Shelton Stevens’ impact and his love of UGA will not be forgotten

Heartbroken. Simply, heartbroken.

Hearing tonight that Shelton Stevens has passed away hits differently for me than most.

For those who may not know him, Stevens (UGA, 68) was a member of Sigma Pi before going on to serve in numerous philanthropic capacities, such as the Senior Development Officer of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Executive Director of Children’s Sports Network.

What Stevens may be remembered for most, however, was his role as the presenter of the Governor’s Cup to the winner of the annual rivalry between Georgia and Georgia Tech.

As a proud Georgia alum, this was a job he adored.

Though he had to maintain a sense of unbiased professionalism when helping to present the award, I can promise you whenever the Bulldogs won the game—which during his tenure was most of the time—it thrilled him immensely.

When Georgia won its first national championship in 41 years, I thought he was going to burst with pride.

But most of all, Shelton Stevens was my friend.

I’ve been with UGASports for 17 years now, and Stevens, affectionally known as “Catfish” on the DawgVent, - named after his friend Lewis Grizzard's dog - welcomed me with open arms upon my arrival.

It doesn’t matter where we were, if we happened to be in the same place—typically for a Bulldog football game—Stevens would always make it a point to come up to the press box to see me.

There was one time at Georgia Tech when Stevens snuck up behind me and said, “We got ‘em today, Dash?” Of course, I said yes.

Our conversations were always similar, but I loved them all.

He’d ask about the Bulldogs, what we were hearing about recruiting, and what was causing the latest point of consternation on the DawgVent.

Stevens did not post as much as he used to on the Vent, but he read it almost every day.

He was not unlike any of our wonderful subscribers. He loved the Georgia Bulldogs and loved to talk about them with his many friends on the site.

All this I will remember about my friend Shelton. But what I will never forget was the fact he was a wonderful man, whose only desire was to be there for others and help them in any way he could.

God bless you, Shelton, you’re already missed more than you’d ever know.