A year ago, we delivered our “Counting the Days” series (an example with 38 days remaining until the season kicks off). This summer, we explore a topic that has been debated on The Dawgvent for years and years. Twice a week leading into fall camp, we will post the UGA’s Mount Rushmore of… series, whereby we each present our opinion of the top four Bulldogs representing each positional unit. Whether statistics, big plays, championships won, and/or something else, we have our reasons why these quartets of Bulldogs have been chosen.
Do you agree with our Mount Rushmore of UGA Defensive Linemen? Who would you put on your list?
Dave McMahon—Twitter @dave_mc_stats
George Patton (1964-66): My first pick is the “General,” who besides having an incredible nickname, George Patton was also an outstanding player. He was a three-time All-SEC player and two-time All-American. Patton played on the first Vince Dooley-led team and left as an SEC Champion in 1966 (a team in which he was the Captain). In his very first varsity game (1964 vs. Alabama), he came up big against the great Joe Namath and, a season-later, had a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown as the Bulldogs upset the Crimson Tide, 18-17. In 1966, future Heisman Trophy-winner Steve Spurrier and his fellow Gators came into the Gator Bowl undefeated and ranked No. 7; however, they were no longer undefeated after facing the Georgia Bulldogs. Patton (along with the next player on my list) was Spurrier’s worst nightmare (unfortunately for Georgia, Spurrier became the Bulldogs’ worst nightmare a few decades later). In his final game as a Bulldog, Patton got to play quarterback for a series (he was a very good quarterback in high school). He ran the ball once, gaining 14 yards in the Cotton Bowl win over the SMU Mustangs.
Bill Stanfill (1966-68): While George Patton was one piece that helped defeat Steve Spurrier in 1966, Bill Stanfill was the other, as the two combined to terrorize the eventual Heisman winner and future coaching legend. Stanfill started his collegiate varsity career with a SEC Championship in 1966, and ended it with another in 1968. His final season was special in that not only was he the team’s captain, but also an All-American, and the Outland Trophy recipient presented to the nation’s best lineman. Stanfill also earned All-SEC honors for all three of his varsity seasons, and Vince Dooley once said that he was the best defensive lineman he had ever coached. Stanfill was named to the 50th Anniversary All-SEC team, and in 1998 was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame. He didn’t stop after college; he was a great professional player with the Miami Dolphins. Stanfill and college teammate Jake Scott were part of one of the greatest defensive units in football history, winning two Super Bowls including what remains the only perfect team in the annals of the NFL. Sadly, Stanfill passed away last November at the age of 69.
Richard Seymour (1997-2000): A force along head coach Jim Donnan’s defensive line, Richard Seymour was a two-time All-SEC performer, and was named All-American as a senior in 2000. For the Dawgs, he had 223 career tackles, including 26 for loss, and 10 sacks. In 1999, Seymour led Georgia in tackles with 74, and had 78 a season later. He had a 13-tackle performance against Georgia Tech, and three 12-tackle games throughout his career. Seymour’s best game might have been against South Carolina in 1999, when he had six tackles and two sacks in a 24-9 win. Like Bill Stanfill, Seymour had a very good NFL career. After being the sixth overall pick by New England, he was a seven-time Pro Bowl player and three-time Super Bowl winner. Nowadays, you can see the legendary Georgia defensive lineman playing cards at the World Series of Poker.
Marcus Stroud (1997-2000): Part of me wanted to include Jimmy Payne on my list, but since I put teammates George Patton and Bill Stanfill together, I decided to put teammates Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud together as well. Stroud was a legend at Georgia before even enrolling at the university. While in high school, he appeared on the Signing Day cover of Sports Illustrated wearing a Florida Gators jacket, but had it opened to reveal he was all Dawg. Stroud backed up his decision by having a great career while wearing the Red and Black. He was an All-SEC freshman selection in 1997, and an All-SEC player in 2000. Stroud was also a first-round draft pick in the NFL, and had an exceptional career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While his numbers at Georgia were not staggering, I put him on this list for a very productive career (and extra bonus credit for the aforementioned magazine cover):
Patrick Garbin—Twitter @PatrickGarbin
Pat Dye (1958-1960): It was said Pat Dye “played the brand of football that made him an All-American.” Although a two-platoon player, Dye’s “brand” was of the hard-nosed and scrappy defensive variety, while possessing cat-like quickness. In 1958, he was the leading vote-getter among linemen as he earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Sophomore team. By 1959, Dye was said to “haunt” his opposition—a “speed trap” in the city of Athens. Wally Butts remarked that never in his 20-plus years as a head coach had Georgia featured “a faster” lineman. At South Carolina that season—what would be the Bulldogs’ lone setback of an SEC championship campaign—Dye was reportedly one of Georgia’s few bright spots, forcing the Gamecocks’ lone turnover of the game and making “at least a half-dozen” tackles for loss. For his efforts that year, he was recognized as a First Team All-American according to the FWAA, and was chosen a second-teamer by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Still, as a senior against Georgia Tech in 1960, Dye might have saved his best for last. Against the Jackets, he reportedly had his greatest defensive “game of a great Georgia career.” In addition, he deflected a second-quarter field goal, and blocked Tech’s single PAT attempt—the difference in a 7-6 Bulldog victory. That season, Dye was named All-America by the Football News and picked up second-team honors according to the AFCA and UPI.
Bill Stanfill (1966-1968): Bill Stanfill, the Bulldogs’ largest player at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds on the 1966 SEC title team, was the only non-junior or senior defensive starter that season. As Dave indicated, the defensive tackle was a primary reason for the team’s exceptional effort in the second half against Florida that year, giving quarterback Steve Spurrier absolute fits in leading to Georgia’s historic 27-10 upset. Stanfill would later identify the victory over the Gators as his most memorable moment in football. Two years later in 1968, he was honored as an All-SEC player for a third consecutive season while becoming just the sixth Bulldog to ever be recognized as a consensus First Team All-American. That year, Stanfill was also the recipient of the Outland Trophy and remains the only Georgia player to date ever to win the coveted award. Stanfill (No. 77) versus Spurrier in ’66:
Jimmy Payne (1978-1982): One of my favorite Bulldogs of all time, Jimmy Payne perhaps had the most intriguing Georgia career of, well, all time. The Athens native’s career is bookended by a true freshman season of 1978, when he totaled 45 tackles and eight sacks as a reserve, and a fifth-year injury-plagued 1982 season, when he played in only seven games, starting just five, and made no sacks, yet was named First Team All-SEC and was the only defensive tackle chosen to the Walter Camp First Team All-American squad. In between, Payne was moved to linebacker in 1979 and made 29 tackles in just over two games before suffering a season-ending injury. Returning to defensive tackle, he combined to total 19 sacks and eight other tackles for loss in 1980 and 1981. For his career, he recorded 256 tackles, 28 sacks, 13 other tackles for loss, 10 passes broken up, and what remains a school-record eight forced fumbles.
Richard Seymour (1997-2000): One of the few bright spots for a Georgia defense in 1999—one of the worst defensive units in the program’s history—Richard Seymour returned for his senior season of 2000 to spearhead what remains one of the most talented Bulldog defenses (all 11 starters would play in the NFL). Dave mentioned the first time Seymour was the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week (1999 vs. South Carolina). The second time he was recognized as much was one of the most dominant performances I’ve ever witnessed by a Bulldog defensive lineman resulting in a monumental win. In a 21-10 victory over Tennessee in 2000, the senior tackle made nine tackles, including two for loss, a sack, and numerous quarterback pressures, as he was an integral part of Georgia stopping the Vols’ nine-game winning streak in the series. To conclude the 2000 campaign, Seymour was the nation’s third-most recognized defensive tackle in terms of All-American determination, earning first-team honors according to the AFCA-Coaches, Pro Football Weekly, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Early next week, we will reveal our next in the UGA’s Mount Rushmore of… series. Until then, again, do you agree with UGASports.com’s list? Who would you put on your Mount Rushmore of UGA Defensive Linemen?
UGASports.com's Previous UGA Mount Rushmores:
