Saturday in Athens- Go Dawgs!

I love Saturdays in Athens. No school, no work, just one long day filled with whatever I want. Being a UGA student, I especially love football Saturdays in Athens, GA. The video below attempts to show the excitement and fun of a Saturday spent inside Sanford Stadium, as well as allowing a few UGA fans to share their favorite football Saturday moments. 

While this season might not be going as well as the Bulldog fans hoped, we can all still enjoy being a part of something as special as the Bulldog Nation. What's YOUR favorite UGA football moment? 

Thank You, Athens

Thank you, Athens- the Pitchfork Nation

In case you missed it on our Twitter or Facebook page yesterday, an Arizona State Sun Devil shared his fun experiences throughout Athens last weekend (click here to see the article).

The Classic City played host to the ASU Sun Devils last weekend, and despite the crazy weather, UGA fans provided the Sun Devils with classic Southern hospitality- plenty of drinks, food, and fun.

I think the writer sums it up best when he states:

"Athens is a beautiful city with a vibrant downtown that I wish I had more time to explore. What more, Saturday night in SEC Country, despite a torrential downpour bearing down on the city, is unlike anything else I have ever experienced in 25 years of attending sporting events, let alone college football."

Great job UGA fans- you were a great representation of the Classic City. As for all those Sun Devils- y'all come back now, ya hear?

What do bulldogs & cars have in common?

Does this look like anything Athens related?

What about now?

Notice any similarities? If you're a bulldog fan, Nissan expects you to. The new Nissan cube's design was inspired by a bulldog in sunglasses.

Athens continues to set trends & design standards, even when the inspiration is in the form of a 50-pound mascot.

Get Back Between the Hedges this Saturday

Football season may seem like an eternity away...a little less than five months to be honest...but this weekend Bulldog fans can at least begin to dust off the Red and Black and the tailgating gear.

G-day is here. And this year's scrimmage game has much more incentive than years past. The game starts at 2 p.m. but get here early, seating is general admission so getting 50 yard line views is all up to you.

Here are a few of my top reasons to make the trek to Athens this weekend:

1. Stafford is gone and it is time for Joe Cox to prove what he's got to the bulldog nation.

2. Count Knowshon and the class of '08 out as well...this breed of bulldog is full of new talent.

3. ESPN! Kirk Herbstreit and the gang have already made there way to Athens as ESPN covers the game live from Athens. This will be the only collegiate spring practice game broadcast slated to appear.

4. It's a steal. Tickets are only $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Butts-Mehre ticket windows between 8:30 am-4:30 pm through Friday, April 6 and also beginning at 12:30 pm on the day of the game at Sanford Stadium Gates 2, 4, 6 and the Main Gate located below the Sanford Drive Bridge.

5. There won't be any Gator fans at this game...at least we hope.

For more coverage of the game click here. If you are looking for ideas while in town click here. In the meantime, here is your chance to practice the stadium chants...in case you have forgotten.

Spooky Stories? or True Events? Find Out.

Have you ever wondered if the rumors are true? Is there a haunted sorority house on Milledge? What's the story behind Joe Brown Hall? Find out the truth tomorrow.

Recently named one of the nation's 12 Most Distinctive Destinations for 2009 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Athens is home to endless historic spots, each with its own story.

The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, a nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation, NAPC provides education, advocacy and training to local commissions throughout theU.S. As a kick-off to National Preservation Month, NAPC is hosting a“Pre-Game for Preservation” week featuring trivia nights, a scavenger hunt, and culminating with a ghost tour.

The free Haunted Ghost Tour will be held on April 1 at 8 p.m. The group will meet at the arch across from downtown. Tours will leave every 5 minutes, and the tour should last about 25 minutes. While guests are waiting for their group to leave, there will be tailgate games- like cornhole, root beer pong and ladder golf- and snacks. Tour guides will frighten the attendees with haunted tales as they walk from the UGA arch to several haunted Athens locations. Be sure to
look out for NACP's very own Ghostbusters , too!

NAPC also invites everyone to participate in an online, week long
scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt can be found at http://tinyurl.com/NAPCHunt and answers can be submitted between March 27 and April 2. On April 2 three winners will be selected at random to receive prizes from businesses located in historic Athens buildings.

Can't Win Every Game We Play, But Every Dawg Has His Days

Yesterday may have been one of my saddest days as a student at the University of Georgia.  I was already depressed because it was my last Georgia football game and the forecast said 100% chance of rain all day (when does that ever even happen?).  Then to top that off, we actually lost to Georgia Tech, something that hasn't happened in 8 years and that Mark Richt has never experienced as the Bulldogs' coach.  

But instead of moping around and whining about the loss, I've been reflecting on my memories over the years at UGA.  From the blowout wins to heartbreaking losses, the last four years have turned me into a Bulldog for life.  

Hopefully everyone else has been able to deal with the loss as well.  If not, maybe these videos of UGA's best game day traditions will cheer you up a little bit.

Rain or shine, win or lose, I'll still be screaming... GO DAWGS!

Teaching Old Dawgs New Tricks

Being at the homecoming game and seeing all the alumni come back to Athens to support the Bulldogs got me thinking about the traditions we have at the University. Some of the football traditions go all the way back to 1892 when the Bulldogs played their first game (and won, 50-0!) against Mercer on what is now known as Herty Field. Some traditions are just getting started today, and may continue to live on long after current students have graduated and left Athens.

Here are a few of my favorite old football traditions in Athens:

• Uga (see my last post) 
• Silver Britches.  An innovation of Coach Wally Butts (head coach in 1939), the pants make a great combination with the bright red jerseys the Bulldogs wear at home.  The Bulldogs' silver britches have been referred to over the years in chants an banners, but the phrase really caught on in the 1950's.  Coach Vince Dooley re-designed the uniform to have white pants, but the silver britches were re-instituted in 1980, the year the Bulldogs last won the National Championship.
• "Glory, Glory".  The school fight song is one of the oldest and most lasting traditions in school history.  It is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and has been sung at the games since the 1890's.  
• Georgia Bulldogs Cheer.  At some point during each game, the cheerleaders hold up signs on each half of the stadium to get everyone to change "Georgia" and "Bulldogs".  It's simple but everyone gets really into it! 
• Redcoat Band.  The University's 375-member marching band which dates back to 1905 and has won numerous awards over the years.
• The Chapel Bell.  In the 1890's, when the playing field was located only yards away, freshmen were ordered to ring the bell until midnight in celebration of a Bulldog victory.  Fans, students, and alumni still rush to ring the "victory bell" after a win to this day.  After last year's win against the rival Florida Gators, Georgia fans rang the bell with so much excitement that it actually broke.  
• "How 'Bout Them Dawgs".  This slogan become a popular battle cry of the Bulldogs in the 1970's, especially during the 1978 season when UGA had several remarkable, come-from-behind victories 
• "Between the Hedges".  This reference to UGA's Sanford Stadium dates back to the early 1930's when the now-famous hedges were only a foot high and had to be protected by a wooden fence.

Since I've been a student, I've witnessed the birth of a few new traditions.  While they may not be as long-lived as the above traditions, they have been fun to get into over the last few years.

Blackout. Starting at last year's Auburn game, Mark Richt requested that Bulldog fans unite to all wear black and transform Sanford Stadium's typical sea of red into a blackout.  In addition, the team came out in original black jersey's for the occasion.  The excitement of it all was enough to bring a 45-20 win against one of the University's biggest SEC rivals.  The jersey's were worn again at the Sugar Bowl, which resulted in a 41-10 victory against the previously undefeated Hawaii.  However, after the loss to Alabama a few weeks ago the Blackout tradition may not live on as long as intended.

"Soldier Boy".  This popular rap song and the ensuing dance craze were all over Athens last year.  When the Bulldogs needed a pick-me-up in the Auburn game, the song was blasted over the loudspeakers and students and athletes alike spontaneously broke into the dance both on the field and in the stands.  At several other games throughout the season, this song was played to pump up the crowd and the team.

"I Put On For My City".  Another popular rap song, this seems to be the Soldier Boy of 2008.  It has been played at all of the home games this season, and the stadium goes wild every time.

Who knows, maybe in 100 years students will talk about those oldies songs "Soldier Boy" and "I Put On For My City" that Bulldogs used to cheer to way back in 2008.