I’ll let Kirby kick this one off:
If memory serves me correctly, Muschamp grew up a Gator fan, and I’d imagine there are some current coaches and players that were fans of the team at some point. Jordan Hall talked a lot this week about how much he enjoyed his visits to Gainesville during his recruitment.
Is there a current Georgia rival you’ve ever been warm to? This is a safe space, you can tell the group if you need to. Say it with me and believe it “we love each other and don’t judge”.
I begrudgingly admit there was time I was an Alabama fan, solely because they offered me a music scholarship back in 1992 and I thought it was mighty kind of them. That love doesn’t exist today.
How about you?
I always thought of Auburn as a friendly rival until 2010. My best friend growing up went there and we would always take each other to that game when our team was hosting. I even sat in the student section wearing my Georgia attire the year the Dogs ended their winning streak under Buster Brown. No one messed with me.
Then Nick Fairly, Trooper Taylor, and Cam Newton arrived. Enough said.
LSU. My dad went to banking school there over a couple of summers in the late 1960s, had a blast and talked fondly about it for the rest of his life. I got to attend a game in Death Valley with my dad, brother and nephew in 2003, and both the game and the people were great. We lost that slobberknocker 17-10, and as we were all walking out all the LSU fans were saying they’d see us again in Atlanta at the SECC game. They were right, although they wore our asses out in the rematch, unfortunately, en route to a national title.
My dad went to Tech. One of his college friends was my idol, so I naturally grew up planning to go there myself and become an engineer. Even though I had watched Herschel lead the Dawgs to a title in 1980 thanks to some cousins who were Georgia fans, I became a true sports fan watching the 1985 Jackets basketball team win the ACC and make it to the Elite Eight. I wanted to be Mark Price. Fast forward a few years. My brother goes to UGA and has a blast. I talk to some older friends who are at Tech and are hating life in the bowels of Atlanta. I decide to go to Athens and the rest is history. Unlike many of you, I don’t despise Tech with a passion. They can’t even come close to the level of hate that I have for our many rivals in Urnge. But I certainly don’t like losing to them. Little Brother indeed.
As a SC resident, I usually pull for the Gamecocks if them winning doesn’t hurt UGA. Many of my friends are Cock fans and we know a few of the current students, including one member of their band.
They tend to get really….cocky….when they get a little success so my tolerance for USC does have its limits.
I don’t extend the same courtesy to Clemson. And I’ve noticed the real hate for Clemson comes from the old school Dawgs, I guess because they used to be an annual opponent.
My grandfather graduated from Georgia. My dad graduated from Georgia. My wife graduated from Georgia. I attended my first Georgia game at the age of 1, went to home games every year since. Never had a time I experimented with another team. As far as the rest of college football teams, I rank them in how much I want them to lose. The gayterds are always in the top 4, usually 1 or 2.
I grew up in Louisiana and was an LSU fan even though I never went to school there. I enrolled at UGA in the early 90s and became a Dawg fan through those lean years.
My wife’s family is from Houma, cocodrie area and they all are big LSU fans, so I pick LSU as my “ok” sec team.
Only on rare situations do I pull for a rival. I remember pulling for Tech against Iowa State (I think) in their bowl game when Eddie McShan was benched for some reason.
If a rival is playing some annoying Big Televenteen school (I know, redundant) that’s running their yap about the south, then I’ll usually pull for the rival. Sometimes I just pull for an ugly game that neither one can feel good about.
Since I have friends from Auburn, Florida, Tech and Bama, I moderate what I say around them.
The fifth amendment is there for a reason, but I will for this exercise waive my fifth amendment rights. Prelude. My son was recruited and received interest from several rivals that may have had me put my “G” on the back burner had he attended. Clemson, Kentucky, Auburn, OM, UT and including GT. More IAA schools pushed and made more offers though and he wound up at App State. If I said anything about showing any true interest toward another school, then I would have to say one player made an impression on me for a season or two. Eddie Lee Ivery. The guy was a freak for two years he made a splash in CFB and made me watch GT some…That plus I was riding past Grant Field on visits to Atl-concerts at the Omni-, the coach had an easy name that was unique. To say I was a fan may have been a stretch as I was really into my HS marching band and busy with Friday nights and Saturday competitions. But I did take note of the jackets. Then in 1980 everything changed. Everything.
Georgia’s only rival is The Standard! Maybe the police. I do get a warm feeling when I hear the lamentations of our enemies’ womens, though.
I grew up a Bama fan. I actually pulled for Bama during my first fall as a student at UGA (UGA won). First time I ever pulled against Alabama was in 2007 at their place, I was there. I learned that night you can only be a true fan of one team.
LSU for the tailgating and food. Ole Miss for the Grove. To everyone else ….FTMF!
Funny you mention the tailgating– I have a lot of MS State in-laws and Ole Miss friends. I don’t know what it is, the snobbery or feel of arrogance, but I have so much more fun tailgating in Starkville. Something you’ll probably never hear again…lol.
I prefer Starkville too. I hate everything about Oxford.
Georgia fans rave about The Grove. It is packed with legacy UM fans. No room for a visitor to set up a spot. I didn’t find any enjoyment in watching pretentious strangers eat and drink.
I enjoyed Oxford so I ate and drank in town.
It definitely feels more like the way a tailgate is supposed to be. Plus your setup is literally seconds from the stadium, so if the game sucks you’re back by the smokers, grills, and cold beer ready to watch whatever tv game is on. Lol
Excellent analysis FPD.
My old man is an Arkansas alum, and somewhere in his closet to this day is a plastic razorback hat with foam that crushes your skull as you try to put the darn thing on your head. We still text each other “Woo Pig” as long as they’re not playing the Dawgs. In which case we BOTH know who the good guys are, I’m pleased to say.
I too have that “Hog Hat.” Both my grandfathers are Arkansas alums, and all my family on my mother’s side. Been to a bunch of basketball games out there over the years. Not ashamed I pull for them (unless they are playing Dawgs) because of those associations.
No problwith you pulling for the Hogs against other teams. I will bet it was fun. I would do that, too.
My daddy was a from Arkansas so that is my other team. I was happy when Pittman went there too bad it ended the way it did. I hope Petrino is run out of state again.
I feel no warmth toward any UGA rivals but only actively dislike a few: Auburn, Bama, Reptiles, Hillbillies, Tech. (I have friends who went to Bama, Florida and Tech but try not to hold it against them.) I used to care a little about the results of other games but in recent years have come to focus exclusively on the Dawgs – though it is always nice to see Rocky Top lose.
I usually tell people if there’s orange on their jersey’s I probably hate them. Keep it simple like that.
Back when I was in Athens in the early 90s, I had a shirt that said “I Hate Orange” and had the Gators, Vowels, Plainstiggereaglemen, and I think Clemson too. I wore that shirt so much that it basically disintegrated.
I miss that shirt.
Is “The Anti-Orange Page ” website still active?
I was born on Tobacco Road, so my early years it was all basketball all the time. My grandad went to NC State after getting home from WW2, so that was my school, and I still have some UNC hate in me. I actually have some vague memories of watching the Cardiac Pack winning it all with mom and grandad. Moved to Georgia when I was 13, and I had an older cousin that started school at GA Tech that same year, so not knowing any better I first pulled for them. Of course, that didn’t last long, probably not even my first year in a new school. Growing up less than 30 minutes outside of Athens and my dad getting to know people affiliated with the school and football team made it easy to become a Dawg and eventually enrolled in the early-mid 90’s.
Does Austin Peay count? As for the rest, FTMFs!!!!
For whatever reason, I always been ok with Tech except around Thanksgiving. The only team I’ve ever really hated to the core is FTMF’rs…..but honestly, my hate for them is so great I think I have none left for any other team.
No, I dont kinda like any of our rivals. In fact, Im gonna have to apologize to Jesus for the hate.
If hating gators is wrong, sweet baby Jesus don’t want you to be right. Coach Richt had us dance on their endzone = nuff said.
True confession: Growing up in Atlanta in the 50s (actually more like 55-65 which is when I began to be old enough to know about things like football) I was Tech fan, sort of. My dad was a Gator grad and fan, but they sucked at the time, and for that matter UGA wasn’t much better then. Bobby Dodd’s teams were pretty good. My HS team colors matched Tech’s, and we had Tech grads on the faculty and as coaches. That has all changed for me, of course.
DDB same here grew up in the 50’s in Atlanta and my father was 100% a GT fan. I went to Tech games as a boy. I even had a Rat Hat if anybody knows what that was. My first UGA game was an accident, we were in Athens one Saturday visiting my Uncles family and he asked if we would like to go to the UGA home game that day, Dad said sure so we went to the stadium and scored some tickets onlt to see UGA beat Auburn for the SEC championship behind Fran. Strange but true my father went to The University of Georgia Atlanta Extension (Later renamed Georgia State University). I went to UGA and my son went to UGA. So I don’t have hate for Tech except once a year then its GATA time.
69, I know what a Rat Cap is. I grew up in Atlanta (family moved there in 1959 when I was 4.) Most of the kids at Meadowviee Elementary in Gresham Park were Jacket fans because Bobby Dood was still producing winners and Atlanta didn’t have any pro teams to take attention away from Tech.
South East DeKalb was a big Tech area.
Typo: last line should have referenced “South West DeKalb.” Damn auto fill.
It’s complicated. My late wife, when she was able to attend games in Athens, loved talking to visiting fans (except Vols fans who wouldn’t talk). The conversations she most enjoyed were with LSU fans. I still sometimes pull for them. First college game I ever attended was Georgia vs Miami in the old Orange Bowl back in 1962. No idea at the time I would attend Georgia but felt kind of happy they won. Used to attend events at Grant field. Took my daughter to a New Kids on the Block concert when she was in middle school. Also attended several Atlanta Beat soccer games back when the old Women’s United Soccer Association formed after the 96 Olympics. That was a good team. The men’s rooms always freaked me out.
In the very early days of the internet, Georgia Tech was one of the primary places with public FTP and other servers where you could get software and utilities to do things online.
I always had a lot of respect and appreciation for that as I first started learning about the online world in the early 90s. I eventually started an internet company which changed my life, and sometimes GaTech’s servers helped with that.
So for that reason, I have always felt a small affinity for GaTech.
That said……. I fucking love when we destroy them in football and really hope we can set a new streak record this year. Gonna be tough as they are better than ever.