Georgia
Why Georgia football moved its game against Texas in 1957 from Athens to Atlanta
Most of the biggest brands in college football have never lined up against Georgia football inside Sanford Stadium.
Alabama, of course, is an exception, as an SEC program that first played between the hedges in 1935.
Notre Dame made its only visit to Athens in 2019 in a game deemed so big extra seating was brought in to accommodate a record crowd.
These top 10 winningest FBS programs of all-time have never been on the visitor’s sideline: Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Nebraska and USC.
Texas is on that list, too, but won’t be after it plays Georgia for the first time in Athens on Saturday, Nov. 15.
The Longhorns were scheduled to do that on Sept. 21, 1957, but the game was moved to Georgia Tech’s Grant Field in Atlanta.
But why?
According to the Feb. 7, 1957, edition of the Red & Black student newspaper, the game was shifted to the second of a doubleheader with Georgia Tech and Kentucky playing at 2 p.m. and Georgia and Texas at 8 p.m.
“The Texas tilt was scheduled for Athens, but the Georgia student body does not return until Sept. 23, the first day of registration,” the story said.
Georgia and Georgia Tech had played a doubleheader in 1955 in Atlanta as well: Georgia-Ole Miss and Georgia Tech-Miami.
Moving the 1957 game was “financially necessary,” according to Dan Magill’s “The Georgia Bulldog” newsletter from Feb. 18, 1957, provided to the Athens Banner-Herald by Jason Hasty, a UGA athletics history specialist with the UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Magill was secretary of the Georgia Bulldog Club, which he founded in 1953.
That 1955 Georgia-Ole Miss game in Atlanta drew 33,400 — more than three times the average paid attendance for games in Athens in recent years, other than games against rivals Georgia Tech and Alabama, Magill wrote.
Coach Wally Butts cited conflicts with Georgia Tech home games as a “major factor,” in moving the games from Athens, according to the Red & Black.
“Whenever these conflicts exist, it hurts the gate receipts at both schools, particularly Georgia, which is located in a sparsely populated area,” Magill wrote.
The game in Atlanta — just the second against Texas after a 41-28 Orange Bowl Longhorns win on Jan. 1, 1949 — was considered a Georgia home game and students were admitted free with an ID card.
Loran Smith, a Georgia historian who has been associated with UGA athletics for more than 60 years, said Magill complained, “Tech plays the afternoon and we’re the damn sideshow.”
Smith said Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd convinced Butts it would be a good move to play the game in Atlanta.
The game in 1957 was the season opener and marked the debut of Texas coach of Darrell Royal, who is the namesake of Texas football’s Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. He took over a program coming off a 1-9 season.
Texas won 26-7 before a “sweltering short sleeved crowd of 33,000,” according to an AP report.
Georgia trailed 13-7 in the third quarter after sophomore quarterback Charley Britt threw a 5-yard touchdown to Jimmy Orr, but Texas scored 13 in the fourth quarter.
Georgia finished the season 3-7. Texas went 6-4-1 and ranked No. 11.
Georgia played Texas A&M in Athens in 1954 and went to Michigan in 1957 and 1965.
Butts was on a football rules committee with Michigan AD Fritz Crisler which led to the games in Ann Arbor, Smith said.
“Both on the road,” Smith said. “We were like one of the directional schools playing for a check.”
Saturday will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Longhorns, who are No. 5 in all-time wins with 968, and Georgia which is No. 9 with 900.
Texas was scheduled to play at Georgia on Sept. 1, 2029, as part of the second game of a home-and-home series set up in 2018, but then the Longhorns joined the SEC.
Georgia won twice last season, 30-15 in Austin and 22-19 in overtime in Atlanta in the SEC championship game.
The teams have also played in Miami, Dallas and New Orleans.
And now in Athens.
“It’s huge,” Georgia tight end Oscar Delp said. “It’s going to be super fun. I know the city is going to be rocking. Our fans are going to show up. We’re going to show up. We know what kind of game it’s going to be. It’s going to be like the last two. It’s going to be a physical game, who can run the ball, who can stop the run. We’re excited for that.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he will take a moment to soak in the atmosphere of what will be his first game in Athens, too.
“I definitely will appreciate it and I hope our players do, too,” he said. “One of the beauties of going into this conference is the opportunity to play in some of these stadiums around the Southeastern Conference. …I’d be remised if I didn’t take it in, if our players didn’t take it in because that’s when teams can get overwhelmed. You’ve got to embrace the moment, embrace the environment you’re in and then you’ve got to go fight.”
ATLANTA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University Hospital are monitoring two Georgia residents following a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that resulted in three deaths.
Atlanta hospital monitoring
What we know:
A couple returned to Georgia last week and was moved Monday to Emory University Hospital for specialized monitoring. One of the passengers showed mild symptoms of the virus but has since tested negative. Both individuals were passengers on the MV Hondius, a ship where the Andes variant of hantavirus was identified.
The CDC confirmed the patients are being kept in a biocontainment unit designed for highly infectious diseases. Doctors at Emory said one individual is receiving treatment while the other is being monitored, though they emphasize there is no risk to the general public.
Monitoring and travel status
What we don’t know:
Health officials have not confirmed if the passengers will be cleared to leave the hospital or return home before a 42-day period is over. While one test was negative, authorities have not said how many additional tests or how much more observation time is needed before the couple is fully cleared. The exact names and ages of the Georgia residents have not been released due to privacy concerns.
Cruise ship outbreak
The backstory:
The outbreak began in April on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius during a voyage from Argentina. Nine cases have been confirmed and three people died after the virus spread, likely through human-to-human transmission of the Andes strain. This specific strain is known for causing Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe respiratory illness.
Low public risk
Big picture view:
While the Andes variant is serious, the CDC and World Health Organization assess the risk to the general public as low. The virus typically spreads through close contact with bodily fluids or respiration rather than everyday social contact. Federal and state health departments are using established protocols to manage the repatriation and monitoring of the 18 Americans who were on the ship.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered from FOX 5 reporter Kevyn Stewart, who attended a news conference with the CDC and Emory University Hospital, as well as official statements from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the World Health Organization.
Georgia and Florida State appear to be honoring their word in that they will end up playing each other.
According to Brett McMurphy of On3, Florida State athletic director Mike Alford has said Georgia and Florida State will play at a neutral site game in 2028.
While Georgia has not yet commented on the news, Alford also revealed that there are seven possible neutral venues they are eyeing for the game.
Those venues are Atlanta, Nashville, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte and New Orleans.
With the exception of Orlando, Georgia has some history — or a future game — with all of the possible venues.
Below, we rank the possible venues from Georgia’s perspective as to where the game could be played.
Georgia-Florida State possible neutral site games
- Atlanta: The most obvious choice from a Georgia perspective. The Bulldogs have consistently played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including neutral site games against North Carolina, Oregon, Clemson and Georgia Tech. The 2028 game was set to be a Georgia home game, so making the short trip to Atlanta could be a reasonable consolation.
- Charlotte: Of the non-Atlanta options, this one is the closest to Athens. Georgia has history in this venue, as it beat Clemson to open the 2021 season in the venue. This option may not be high on Florida State’s list of preferences for the game.
- New Orleans: Georgia does not have a great recent history in this building, as its last two seasons have ended in the Caesars Superdome. One thing worth noting is that this game will be played early in the season, possibly in Week 0. New Orleans, Atlanta and Nashville are the only stadiums with Dome options, which could be beneficial with the heat.
- Nashville: What makes Nashville’s inclusion on this list interesting is that the Tennessee Titans will have opened up their new stadium in 2027, giving Nashville a state-of-the-art facility. This stadium will also be enclosed, providing shelter against the heat. Working against this selection is that Georgia is already scheduled to make one trip to Vanderbilt in 2028, as Georgia faces Vanderbilt in Nashville that season.
- Orlando: In terms of possible stadiums, Orlando is at the bottom. Georgia also already has one neutral site game scheduled to be played in Florida in 2028, as the Bulldogs will take on Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. Maybe a possible weekend at Disney could excite some fans about this possible venue.
- Miami: The last time these two met was in Miami, with Georgia rolling to a 63-3 win. Florida State has played Miami on an annual basis as it is one of the biggest games in the conference. Florida State has played at Miami in even years, which would be the case in 2028.
- Tampa: Georgia will make a trip to Tampa in 2027, when the Bulldogs take on the rival Florida Gators in their annual rivalry game. SEC media days will be in Tampa in 2026.
GEORGIA, I have a question,
Am I wrong in believing that babies do not belong at wineries, breweries, festivals, and other adult spaces? I know this is going to make people angry, but I finally snapped this weekend.
My husband and I went to a local winery for a relaxing afternoon. This place literally advertises itself as a quiet adults’ getaway. Wine tastings, acoustic music, people sitting around talking. It is not Pizza Ranch.
About twenty minutes after we sat down, a couple showed up with a baby that looked maybe 8 months old. The second they sat down, the baby started screaming. Not crying. Full on shrieking every few minutes over EVERYTHING. Wind blew? Crying. Someone laughed too loudly? Crying. A dog walked by? Crying.
The parents did absolutely nothing except bounce the stroller and say things like “aww, someone’s overstimulated.” Meanwhile, everyone around them kept looking at each other because the entire atmosphere was ruined. One couple actually got up and moved.
After almost an hour of this, I finally said, probably louder than I should have, “Maybe don’t bring a baby somewhere meant for adults until it learns not to cry every time the wind blows.”
The mom looked horrified. The dad called me rude. But I genuinely do not understand why some parents insist on bringing babies to breweries, wineries, upscale restaurants, and festivals where people specifically go to relax away from screaming kids.
What do you think?
LOVES KIDS – JUST NOT EVERYWHERE
Dear NOT EVERYWHERE,
While many believe kids should be allowed everywhere an adult goes, I tend to agree with you. If it’s advertised as adults-only, you are justified in being upset. Some people don’t realize you have to sacrifice certain things when you have children, at least until they are older. However, maybe be a bit more polite next time?
Love, GEORGIA
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