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90 years of UGA football tickets

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Times have certainly changed since the Bulldogs first kicked off on Herty Field in 1892. From the initial two-game season to game venues to the uniforms, we’ve seen drastic transformations⁠—and tickets are no exception. With Homecoming week upon us, we thought it would be fun to look back at how tickets have evolved over the years … starting in 1929.

Which one is your favorite? I’m partial to the nostalgic illustrations (and $3 price tag) of yesteryear. Unfortunately, the only similarity seems to be that they still don’t grow on trees. But I imagine the feeling you get between the hedges is about the same.

Happy Homecoming, Georgia family, and as we’ve been saying for a century: Go Dawgs!

1. 1929: Yale vs Georgia


Date: October 12, 1929
Price: $3
Score: 0-15 (W)

 

2. 1931: Georgia Tech vs Georgia

University of Georgia vs Georgia Tech ticket from 1931
Date: November 28, 1931
Price: $3
Score: 6-35 (W)

 

3. 1942 National Championship: UCLA vs Georgia


Date: January 1, 1943
Price: $4.40
Score: 0-9 (W)

 

4. 1963: Alabama vs Georgia


Date: September 21, 1963
Price: $5
Score: 32-7  (L)

 

5. 1966: Ole Miss vs Georgia


Date: October 8, 1966
Price: $5
Score: 3-9 (W)

 

6. 1971: Oregon State vs Georgia


Date: September 11, 1971
Price: $7
Score: 25-56 (W)

 

7. 1980: Vanderbilt vs Georgia


Date: October 18, 1980
Price: $10
Score: 0-41 (W)

 

8. 1980 National Championship: Notre Dame vs Georgia


Date: January 1, 1981
Price: $17
Score: 10-17 (W)

 

9. 1997: Mississippi State vs Georgia


Date: October 4, 1997
Price: Unknown
Score: 0-47 (W)

 

10. 2008: Georgia Tech vs Georgia


Date: November 29, 2008
Price: Unknown
Score: 45-42 (L)

 

11. 2019: Notre Dame vs Georgia


Date: September 21, 2019
Price: $75
Score: 17-23 (W)

 

Special thanks to the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library for helping us track down many of these ticket images. Be sure to check out “Beautiful and Brutal: Georgia Football, 2017” on display each Friday before home football games at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

We hope to see you in Athens for Homecoming 2019. Learn more about school/college events, including the annual Black Alumni Homecoming Tailgate, at alumni.uga.edu/athletics.

The Jerry Tanner Show, Episode 6 – South Carolina

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The 5-0 Georgia Bulldogs are on a roll! Can Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks shock the Dawgs? Jerry’s prediction: “Come on. Stop playing.”
  
Become a mentor and help the next generation of Bulldogs—wherever you are. Sign up at mentor.uga.edu.
  
Jerry Tanner is everyone you’ve ever met at a UGA tailgate, everyone who’s ever talked about Georgia football by your cubicle, and every message board poster who claims to have a cousin who cut Vince Dooley’s grass. He’s a UGA alumnus, he’s a college football fanatic with a Twitter addiction, and he’s definitely a real person and not a character played by Clarke Schwabe.

The Jerry Tanner Show, Episode 5 – Tennessee

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The Dawgs head to Rocky Top this week, but without a Manning, Berry or even an Ainge in Knoxville, Jerry likes our chances to give the Vols their second Georgia loss this season.
Become a mentor and help the next generation of Bulldogs—wherever you are. Sign up at mentor.uga.edu.
Jerry Tanner is everyone you’ve ever met at a UGA tailgate, everyone who’s ever talked about Georgia football by your cubicle, and every message board poster who claims to have a cousin who cut Vince Dooley’s grass. He’s a UGA alumnus, he’s a college football fanatic with a Twitter addiction, and he’s definitely a real person and not a character played by Clarke Schwabe.

Mallory O’Brien (ABJ ’12) and the secret to a soapy success

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mallory o'brien

Mallory O’Brien is a UGA alumna and the brain behind Irish Spring’s Twitter account. Photo: Peter Frey

While the Bulldogs earned a “W” versus Notre Dame last month, one surprising brand also took home a marketing ‘win.’ Irish Spring, a popular soap line, enjoyed 15 minutes of internet fame thanks to an idea from Mallory O’Brien (ABJ ’12), the co-vice president for the NYC Dawgs and a social media community manager at Colgate-Palmolive, Irish Spring’s corporate parent.

After Georgia-based grocery chain Dill’s Food City announced in a now-viral post that it wouldn’t sell Irish Spring prior to the game against the Fighting Irish, Mallory had some great ideas that led to the brand reacting accordingly. 

no irish springs

A photo from the Dill City Food Facebook post that went viral.

Though there had never been a reason for Irish Spring to need a Twitter presence, this turned into the perfect opportunity to start a social media storm. Now verified with over 3,000 followers, the account has been an immediate success. 

In Irish Spring’s second tweet ever, the brand poked fun at the grocery store and claimed they were about to send a whole lot of soap to Athens. This gained almost 3,000 retweets and over 16,000 likes.

Irish Spring

Irish Springs sent quite a few packages to Athens. Photo via Irish Springs Twitter.

Irish Spring jumped head-first into the social media space, but followed only four accounts–the University of Georgia being one of them. But this wasn’t the brand’s only impact on the internet. Mallory suggested sending brand ambassadors to campus for that glorious–and crowded–football Saturday in Athens.

Irish Spring

Campus ambassadors for Irish Spring visited Athens with gifts. Photo via Irish Spring’s Twitter.

Who would have anticipated that a Bulldog was behind this campaign from ‘up north?’ Surprising as it may be, we know that all great things start at the University of Georgia.

Here’s to good, clean fun and a Georgia win!

You can sing “Glory, Glory,” but can you sign it?

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🎶 Glory, glory to old Georgia! Glory, glory to old Georgia! 🎶

With the start of football season, the rally song of the Bulldog Nation hums a continuous tune in the hearts and minds of every Georgia fan.

🎶 … G-E-O-R-G-I-A! 🎶

There’s nothing quite like an entire stadium joining together in perfect unison to sing “Glory, Glory,” the silence before the solo trumpeter belts the first 14 notes of the Battle Hymn of the Bulldog Nation, or the clang of the Chapel Bell after every victory.

But, have you ever considered what a UGA football game would be like without sound?

Luke Bundrum ’19, who was born deaf and got a cochlear implant at age 3, says that the in-stadium visuals and watching the Bulldogs play keep his attention during football games.

“When I go to the UGA football game, I don’t really pay much attention to the sound,” Luke said. “The game is very visual and there is a large video board, as well as closed captioning monitors. So, I spend most of my time getting in the spirit and watching the game.”

Luke is also the president of the ASL Dawgs, an interest- and academic-based organization that seeks to provide educational opportunities for all students interested in learning about American Sign Language and Deaf culture.

“Deaf Culture on UGA’s campus is small, but vibrant,” Luke said.

In celebration of Deaf Awareness Month and Bulldog football, we’ve teamed up with the ASL Dawgs to teach alumni, fans and friends how to sign one of the most iconic Bulldog songs, “Glory, Glory.”

So, are you ready to learn? Follow along as Luke and the rest of the ASL Dawgs show us how it’s done!

 

Think you’re ready to try signing “Glory, Glory” on your own? We’ve broken down each step below.

STEP 1: Let’s start by learning the phrase “Glory, Glory to old Georgia.” First, let’s learn the sign for Glory.”
STEP 2: Now to learn the rest of the phrase, “… to ole.”
STEP 3: Let’s complete the phrase. In this case, we will sign G and A instead of Georgia.
STEP 4: Repeat steps 1-3!
STEP 5: Now, let’s sign out G-E-O-R-G-I-A. Practice each letter below.
STEP 6: You’re getting the hang of it! Repeat steps 1 through 5 one last time!

Have you mastered signing “Glory, Glory?” Show us! Share your videos with us by tagging @ugaalumni on social media.

Introducing … The Jerry Tanner Show

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This year, the UGA Alumni Association has enlisted the help of one particularly proud alumnus to chronicle UGA’s 2019 football season. Meet Jerry Tanner.

Jerry Tanner is everyone you’ve ever met at a UGA tailgate, everyone who’s ever talked about Georgia football by your cubicle, and every message board poster who claims to have a cousin who cut Vince Dooley’s grass. He’s a UGA alumnus, he’s a college football fanatic with a Twitter addiction, and he’s definitely a real person and not a character played by Clarke Schwabe.

Every Friday morning, Jerry Tanner will share his thoughts on last week’s game, the Bulldogs’ next matchup, and the wider college football world. Be sure to subscribe to the Alumni Association’s YouTube and click the bell by any of our videos’ subscribe buttons to be alerted whenever a new video goes up.

Jack

John “Jack” C. Sawyer (BBA ’78): An (Irish) Bulldog

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John “Jack” C. Sawyer is a Georgia Bulldog who finds himself in an interesting situation this week: his alma maters will battle it out between the hedges on Saturday in one of the most highly anticipated games of the college football season.

On Becoming a Georgia Bulldog

Jack’s father was a U.S. Marine Corps officer, so his family moved a few times, eventually settling in Lilburn, Georgia. In high school, Jack learned that UGA had a fantastic accounting program, which combined with the more affordable in-state tuition rates, sold him on becoming a Georgia Bulldog.

FUN FACT: The J. M. Tull School of Accounting in UGA’s Terry College of Business is ranked No. 13 (8th among public schools) by U.S. News & World Report.

At UGA, the accounting major had countless great memories as an undergraduate. He especially cherished his time with his hall-mates in Russell Hall 6 West, noting that they were “a great bunch of men, both then and now.”

FUN FACT: Russell Hall was rededicated in 2018 after a 15-month renovation and has earned multiple awards including the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Excellence in Sustainable Preservation.”

His Path Since UGA

Jack graduated with his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting in 1978. He visited the University of Notre Dame Law School and knew that’s where he wanted to spend the next three years.

FUN FACT: The University of Notre Dame Law School, founded in 1869, is the oldest Roman Catholic law school in the United States.

He was newly married when he began his law school journey, so he notes that his lifestyle was much different from his undergraduate years in Athens. He also was shocked in November when South Bend received eight inches of snow one evening … and classes weren’t canceled the next day!

After graduating from Notre Dame, Jack followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a judge advocate for nearly five years. The Judge Advocate Division operates like a large law firm and includes more than 400 judge advocates and a comparable support staff. Judge advocates often serve as prosecutors or the defense counsel in military courts-martial and they advise Marines on legal issues.

After that, he returned to the Atlanta area and began private practice with a smaller law firm before joining Alston & Bird, where he worked for approximately 27 years. Two years ago, he left Alston & Bird and joined Taylor English Duma, LLP.

FUN FACT: The University of Georgia School of Law boasts a global network of 10,500+ living alumni who work in all 50 states and approximately 70 countries.

 What He Does Now

Jack resides in Gainesville, Georgia, with his wife, Debbie. In his role at Taylor English Duma, Jack serves his clients in a variety of ways, most frequently relating to taxes. His practice includes estate planning and administration, asset protection planning, tax-exempt organizations, conservation easements, and tax and fiduciary litigation/alternate dispute resolution.

FUN FACT: The Sawyers live on land that has been in Debbie’s family for approximately 100 years.

Jack has spoken at UGA-sponsored conferences, assisted with fundraising efforts, and, of course, has attended home football games. As a graduate of both UGA and Notre Dame, he says that both alumni bases are extremely passionate about their schools and their teams, which probably means that we can expect to see a few Fighting Irish in Athens this weekend. He appreciates the top-notch education he received at both schools, and the great time he enjoyed on each campus. He’s especially appreciative of the more affordable education he received at UGA since it made it financially possible for him to attend law school later. He added, “I believe the UGA value proposition is even greater today.”

Jack

Jack enjoys spending time with his family.

His Call for Saturday’s Game

“I believe the Dawgs at home will be too much for the Irish to handle.”

FUN FACT: We (no surprise) agree with Jack. Go Dawgs!

2019 UGA Football Schedule

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It’s time, once again, to tee it up Between The Hedges! Kirby Smart (BBA ’98) is ready to lead the Dawgs into his fourth year as head coach, and all signs point to a banner year. Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, JR Reed, and Andrew Thomas—all among the nation’s best at their positions—are just a few of the starters returning this year, and a bevy of highly-touted talents round out the rest of this star-studded roster.

This year’s schedule is full of intrigue, with several preseason top-10 match-ups on the books—most notably the Dawgs’ return trip in its home-and-home series with college football blueblood Notre Dame. Here’s the full 2019 UGA football schedule:

 

August 31: @ Vanderbilt – Nashville, Tennessee

September 7: Murray State

September 14: Arkansas State

September 21: Notre Dame

September 28: Bye Week

October 5: @ Tennessee – Knoxville, Tennessee

October 12: South Carolina

October 19: Kentucky

October 26: Bye Week

November 2: @ Florida – Jacksonville, Florida

November 9: Missouri

November 16: @ Auburn – Auburn, Alabama

November 23: Texas A&M

November 30: @ Georgia Tech – Atlanta, Georgia

 

Can’t make it to a game in person? No worries–don your red and black and head to your local alumni chapter game-watching party. Because no Bulldog should ever bark alone!

Oh, and be sure to update your info to make sure you stay informed about all of the UGA happenings in your neck of the woods.

Other Football Season Events

10 reasons it’s great to be a UGA grad

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1. UGA has the best campus.

UGA's campus

Nothing beats campus in the fall (except campus in the winter, spring or summer). Even after you graduate and come ‘home’ to visit, it is somehow exactly the same and completely different. That’s the magic of being an alumnus of a school with so much history and a bright future.

2. UGA has the finest traditions.

The Arch

Not passing under the Arch is a lesson UGA students quickly learn, along with why leaving your house at midnight to Snellebrate is worth it, and why you have to visit sites like the Chapel Bell and Herty Field to celebrate big and small accomplishments. If you haven’t in a while, complete a UGA tradition the next time you’re on campus. As Larry Munson said, “There is no tradition more worthy of envy.”

3. Speaking of traditions: Saturdays in Athens are legendary. 

UGA Football

The population in Athens triples on game days, and for good reason. Everyone heads to town to tailgate, hunker down, and root for the Dawgs. The best college football team in the country. (Clemson and Bama, who?)

4. We have the greatest mascot. 

uga

Uga X was recently named the best mascot in college football by Sports Illustrated, as if you needed official confirmation. He’s the ‘goodest’ boy. Come on, just look at that face. 

5. Our academics are top notch.

Career Outcomes

Each class of new Bulldogs brings in more impressive high school GPAs and test scores. Our alumni use their first-rate UGA educations to excel in the workforce. That’s something to be proud of. 

6. Every Georgian is within 40 miles of a UGA facility.

Economic impact

As a land- and sea-grant university, it’s our mission to provide resources to every Georgian. With our vast presence across the state, we’re able to do that.

7. UGA has 80+ alumni chapters.

Hairy & Student

No matter where in the world you go, you can find a piece of home with your local alumni chapter. Never bark alone!

8. Our history is unlike any other university.

Chapel Bell

We were founded in 1785 are the birthplace of higher education in America. Nothing has slowed our progress in more than 230 years.

9. Everyone looks good in red and black.

hairy dawg

Enough said.

10. We are the Bulldog Nation.

There are two simple words that express the sentiments of the entire Bulldog Nation: Go Dawgs!

Are you loud and proud?

For those Bulldog Faithful and are interested in being “in-the-know” and helping us share great news with the rest of the Bulldog Family, we invite you to sign up to be a Digital Dawg! Digital Dawgs are the UGA Alumni Association’s social media ambassadors and help us BARK good news to communities around the world! Joining is simple:

  1. Sign up to be a Digital Dawg.
  2. Receive the latest news and updates from the UGA Alumni Association.
  3. Share the news on your social media channels to help spread the word.
  4. Stay connected with the Bulldog Nation!

National Dog Day

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It’s National Dog Day today, and what better way to celebrate than with pictures of our favorite dog? Uga was first recognized as the university mascot in 1956. Since then, football fans everywhere recognize Uga by his spiked collar and varsity lettered jersey, custom-made from the same material as the players’ jerseys.

Uga was recently ranked No. 1 on Sports Illustrated’s list of The Greatest Mascots in College Football History, and we couldn’t agree more. Keep reading to learn more about the history of our award-winning mascot–and favorite dogs. 

Uga X, “Que”

2015 – Present

Que served as the primary mascot for all the games of 2015, but was officially named Uga X in the game against Georgia Southern on November 21, 2015.

Uga IX, “Russ”

2012 – 2015

Uga IX was present for two SEC Eastern Division Championships, a Capital One Bowl win and a Belk Bowl win.

Uga VIII, “Big Bad Bruce”

2010 – 2011

Uga VIII’s registered name was in honor of Dr. Bruce Hollett of UGA’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Hollett was instrumental in the care and treatment of the bulldog mascots over the years. Uga VIII unfortunately had a short-lived reign after a lymphoma diagnosis in 2010.

Uga VII, “Loran’s Best”

2008 – 2009

After VII passed away unexpectedly in 2009, the bulldogs did not have a live mascot at the game. Instead, a wreath was placed on Uga VII’s doghouse and the players wore a special Uga VII decal on their helmets in remembrance.

Uga VI, “Uga V’s Whatchagot Loran”

1999 – 2008

Uga VI has the most wins in school history with a record of 87-27. He’s also the biggest Uga the university has ever had, weighing in at 65 pounds.

Uga V, “Uga IV’s Magillicuddy II”

1990 – 1999

Uga V graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1997 with the title of best college mascot in the nation.

Uga IV, “Seiler’s Uga Four”

1981 – 1989

Uga IV made an appearance at the Heisman Trophy Banquet with Herschel Walker. He was the first mascot ever invited to attend the Heisman Banquet!

Uga III, “Seiler’s Uga Three”

1972 – 1980

Uga III closed out his career in ultimate fashion leading the team to victory in the 1980 NCAA championship.

Uga II, “Ole Dan’s Uga”

1966 – 1972

Uga II was introduced at a pregame ceremony at Homecoming in 1966. The entire stadium erupted in a cheer, “Damn Good Dog!”

Uga I, “Hood’s Ole Dan”

1956 – 1966

Cecelia Seiler, whose family breeds the succession of Ugas, made Uga I’s original red jerseys out of children’s t-shirts.

Next time you’re between the hedges, be sure to take a peek at Uga’s air-conditioned doghouse next to the cheerleaders’ platform. You can also pay tribute to all past Ugas by visiting their memorial plots near the main gate in the embankment of the south stands. Before each home game, flowers are placed on their marble vaults.

Learn more about the Ugas from years past. 

Happy National Dog Day, or as we like to call it, Dawg Day!