ended with “Anatomy.” Coach Russell had revealed a G-rated version of GATA, considering the “A” in the actual meaning of the abbreviation stood for something else.

Today, although GATA is identified more with Georgia Southern football than the Bulldogs, it originated more than a half-century ago with Georgia football and intending the “T” to stand for something else, as well.

As the story goes, within his first couple of seasons at Georgia during the mid-1960s, Russell noticed a Georgia Tech student trainer with a sweatshirt reading “G.T.A.A.” (Georgia Tech Athletic Association). Devising a slogan for his own team in opposition of the hated Yellow Jackets, he swapped the abbreviation’s two middle letters resulting in “G.A.T.A.”—or Get After Tech’s A$$.

For the previous 15 years or so, Tech had maintained a decided series advantage over Georgia in the major sports. However, that all changed during the mid-1960s. From the 1964-65 academic year through 1980-81, or what was Russell’s tenure at Georgia, the Bulldogs won approximately 60 percent of their games in the “big 4” sports versus the Jackets (women’s basketball started in 1974-75)—which is a rather respectable winning percentage considering baseball results sometimes constituted more than half the games in a year.

In time, while GATA represented getting after their a$$ more so than specifically Tech’s, the Bulldogs’ winning ways over the Yellow Jackets continued. Notably, also beginning in 1964-65, but through the latest academic year of 2017-18, Georgia again won 60 percent of its games against Tech.

Remarkably, the Bulldogs own a 9-to-2 advantage in the 11 academic years beginning in 1964-65 that Georgia or Georgia Tech had a 4-1 major-sport record or better against the other:

I’m reminded of another story.

In 1988, two old friends, Russell and then UGA head football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley, reached a verbal agreement for their respective schools to square off in football for the first time in 1992. Dooley thought it would create a lot of interest around the state, while assisting a fellow state school without conflicting recruiting interests. On the other hand, it was believed the meeting could further the growth of the GSU football program even more while opening the door, according to Russell, "for competition with another large in-state institution (Georgia Tech)."

Clearly, an entire decade removed from the last time he had opposed the Yellow Jackets as a Georgia assistant, Erk Russell still wanted to GATA, or what the Bulldogs have accomplished this year in unscathed fashion—Get After Tech’s, err, Anatomy.