Player Countdown to Kickoff - No. 63 and Trippi

 

Spring Review: Davis' hip continued to be somewhat of a problem but he gutted it through spring drills and did nothing but solidify his status as Georgia's starting right guard.

Fall Preview: As long as the hip holds out, Davis will play right guard. Granted, he might not play as many snaps as in past years because of the chronic injury, but offensive line coach Stacy Searels considers the Jefferson native a rock whose experience is invaluable to the success of the offensive line.

 

Chris Davis wears 63 right now for the Bulldogs. He has 38 starts as a center and a guard for his career. If he starts ten games this season he will have started more games at offensive lineman than any Georgia player in history. In high school he was offered scholarships in football, basketball and baseball.

Speaking of those other sports, a player in Georgia's past that has the same name as a major league baseball star that looks like a basketball player is

Randy Johnson. Randy wore 63 for the Dawgs as he played guard in the mid 70's. He was named All-SEC twice and All-American in 1975. He later would move to the NFL and play for the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Another guard wearing number 63 was Edgar Chandler. Chandler was a two-time All-American winning honors in 1966 and 1967. As a professional, the Cedartown native played in the American Football League, the National Football League and the World Football League.

Unfortunately the star lost a battle to colon cancer at the age of 46 in 1992.

Bobby Walden had an interesting first game. In his first game outside freshman ball, Bobby Walden played halfback and was a punter against Texas in 1958. In that game "The Big Toe from Cairo" punted three times and averaged 63 yards per punt which is still a Georgia record.

From someone's first game to someone's last game. It was Knowshon Moreno's

last game as a Georgia Bulldog and in that game he did something he had never

done before for the red and black. He had more receiving yards than rushing

yards. He had 63 receiving yards off a career-high 6 receptions, but he only rushed for 62 yards. The numbers did not matter as much as the final score as Georgia defeated Michigan State in the 2009 Capital One Bowl 24 to 12.

1963 - Georgia Record: 4-5-1

Head Coach: Johnny Griffith

Captain: Billy Knowles

 

There is no 62 on this year's roster… hmm, there hasn't been a 62 on the any Georgia football roster since 1947. That is because it has been retired since then due to the greatness of Charley Trippi. Trippi could be the greatest Bulldog athlete ever, maybe even the greatest in the SEC, maybe in the NCAA… maybe. The Pennsylvanian played football for the Dawgs in 1942 then served our country in World War II with the Air Force, then played again in 1945 and 1946.

The story of his life has been captured from numerous angles, from his runner-up Heisman Trophy wining season and Maxwell Award winning season of 1946 to his great bowl accomplishments. All of that doesn't include his Hall of Fame career with the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals and the NFL Championships. And all of that doesn't include all of his incredible baseball numbers playing and coaching for the University of Georgia after the Atlanta Crackers. And I am sure there is more.

Charley Trippi is one of if not the best ever college athlete at Georgia.

I don't know of any other 62 players in Georgia history, but here are a few other times that 62 had significance in Bulldog football.

Fran Tarkenton is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in terms of victories and stats in the NFL. In college he had great success as well, but his stats were solid, not great, but not bad. In 1959 during his junior season, he completed 62 passes for 736 yards and six touchdowns. None were bigger than the play in which he called against Auburn trailing by 6 with under a minute to go. The future NFL star made the right decision as he hit Bill Herron with a 13-yard touchdown strike and after the extra point the Dawgs won 14 to 13 which propelled Georgia to a SEC Championship.

Jimmy Poulos had a very good career at Georgia as well. The Greek Streak racked up yard after yard on the ground for the Dawgs, but it was his receiving that is giving us the number 62. In the 1973 Peach Bowl game against the Maryland Terrapins, the score remained 0-0 late in the 2nd quarter. That is where Poulos caught a screen pass from Andy Johnson and scored from 62 yards out and the Bulldogs won 17 to 16.

1962 - Georgia Record: 3-4-3

Head Coach: Johnny Griffith

Captain: Ray Clark

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