Thirty-five years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, at what was then officially known as the “Southeastern Conference’s Kickoff ’86,” a couple of defenders took to the podium as Georgia’s two player representatives. The first, senior roverback John Little, had been distinguished as a first-team All-American the season before. The other, defensive end Richard Tardits, was a mere sophomore who had played sparingly in 1985, totaling just two tackles and a single sack for the season.
Yet, it was Tardits, a native of France who was still learning the nuances of the sport, who captivated the media throng.
In what was described as “broken English with a French accent and a Southern twang,” Tardits recounted to SEC writers and reporters how he participated in the celebrated running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, while growing up in France; how he had only just earned a football scholarship a few months prior to the SEC’s annual preseason football conference; and how he didn’t know the basic rules of football, or even how to put on his uniform, when he walked on at Georgia the year before.
When asked about how the Georgia coaches first positioned Tardits at tight end in the spring of 1985 and instructed the Frenchman to block the man opposite of him, he replied, “I had no idea [what to do]. They told me to block the defensive player. Unfortunately, I didn’t know blocking.”
But Tardits, a former star rugby player, did know tackling, as he shot off from his tight end position and tackled the opposing defensive end to the ground.
“I went over to him and said, ‘Richard, I want you to get on the other side of the ball, where you can use your hands to make tackles,’” head coach Vince Dooley said. Tardits was promptly moved to defensive end.
Days following the three-day event in 1986, or long after Tardits had spoken at the conference, the media continued to quote the captivating native of France. Printed in a number of newspapers around the Southeast was the phrase, “Comme t’allez les Chiens?”—translated from the Frenchman as, “How ‘bout them Dawgs?”
Beginning with Tardits, who would eventually become Georgia’s all-time career leader in quarterback sacks, UGASports acknowledges some of the most notable quotes from Bulldog players and head coaches at SEC Media Days over the past 30-plus years.
1988—Vince Dooley: Georgia’s head coach announced he was dividing placekicking duties between sophomore John Kasay and senior Steve Crumley. Kasay, a soccer-style kicker who would handle long field goals, was designated by Dooley as his “pretty kicker.” On the contrary, Crumley, a straight-on kicker who would attempt shorter field goals, was recognized by the head coach as the “ugly kicker.”
1989—Bill Goldberg: The outspoken senior defensive tackle was asked by head coach Ray Goff and SID Claude Felton not to say "too much" during his interview in Birmingham, especially considering the Bulldogs returned just four starters from a defensive unit the season before which ranked fourth from the bottom in the SEC in total defense and dead last in pass defense. In turn, Goldberg, while donning a Los Angeles Raiders hat, was nothing but tight-lipped: "Our defense is going to be awesome. We're going to be great...I want to scare people with our defense."
1992—Ray Goff: Coming off a 9-3 season and equipped with what appeared to be a fine squad for the ’92 campaign, Goff reflected back on the hard times as the Bulldogs’ head coach—such as the 4-7 season of 1990, when a plane flew over Sanford Stadium during the Georgia Tech game with a banner that read, “Fire Ray Goof.” Goof, err, Goff, quipped, “[The banner] really didn’t disappoint me. The only thing that disappointed me was that my wife paid for the damn plane.”
1996—Corey Johnson: Considering in December, Kansas head coach Glen Mason had spurned the Bulldogs after being hired to replace Ray Goff, only to reunite with the Jayhawks, the senior safety was asked how Georgia’s second choice, Jim Donnan from Marshall, had introduced himself to the team. Johnson: “The first thing [Coach Donnan] did, to sort of break the ice, was tell us he wasn’t going back to Marshall.”
1997—Jim Donnan: Since three of Georgia's top high school prospects—Cosey Coleman, Deon Grant, and Jamal Lewis—had signed with Tennessee, the Georgia head coach was asked if keeping in-state talent was hampered because of an impending threat of NCAA sanctions. Donnan: "The sanctions hurt us, but so did Rodney Garner (Tennessee's then-chief recruiter). Whatever they're paying him, they need to pay him more." Ironically, less than a year later, Georgia would be the one paying Garner, who was lured away from Tennessee to become the Bulldogs' defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.
1999—Quincy Carter: The sophomore signal-caller was asked if he “missed” the four quarterbacks who once appeared to be behind Carter as reserves—Mike Usry, Daniel Cobb, Nate Hybl, and Jon England. All four had either transferred or decided not to finish out their eligibility. “Half of you reporters here probably couldn’t say who Tee Martin’s backup was last year,” Carter said referring to Tennessee’s national championship quarterback from the year before. “It’s not important.”
2002—Mark Richt: The Bulldogs' second-year head coach was asked about a proposed rule by the NCAA that would allow all players a fifth year of eligibility. Richt: "If [players] did play five years, I don't know what you'd call them. You got freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors. What's next, senior citizens?"
2005—Gerald Anderson: When asked to comment about an offseason filled with team suspensions and arrests, the senior nose tackle said he and some other seniors gathered their teammates at the beginning of the summer with a simple message. Anderson: “[The message was] let’s straighten up. This is not Georgia. It’s giving us a bad name, and before you know it, it’s going to destroy our program.”
2011—Mark Richt: The Bulldogs' head coach was asked about then-first-year Florida head coach Will Muschamp, and his ties to Georgia, including as a player in the early 1990s. Richt: "He's going to tell everybody he's Florida through and through and all that, but I'm sure there's some red and black in his veins."
2013—Garrison Smith: Seven-and-a-half months after Alabama had broken Georgia’s heart with a thrilling 33-28 victory in the SEC title game, the senior defensive lineman was asked his opinion of the difference between Georgia and Alabama. Smith: “Nick Saban.”
2017—Nick Chubb: An agricultural economics major, Chubb (of all people) suggested he may want to apply his education after playing football to an aspect of the brewing industry. Hops farming according to the senior tailback: “I heard of it a week ago. I kind of read over it. It is for breweries, for beer. I know in the past, it was not as popular…but nowadays it is kind of popular again. The idea sounded good to me.”
2019—Kirby Smart: On the Tuesday morning of the most recent SEC Media Days, the Georgia head coach took some good-natured ribbing from Greg Sankey in stride. After the SEC commissioner stated Smart was “known as the second-best athlete within his own household” behind his wife, Mary Beth, a former standout Bulldog basketball player: “Well, I didn't know that was coming this morning—Greg taking a shot at me in my own house. How about that?”
