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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football

February 15, 2024

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football program represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in the sport of American football. The Yellow Jackets college football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Georgia Tech has fielded a football team since 1892 and as of 2023, it has an all-time record of 756–540–43.[4] The Yellow Jackets play in Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field in Atlanta, Georgia, holding a stadium max capacity of 55,000.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
First season1892
Athletic directorJ Batt
Head coachBrent Key
2nd season, 11–10 (.524)
StadiumBobby Dodd Stadium
(capacity: 55,000)
Field surfaceLegion NXT by Shaw Sports Turf
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
ConferenceACC
DivisionCoastal
Past conferencesIndependent (1892–1897)
SIAA (1898–1900)
Independent (1901)
SIAA (1902–1913)
Independent (1914–1915)
SIAA (1916–1921)
SoCon (1922–1932)
SEC (1933–1963)
Independent (1964–1982)
All-time record756–540–43 [1] (.581)
Bowl record26–20–0 (.565)
Claimed national titles4 (1917, 1928, 1952, 1990)
Unclaimed national titles3 (1916, 1951, 1956)
Conference titles16
Division titles5 (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014)
RivalriesGeorgia (rivalry)
Auburn (rivalry; dormant)
Clemson (rivalry)
Virginia Tech (rivalry)
Tennessee (rivalry; dormant)
Vanderbilt (rivalry; dormant)
Consensus All-Americans21
Current uniform
ColorsTech gold and white[2]
   
Fight song"Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech"
and "Up With the White and Gold"
MascotBuzz, The Ramblin' Wreck[3]
Marching bandGeorgia Tech Yellow Jacket Marching Band
Websiteramblinwreck.com

The Yellow Jackets have won four national championships across four decades (1917, 1928, 1952, 1990), including 16 conference titles. Among the team's former coaches are John Heisman, for whom the Heisman Trophy is named, and Bobby Dodd, for whom the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and the school's stadium are named. Heisman led the team to the most lopsided game in football history, 222–0, and both Heisman and Dodd led Tech's football team to national championships. Dodd also led the Jackets on their longest winning streak — 8 straight games — against the University of Georgia in Tech's most time-endured rivalry, called Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. For his part, Heisman led Georgia Tech to an undefeated 12–0–1 record in the Georgia Tech–Clemson football rivalry.

A number of successful collegiate and professional football players have also played for Tech. The program has 48 first-team All-Americans and over 150 alumni who have played in the NFL. Among the most lauded and most notable players the school has produced are Maxie Baughan, Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Keith Brooking, Joe Hamilton, Joe Guyon, Pat Swilling and Billy Shaw.

In the 21st century, Georgia Tech has won their Coastal Division and appeared in the ACC Championship Game four times since 2006. In addition to its conference and national championships, legendary coaches, and talented players, Tech's football program has been noted for its many historic traditions and improbable game finishes throughout the years, including its famed fight song Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and its famous blocked field goal return against No. 9 Florida State in 2015.[5]

History edit

See also: List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football seasons

Early history (1892–1944) edit

 
The 1893 Georgia Tech football team

Tech began its football program with several students forming a loose-knit troop of footballers called the Blacksmiths. On November 5, 1892, Tech played its first football game against Mercer University. The team lost to Mercer 12–6 in Macon, Georgia.[n 1] Tech played two other games during their first season and lost both of them for a season record of 0–3. Discouraged by these results, the Blacksmiths sought a coach to improve their record. Leonard Wood, an Army officer and Atlantan, heard of Tech's football struggles and volunteered to player-coach the team.[7] Over the span of 1892–1903, Tech only won 8 games, tied in 5, and lost 32.[8] In 1893, Tech played against the University of Georgia for the first time. Tech defeated Georgia 28–6 for the school's first-ever victory. The angry Georgia fans threw stones and other debris at the Tech players during and after the game. The poor treatment of the Blacksmiths by the Georgia faithful gave birth to the rivalry now known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.[9][10] In 1902, Jesse Thrash was the team's first All-Southern selection. He began the season as a sub and closed it as the undisputed star of the Tech team.[11] Oliver Jones Huie was selected by Ga Tech's athletic association to coach the football team for the 1903 season when the team won 3 and lost 5 games. A professional coach was desperately needed if Tech wished to build a truly competitive football program. The first game of the 1903 season was a 73–0 destruction at the hands of John Heisman's Clemson; shortly after the season, Tech offered Heisman a coaching position.

 
Coach Heisman.

John Heisman put together 16 consecutive non-losing seasons, amassed 104 wins, including three undefeated campaigns and a 32-game undefeated streak. From 1915 to 1918 Georgia Tech went 30–1–2 and outscored opponents 1611–93 utilizing his jump shift offense.[n 2] He would also muster a 5-game winning streak against the hated Georgia Bulldogs from 1904 to 1908 before incidents led up to the cutting of athletic ties with Georgia in 1919.[9] Heisman was hired by Tech for $2,250 a year and 30% of the home ticket sales. Heisman would not disappoint the Tech faithful as his first season was an 8–1–1 performance, the first winning season since 1893.[12] One source relates: "The real feature of the season was the marvelus advance made by the Georgia School of Technology which burst from fetters that kept it in the lowest class for ten years."[13] His team posted victories over Georgia, Tennessee, University of Florida at Lake City, and Cumberland, and a tie with his last employer, Clemson. He suffered just one loss, to another first year coach, Mike Donahue of Auburn. The 1905 team went 6–0–1. The 1906 team beat Auburn for the first time. Stars of this early period for Tech include Lob Brown and Billy Wilson. The 1907 and 1908 teams were led by "Twenty Percent" Davis. Pat Patterson was All-Southern in 1910. Patterson was captain in 1911, a season in which future coach William Alexander was a reserve quarterback. Heisman helped students construct Grant Field in 1913, when Alf McDonald was quarterback. The 1915 team went undefeated.

 
The 1916 scoreboard

Arguably the most notable game of Heisman's career was the most lopsided victory in college football history. In 1916, Cumberland College ended its football program and attempted to cancel a scheduled game with Heisman's Jackets. Heisman, however, was seeking vengeance for a 22–0 baseball loss to Cumberland in the spring of 1916, a game in which Heisman suspected Cumberland of hiring professional players to pose as Cumberland students. Heisman refused the game's cancellation and Cumberland mustered up a group of commonfolk to play Tech.[14] Tech won 222–0.[15] Neither team achieved a first down other than a touchdown, as Cumberland either punted or turned the ball over before a first down and Tech scored on almost every play from scrimmage.[14] Jim Preas, Tech's kicker, kicked 16 point after tries, which is still a record for a single game.

 
1917 Georgia Tech backfield.

In 1917 Tech won its first national championship behind the backfield of Everett Strupper, Joe Guyon, Al Hill, and Judy Harlan. It was the first national title for a Southern team, and for many years the "Golden Tornado" was considered the finest team the region ever produced. Strupper and captain Walker Carpenter were the first two players from the Deep South ever selected first-team All-American. Heisman challenged Pop Warner's undefeated Pittsburgh team to a decisive national championship game, but he declined. In the next season of 1918, Tech lost a lopsided game to Pitt 32–0. Center Bum Day became the first player from the south selected for Walter Camp's first team. In 1919, Auburn upset Tech for the SIAA crown. By 1919, Heisman had divorced his wife and felt that he would embarrass his wife socially if he remained in Atlanta.[16] Heisman moved to Pennsylvania, leaving Tech in the hands of William Alexander.[17]

William Alexander had attended Georgia Tech and after graduating as valedictorian of his class in 1912, taught mathematics at Tech and served as Heisman's assistant coach.[17] In 1920, he was given the job of head coaching Tech's football team. Alexander retained Heisman's 'jump shift' offense, and in his first season he saw Tech win an SIAA title behind captain Buck Flowers, the first Georgia Tech player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Tech suffered its only loss again to Warner's Pitt, and finished the season with a win over rival Auburn.[18][19] Tackle Bill Fincher made Camp's first team All-America.[n 3]

 
Georgia Tech vs Auburn, 1921

The 1921 and 1922 teams also claimed SIAA titles. The 1921 team suffered its only loss to undefeated, eastern power Penn State. Tech was captained by fullback Judy Harlan. Future Tech fullback Sam Murray was asked about a certain strong runner in the 1930s, "He's good. But if I were playing again, I would have one wish – never to see bearing down upon me a more fearsome picture of power than Judy Harlan blocking for Red Barron."[21] Barron ran for 1,459 yards on the season.[22]

 
Doug Wycoff

From 1923 to 1925, though Tech failed to claim a conference title, it had one of its best-ever players: fullback Doug Wycoff, "the outstanding back of the South for the past two years."[23] Coach Alexander recalled "The work of Douglas Wycoff against Notre Dame two years in succession was brilliant in the extreme, as was his plunging against Penn. State when we defeated them twice."[24][n 4] Tech and UGA renewed their annual rivalry game in 1925 after an eight-year hiatus. Quarterback Ike Armstrong thought the game clock read five seconds remaining in the game when in actuality it was five minutes. Williams set up his offense for a field goal and kicked it to put Tech up 3–0 on first down. Luckily for Williams, Tech won 3–0.

In 1927, Alexander instituted "the Plan." Georgia was highly rated to start the 1927 season, known as the "dream and wonder team", and justified their rating throughout the season going 9–0 in their first 9 games. Alexander's plan was to minimize injuries by benching his starters early no matter the score of every game before the UGA finale. On December 3, 1927, UGA rolled into Atlanta on the cusp of a national and conference title. Tech's well rested starters were helped by the rain and shut out the Bulldogs 12–0, ending any chance of UGA's first national title, while netting the SIAA title.[26]

 
Coach Alexander.

Alexander's 1928 team amassed a perfect record and won the school's second national title. The team was led at center by captain Peter Pund and upset Notre Dame. "I sat at Grant Field and saw a magnificent Notre Dame team suddenly recoil before the furious pounding of one man–Pund, center", said legendary coach Knute Rockne. "Nobody could stop him. I counted 20 scoring plays that this man ruined."[27] The 1928 team was also the very first Tech team to attend a bowl game. The team was invited to the Rose Bowl to play California.[n 5] The game was a defensive struggle, with the first points scored after a Georgia Tech fumble. The loose ball was scooped up by California center Roy Riegels and then accidentally returned in the wrong direction. Riegels returned the ball all the way to California's 3-yard line. After Riegels was finally stopped by his own teammate at the 1-yard line, he was swarmed by a group of Tech players. The Bears opted to punt from the end zone. The punt was blocked and converted by Tech into a safety giving Tech a 2–0 lead.[n 6] Cal scored a touchdown and a point after but Tech would score another touchdown to win the game 8–7. This victory made Tech the 10–0 undefeated national champion of 1928.[28][29][n 7] Coach Alexander found campus spirit to be particularly low during the Great Depression. His football program (and the other athletic teams) had very few student fans attending the games. He helped to establish a spirit organization known as the Yellow Jacket Club in 1930 to bolster student spirit.[31] The group would later become the Ramblin' Reck Club. Georgia Tech football declined following the 1928 championship, and did not post another winning record until 1937. The 1939 team was SEC co-champion. The only retired jersey in Georgia Tech football history is No. 19.[32] The number belonged to Tech halfback Clint Castleberry. Castleberry played on the No. 5 ranked 1942 Tech team as a true freshman and was third place in the 1942 Heisman Trophy voting. After ending his freshman year at Tech, Castleberry elected to join the war effort and signed up for the Army Air Corps. While co-piloting a B-26 Marauder over Africa, Castleberry, his crew, and another B-26 disappeared and were never heard from again.[n 8] Castleberry has been memorialized on Grant Field ever since, with a prominent No. 19 on display in the stadium.[32] The 1943 and 1944 teams won SEC titles. Coach Alexander finally retired in 1944 after winning 134 games as head coach and taking Tech to the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl Classic, and Sugar Bowl. To this day, Alexander has the second most victories of any Tech football coach. The record for most coaching victories in Tech history is still held by Alexander's then coordinator and eventual successor Bobby Dodd.

Bobby Dodd era (1945–1966) edit

 
Bobby Dodd in 1952

President Blake R Van Leer believed athletics were an important part of collegiate life, he championed that belief with coaches like Dodd where he was recorded being proud of Dodd's accomplishments.[34] Bobby Dodd took over the Georgia Tech football program following Coach Alexander's retirement in 1944. He did not believe in intense physical practices but rather precise and well executed practices. Dodd's philosophy translated to winning. He set the record for career wins at Tech at 165 career coaching wins including a 31-game winning streak from 1951 to 1952.[35] He also managed to capture two Southeastern Conference Titles and the 1952 National Title, which concluded a 12–0 perfect season and Sugar Bowl conquest of previously undefeated, seventh ranked Ole Miss[35] in a season that also included victories over Orange Bowl champions, 9th ranked, Alabama; 15th ranked Gator Bowl champions Florida Gators football; 16th ranked Duke; and a 7–4 rival Georgia. While 9–0 Michigan State would capture the AP and UP titles, the Yellow Jackets' were ranked first in the International News Service poll. Dodd also understood the deep-seated rivalry with the University of Georgia. His teams won 8 games in a row over the Bulldogs from 1949 to 1956 outscoring the Bulldogs 176–39 during the winning streak.[36] This 8–game winning streak against Georgia remains the longest winning streak by either team in the series. Dodd would finish his career with a 12–9 record against the Bulldogs.[36] In 1956, much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists tried to keep Pitt fullback/linebacker Bobby Grier from playing because he was black. Georgia's governor publicly threatened to remove funding if Georgia Tech's president Blake R. Van Leer did not cancel the game. Dodd backed Van Leer in his desire to move forward with the game. Ultimately, Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is regarded as the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South.[5]

Dodd's tenure included Georgia Tech's withdrawal from the Southeastern Conference.[35] The initial spark for Dodd's withdrawal was a historic feud with Alabama Crimson Tide Coach Bear Bryant.[37] The feud began when Tech was visiting the Tide at Legion Field in Birmingham in 1961. After a Tech punt, Alabama fair-caught the ball. Chick Granning of Tech was playing coverage and relaxed after the signal for the fair catch. Darwin Holt of Alabama continued play and smashed his elbow into Granning's face causing severe fracturing in his face, a broken nose, and blood-filled sinuses. Granning was knocked unconscious and suffered a severe concussion, the result of which left him unable to play football ever again. Dodd sent Bryant a letter asking Bryant to suspend Holt after game film indicated Holt had intentionally injured Granning.[37] Bryant never suspended Holt. The lack of discipline infuriated Dodd and sparked Dodd's interest in withdrawing from the SEC.[38] Another issue of concern for Dodd was Alabama's and other SEC schools' over-recruitment of players.[37] Universities would recruit more players than they had roster space for. During the summer practice sessions, the teams in question would cut the players well after signing day thus preventing the cut players from finding new colleges to play for. Dodd appealed the SEC administration to punish the "tryout camps" of his fellow SEC members but the SEC did not. Finally, Dodd withdrew Georgia Tech from the SEC in 1964.[37] Tech would remain an independent like Notre Dame and Penn State (at the time) during the final four years of Dodd's coaching tenure. In 1967, Dodd passed the head coach position to his favorite coordinator, Bud Carson. Dodd simply retained his athletic director position, which he had acquired in 1950. He would not retire from athletic directing until 1976.

Bud Carson era (1967–1971) edit

Bud Carson was Tech's defensive coordinator in 1966. His job was to appease the Tech fan base Bobby Dodd had accumulated. Carson was not the charismatic leader like Dodd but rather a strategy man that enjoyed intense game planning. Carson's most notable achievements included recruiting Tech's first ever African American scholarship athlete and being the first Tech head coach to be fired. Carson recruited Eddie McAshan to play quarterback in 1970.[39] After several Summer practices, McAshan won the starting quarterback job and became the first African American quarterback to start for a major Southeastern university.[39] This decision initially polarized Georgia Tech's fan base, but after winning his first 4 starts and leading Tech to a 9–3 season after three straight 4–6 seasons, McAshan won the hearts of the Tech faithful. McAshan's besting of UGA in the annual rivalry game made McAshan a fixture on campus. The following season, however, led to Carson's demise. In 1971, Tech went 6–6 and a fan base used to Bobby Dodd's 8 wins per season average forced Carson out by James E. Boyd's hand. Carson went on to form the Steel Curtain Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

Bill Fulcher era (1972–1973) edit

Bill Fulcher supplanted Bud Carson. Fulcher appeared to be the right choice but quit after two seasons, overwhelmed by racial incidents. Fulcher's tenure included a terrible feud with Eddie McAshan, which peaked before the 1972 UGA game. McAshan had requested additional tickets for the game so that his family could attend. Fulcher refused the ticket request and McAshan sat out of practice in protest.[39] Fulcher responded by suspending the quarterback for the UGA game and the upcoming Liberty Bowl. The story exploded on the national scene when Jesse Jackson attended the UGA game, allowing McAshan to sit with him outside of the stadium in protest.[39]

Pepper Rodgers era (1974–1979) edit

Alumnus Pepper Rodgers was hired soon after Fulcher quit, hired away from UCLA. Like Carson and Fulcher, he simply could not return Tech to its national prominence of Dodd's era; in six seasons, his overall record was 34–31–2 (.522).[40] Rodgers' flamboyant demeanor shortened his welcome at the school, and athletic director Doug Weaver replaced him with Bill Curry after the 1979 season. Homer Rice became athletic director and attempted to reinvigorate Tech's program by joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1980.

Bill Curry era (1980–1986) edit

Alumnus Bill Curry had no experience as a head coach, but was a refreshing change after the flamboyant Rodgers. Curry's early years saw Tech reach its lowest point in modern history. His first two Tech teams in 1980 and 1981 went 2–19–1 (.114), with the only bright spots being a brilliant 24–21 road victory over Bear Bryant's Alabama team at Legion Field to open the 1981 season and a 3–3 slug fest in 1980 with top-ranked Notre Dame at Grant Field. Things had gotten so bad, they could only get better.[41]

Curry slowly rebuilt the team, restored a winning mentality to the Georgia Tech fan base; Tech won nine games in 1985, including a 17–14 victory over Michigan State in the All American Bowl. Tech's 1984–1985 teams featured the "Black Watch" defense; created by defensive coordinator Don Lindsey, it featured linebackers Ted Roof and Jim Anderson, safety Mark Hogan, and lineman Pat Swilling.[42][43] The elite defensive players were awarded black stripes down the center of their helmets and black GT emblems on the side of their helmets.[43] Curry's leadership and ability to build a winning program sparked interest from the Crimson Tide and Alabama hired Curry away from Tech in 1986.[44]

Bobby Ross era (1987–1991) edit

 
1990 AFCA National Championship Trophy Georgia Tech received.

After Curry's departure, Tech hired the talented Maryland Terrapins Coach Bobby Ross,[45] who departed a Maryland athletic program in turmoil after the Len Bias tragedy.[46] Bobby Ross came from Maryland after winning three ACC titles over four years. Ross' first season at Tech experienced a severe talent vacuum after Curry's departure, and the players Ross inherited resisted the changes he demanded. The team only won two games, and Ross contemplated ending his coaching career after a humbling loss to Wake Forest in 1987. Ross decided to remain at Tech and continued to rebuild Tech's program. The turning point came in 1989 with the recruitment of Shawn Jones and several other key freshman. After two seasons and only five total wins, Jones helped the Jackets rebound at the end of the 1989 season.[47] In Jones' sophomore season, Tech powered through their schedule and won the ACC. The four-game unbeaten streak in 1989 extended all the way through 1990 and into the 1991 Citrus Bowl. The key victory in the streak was a huge 41–38 come from behind upset victory over then No.1 ranked Virginia in Charlottesville before a nationwide TV audience. Tech demolished Nebraska 45–21 in the 1991 Citrus Bowl, finishing the season 11–0–1, and earning a share of the 1990 National Title with the Colorado Buffaloes.[48][49] Tech's winning streak ended against Penn State in the 1991 Kick Off Classic. Ross and Jones never replicated that 1990 season but managed to win 8 games in 1991 making Shawn Jones one of the most heralded quarterbacks in Tech history. Ross was offered a head coach position after the 1991 season for the San Diego Chargers, which he took.[50]

Bill Lewis era (1992–1994) edit

After first considering Ross assistant coaches, Ralph Friedgen and George O'Leary, Tech hired Bill Lewis away from East Carolina soon after Ross' departure.[51] When Lewis was hired, the Tech faithful hoped he would continue to build on Ross' success. He had just led East Carolina to an 11–1 record and a final ranking of ninth in the nation. However, Lewis' first season at Tech in 1992 saw the Jackets collapse to only a 5–6 record just two years removed from a national championship. Preseason All-American Shawn Jones suffered from nagging injuries, leaving Tech's offense inept. After Jones' fourth year ran out, redshirt freshman Donnie Davis stepped in to fill his shoes in 1993, which saw another 5–6 season. In just two years, Lewis had completely squandered the successful momentum established by Bobby Ross. During the Summer of '94, George O'Leary was rehired as defensive coordinator. With Davis injured in spring practice, Lewis recruited Tom Luginbill as his replacement. Luginbill was a proficient passer at Palomar College, a junior college in California, and his first two games in 1994 showed promise. Tech almost upset Arizona who was projected as the No. 1 team in the nation by Sports Illustrated and won 45–26 over Western Carolina. However, Tech lost its next six games before Lewis was fired with three games remaining in the season.[52] O'Leary was named interim coach for the rest of the season.[53]

George O'Leary era (1994–2001) edit

Georgia Tech lost their final three games, including a 48–10 drubbing at the hands of Georgia. Despite this, Tech dropped the "interim" tag from O'Leary's title and named him head coach in 1995. O'Leary's first season saw Senior Donnie Davis return as starter and Tech won 6 games. O'Leary's second season saw the emergence of Joe Hamilton as starter when Brandon Shaw struggled in his first two starts. Hamilton would eventually lead the Jackets back to bowl contention and Tech attended its first bowl in six years, the 1997 Carquest Bowl. Hamilton's prowess as a runner and passer thrilled the Georgia Tech fans. Offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen utilized a complex offense with Hamilton that featured option football mixed in with complex timing routes. Hamilton racked up yardage, touchdowns, and wins for Tech. In 1998, Hamilton and Tech's high powered offense won 10 games and a season ending victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. Hamilton's senior year put him on the national stage. He was a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy against rushing phenomenon Ron Dayne. Hamilton passed for over 3,000 yards and rushed for over 700 yards.[54] But while Hamilton dazzled, the Georgia Tech defense was a liability (they allowed around 28 points per game), and may have ultimately cost Hamilton the 1999 Heisman Trophy. In a late-season, nationally televised game against Wake Forest, Tech gave up 26 points and Hamilton threw two interceptions and no touchdowns. As an indirect result, Dayne went on to win the Heisman (Joe was runner-up). Hamilton's Georgia Tech career ended on a sour note in the 2000 Gator Bowl against the Miami, where the Jackets lost 28–13.[55] The following season, redshirt junior George Godsey, a more traditional pocket passer, succeeded Hamilton at the helm of Tech's powerful offense. The drop-off was minimal—Godsey continued where Hamilton left off, winning 9 games in 2000 and 8 games in 2001. In 2000, Godsey also led Tech to their third straight victory over the archrival Georgia Bulldogs.[56]

The end of the 2001 season saw George O'Leary entertain a coaching offer from Notre Dame after Bob Davie announced resignation as Irish head coach.[57] O'Leary was eventually awarded the position, but it was revoked shortly thereafter when Notre Dame discovered that O'Leary had fabricated several aspects of his resume.[58] He claimed to have played three years for the University of New Hampshire and to have attained a master's degree from New York University; in actuality, he had attended NYU but did not graduate, and he never played a down of New Hampshire football.[59][60] Following O'Leary's departure, Mac McWhorter was named interim head coach for Georgia Tech's bowl game, a victory over Stanford in the 2001 Seattle Bowl.

Chan Gailey era (2002–2007) edit

The following spring, Chan Gailey was hired to replace O'Leary as Georgia Tech's head coach.[61] Chan Gailey came to Georgia Tech in 2002 after head coaching stints with the Dallas Cowboys, Samford Bulldogs, and Troy Trojans. Gailey's first team in 2002 managed to win seven games under the quarterbacking of A.J. Suggs. The most notable game of the 2002 season was an upset of National Title Contender North Carolina State. Georgia Tech rallied in the fourth quarter to upset NC State and end Philip Rivers's Heisman Trophy hopes. In 2003, eleven Georgia Tech players were found academically ineligible.[62] Despite the academic losses and the playing of true freshman Reggie Ball, Gailey would lead Tech to a seven-win season and humiliation of Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl. P.J. Daniels racked up over 300 yards rushing in the effort.

 
Calvin Johnson catching a pass

2004 and 2005 saw Georgia Tech improve talent and skill wise but Tech won seven games again. Star Calvin Johnson arrived as a true freshman in 2004. His performance against Clemson in 2004 helped cement Johnson's place in the annals of all-time Tech greats. Two off-the-field problems affected the Yellow Jackets' 2005 season. First, Reuben Houston, a starting cornerback, was arrested for possession of over 100 pounds of marijuana. Houston was dismissed from the football team immediately following this arrest but a later court order forced Coach Gailey to allow Houston to return to the team. Houston would see little playing time following the court order.[63][64] At the end of the 2005 season, an NCAA investigation found that 11 ineligible players had played for the Yellow Jackets between the 1998 and 2005 seasons.[65] These players played while not making progress towards graduation on the NCAA-approved schedule. The football victories for that season were initially revoked, and Georgia Tech was put on two years of NCAA probation. Twelve football scholarships were stricken from Georgia Tech's allotment for the 2006 and 2007 freshman classes.[66] The Georgia Tech Athletic Department appealed this decision by the NCAA, and the records were restored but scholarship reductions and probation remained.[67] Athletic Director Dave Braine retired in January 2006, and Dan Radakovich was hired as athletic director. Gailey's most successful year at Georgia Tech was in 2006 with nine victories and the ACC Coastal Division championship. The Yellow Jackets football team reached its first New Year's Bowl since the 1999 Gator Bowl and played the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl. Tashard Choice led the ACC in rushing yards and Calvin Johnson led the ACC in receptions and receiving yardage. After an impressive 33–3 victory at Notre Dame to open the 2007 season, the team slid to finish 7–6. On the morning of Monday, November 26, 2007, Gailey was fired from the Yellow Jackets, two days after another heartbreaking loss to the University of Georgia.[68] The Yellow Jackets' Athletic Department hired Paul Johnson, then the head coach at Navy and former Georgia Southern head coach, as Gailey's replacement on December 7, 2007.[69]

Paul Johnson era (2008–2018) edit

On Friday, December 7, 2007, less than two weeks after Georgia Tech announced the firing of Chan Gailey, Paul Johnson was announced as the new Georgia Tech head football coach.[69] Johnson was hired under a seven-year contract worth more than $11 million. Johnson immediately began installing his unique flexbone option offense at Georgia Tech.[70] By the regular season's end, Johnson had led the Yellow Jackets to a 9–3 record including an ACC Coastal Division Co-Championship and a 45–42 win in Athens, Georgia over arch-rival UGA, Tech's first win against the Bulldogs since 2000.[71] In recognition of his accomplishments in his first season, Johnson was named 2008 ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as well as the CBSSports.com coach of the year.[72][73]

 
GT vs. UNC, 2009

Several weeks after Johnson's defeat of rival Georgia, Georgia Tech rewarded Johnson with a new contract worth $17.7 million, a 53% raise that made him the second highest paid coach in the ACC before he had even completed his first year in the conference.[74] In 2009, Johnson led the Yellow Jackets to historic wins over Florida State in Tallahassee, No. 4 Virginia Tech (breaking an 0–17 losing streak to top five opponents at Grant Field in the past 47 years), and Virginia in Charlottesville. The jackets went on to defeat the Clemson Tigers to make them ACC champions, a title that would be vacated on July 14, 2011, due to NCAA infractions.[75] The Yellow Jackets went on to lose to Iowa in the Orange Bowl, 24–14. Georgia Tech had another significant win over the No. 5 Clemson Tigers on October 29, 2011, giving the Tigers their first defeat of the season and enabling QB Tevin Washington to rush for 176 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown, breaking a school record.[76] In 2012, Georgia Tech was declared the winner of the ACC Coastal Division on November 19, 2012, clinching it with a victory over Duke 42–24 and finishing with a 5-3 ACC record. Georgia Tech played against Florida State in the 2012 ACC Championship Game, which was coach Paul Johnson's second appearance in the title game. The Yellow Jackets lost to the Seminoles 21–15.[77][78][79]

 
GT vs. Duke 11/17/12

The 2014 Yellow Jackets, despite being predicted to finish 5th in Coastal Division by ESPN, garnered a 10–2 regular season record (6-2 ACC),[80] including wins over then No. 19 Clemson and No. 9 Georgia to finish the regular season ranked No. 11 by the recently created College Football Playoff Committee. The highlight of the season was an overtime thriller that lead to the defeat of the Bulldogs in Athens, featuring Harrison Butker's 53-yard field goal that sent the game into overtime, a 1-yard rushing touchdown by RB Zack Laskey, and a game clinching interception of UGA quarterback Hutson Mason's throw by cornerback D.J. White.[81] Georgia Tech met No. 4 Florida State in the 2014 ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, North Carolina, losing 37–35.[82] Following their conference championship, Florida State was chosen in the top four (ranked No. 3), under which circumstance the Orange Bowl selected Georgia Tech (now No. 12) as its replacement to face the No. 7 Mississippi State Bulldogs on December 31, 2014.[83] Justin Thomas led the Jackets to a dominating 49–34 win for the Yellow Jackets, finishing the season 11–3, No. 8 in AP poll and No. 7 in the American Coaches Poll.

The 2015 season showed the Yellow Jackets a 3–9 record, after numerous injuries throughout the entire year. Their only notable win was a 22–16 upset over No. 9 Florida State on Tech's Homecoming Night, when the Yellow Jackets blocked an attempted field goal by Florida State Kicker Roberto Aguayo, which was picked up by Lance Austin and returned for the game-winning touchdown. This was later coined the "Miracle on Techwood Drive".[84][85] 2015 year marked the first year since 1996 that Georgia Tech did not make a bowl appearance. The next year, 2016, marked a bounce-back season, with the Yellow Jackets, led by team captain Justin Thomas, posting a 9–4 record, including a win over Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Bowl. 2016 also saw a 28–27 victory over Georgia in Athens featuring a 14-point comeback in the 4th quarter topped off by a 6-yard TD rush on third down by Qua Searcy, with 30 seconds left in the game. The Yellow Jackets took a step back in 2017, finishing 5–6 (4–4 ACC) with close losses to Tennessee (42–41 in 2OT) at the Chick Fil A Kickoff Game in the newly constructed Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and at Miami (25–24). Despite starting the 2018 season 1–3, the Yellow Jackets rallied to finish the regular season 7–5. The most notable victory was that against rival Virginia Tech, making Georgia Tech the only conference opponent to win three consecutive games in Lane Stadium against Virginia Tech.[86] The season ended with the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl, where the Jackets fell 34–10 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.[87] Johnson announced his retirement on November 28, 2018, effective following the team's bowl game.[88] Geoff Collins was named Johnson's replacement on December 7, 2018.[89]

Geoff Collins era (2019–2022) edit

Geoff Collins was announced on December 7, 2018, as the new head coach, to replace the retiring Paul Johnson, starting the 2019 season.[90] Collins was hired under a seven-year contract worth more than $23 million.[91] Geoff Collins, a native of Conyers, Georgia, was previously the head coach at Temple, defensive coordinator at Mississippi State and Florida, and previously worked with Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant and recruiting coordinator.[92] In his first season the Jackets experienced several significant losses. A loss against The Citadel was the Jackets' first loss against an FCS opponent since 1983, and a 45–0 loss to Virginia Tech was the Jackets' first shutout loss at Bobby Dodd Stadium since 1957.[93][94]. Geoff Collins was fired from Georgia Tech along with athletic director Todd Stansbury on September 25, 2022, after three 3-win seasons and a 1–3 start in 2022. His final record at Georgia Tech was 10–28, one of the worst coaching records in Georgia Tech history.[95]

Brent Key era (2022–present) edit

Brent Key, a Georgia Tech alumnus and football letterwinner who at the time was the OL coach, was named the interim for the rest of the 2022 season.

Key led the Yellow Jackets to a 4–4 record over the final eight games of the 2022 season. The four wins included two road victories over nationally ranked opponents – a 26–21 win at No. 24 Pitt in his first game at the helm on October 1 and a 21–17 triumph at No. 13 North Carolina on November 19. The Jackets overcame a plethora of injuries (which included its top two quarterbacks.) to finish 5–7 overall and 4–4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play after a 1–3 start. The overall and conference win totals were Tech's highest since 2018, as was its fourth-place finish in the ACC Coastal Division standings. Key's Jackets also defeated the three teams that finished ahead of them in the coastal division. (North Carolina, Pitt and Duke).

 
Tech enters the field before a game with North Carolina in 2023.

On Tuesday November 29, 2022 the interim tag was stripped and Key was named Georgia Tech's 21st head football coach. One of Key's most memorable wins came on October 7, 2023, when following an embarrassing loss to Bowling Green the week prior, the Yellow Jackets defeated the then 17th ranked Miami Hurricanes'. Miami could have won the game by taking a knee, but they ran the ball before fumbling with 26 seconds left. Tech drove 74 yards in four plays to win the game on a last second 44-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Christian Leary. It was Key's third win over a ranked ACC opponent on the road.

Tech finished the 2023 regular season at 6–6 and made its first bowl since 2018. The Jackets went 5–3 in ACC play and finished 4th in the conference. They then defeated UCF 30–17 in the Gasparilla Bowl to finish 7–6. It was their first winning season since 2018 and their first bowl win since 2016.

Conference affiliations edit

[citation needed]

Championships edit

National championships edit

Georgia Tech has been named national champion seven times by NCAA-designated major selectors.[96]: 111–114 [97] Georgia Tech claims the 1917, 1928, 1952, and 1990 championships.[98]: 149–150 

Season Coach Selectors Record Bowl Result Final AP Final Coaches
1917 John Heisman Billingsley, Helms, Houlgate, NCF 9–0 – – – –
1928 William Alexander Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, NCF, Parke Davis, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) 10–0 Rose Bowl W 8–7 – –
1952 Bobby Dodd Berryman, Billingsley, INS, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) 12–0 Sugar Bowl W 24–7 No. 2 No. 2
1990 Bobby Ross Dunkel, FACT, NCF, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI Coaches 11–0–1 Citrus Bowl W 45–21 No. 2 No. 1

Conference championships edit

Georgia Tech has won 16 conference championships, nine outright and seven shared. Their 2009 ACC championship was later vacated by the NCAA.[99][100]

Year Conference Coach Overall record Conference record
1916 SIAA John Heisman 8–0–1 5–0
1917 9–0 4–0
1918 6–1 3–0
1920† William Alexander 8–1 5–0
1921† 8–1 4–0
1922† Southern 7–2 4–0
1927† 8–1–1 7–0–1
1928 10–0 7–0
1939† SEC 8–2 6–0
1943 8–3 3–0
1944 8–3 4–0
1951† Bobby Dodd 11–0–1 7–0
1952 12–0 7–0
1990 ACC Bobby Ross 11–0–1 6–0–1
1998† George O'Leary 10–2 7–1
2009‡ Paul Johnson 11–3 7–1

† Co-champions
‡ Vacated by the NCAA

Division championships edit

Georgia Tech has won five division championships, with four of those leading to an appearance in the ACC Championship Game.

Year Division Coach Opponent CG Result
2006 ACC Coastal Chan Gailey Wake Forest L 6–9
2008† Paul Johnson N/A lost tiebreaker to Virginia Tech
2009 Clemson W 39–34
2012† Florida State L 15–21
2014 Florida State L 35–37

† Co-champions

Head coaches edit

Main article: List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head football coaches

List of Georgia Tech head coaches.[101]

† Interim

Bowl games edit

Georgia Tech has appeared in 46 bowl games and compiled a record of 26–20.[102] Georgia Tech's first four bowl game appearances, the Rose Bowl (1929), Orange Bowl (1940), Cotton Bowl Classic (1943), and Sugar Bowl (1944), marked the first time a team had competed in all four of the Major Bowl Games.[103]

Year Bowl Coach Opponent Result
1928 Rose Bowl William Alexander California W 8–7
1939 Orange Bowl Missouri W 21–7
1942 Cotton Bowl Classic Texas L 7–14
1943 Sugar Bowl Tulsa W 20–18
1944 Orange Bowl Tulsa L 12–26
1946 Oil Bowl Bobby Dodd Saint Mary's (CA) W 41–19
1947 Orange Bowl Kansas W 20–14
1951 Orange Bowl Baylor W 17–14
1952 Sugar Bowl Ole Miss W 24–7
1953 Sugar Bowl West Virginia W 42–19
1954 Cotton Bowl Classic Arkansas W 14–6
1955 Sugar Bowl Pittsburgh W 7–0
1956 Gator Bowl Pittsburgh W 21–14
1959 Gator Bowl Arkansas L 7–14
1961 Gator Bowl Penn State L 15–30
1962 Bluebonnet Bowl Missouri L 10–14
1965 Gator Bowl Texas Tech W 31–21
1966 Orange Bowl Florida L 12–27
1970 Sun Bowl Bud Carson Texas Tech W 17–9
1971 Peach Bowl Ole Miss L 18–41
1972 Liberty Bowl Bill Fulcher Iowa State W 31–30
1978 Peach Bowl Pepper Rodgers Purdue L 21–41
1985 Hall of Fame Classic Bill Curry Michigan State W 17–14
1990 Florida Citrus Bowl Bobby Ross Nebraska W 45–21
1991 Aloha Bowl Stanford W 18–17
1997 Carquest Bowl George O'Leary West Virginia W 35–30
1998 Gator Bowl Notre Dame W 35–28
1999 Gator Bowl Miami L 13–28
2000 Peach Bowl LSU L 14–28
2001 Seattle Bowl Mac McWhorter† Stanford W 24–14
2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic Chan Gailey Fresno State L 21–30
2004 Humanitarian Bowl Tulsa W 52–10
2004 Champs Sports Bowl Syracuse W 51–14
2005 Emerald Bowl Utah L 10–38
2006 Gator Bowl West Virginia L 35–38
2007 Humanitarian Bowl Jon Tenuta† Fresno State L 28–40
2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl Paul Johnson LSU L 3–38
2009 Orange Bowl Iowa L 14–24
2010 Independence Bowl Air Force L 7–14
2011 Sun Bowl Utah L 27–30
2012 Sun Bowl USC W 21–7
2013 Music City Bowl Ole Miss L 17–25
2014 Orange Bowl ‡ Mississippi State W 49–34
2016 TaxSlayer Bowl Kentucky W 33–18
2018 Quick Lane Bowl Minnesota L 10–34
2023 Gasparilla Bowl Brent Key UCF W 30–17

† Interim

‡ New Year's Six bowl game

Home stadium edit

Main article: Bobby Dodd Stadium
 
Grant Field and the east stands around 1912

The Yellow Jackets play their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon his hiring in 1904, John Heisman insisted that the Institute acquire its own football field. Grant Field was constructed to appease Heisman as well as bring a true home field advantage to Tech football.[104]

From 1893 to 1912, the team used area parks such as Brisbane Park, Ponce de Leon Park, and Piedmont Park as the home field.[105] Georgia Tech took out a seven-year lease on what is now the southern end of Grant Field, although the land was not adequate for sports, due to its unleveled, rocky nature. In 1905, Heisman had 300 convict laborers clear rocks, remove tree stumps, and level out the field for play; Tech students then built a grandstand on the property. The land was purchased by 1913, and John W. Grant donated $15,000 towards the construction of the field's first permanent stands; the field was named Grant Field in honor of the donor's deceased son, Hugh Inman Grant.[105][106]

The stadium now sits amongst a unique urban skyline and is among the oldest Division I FBS football stadiums. In fact, the only Division I stadiums older are Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Stadium.[107] Grant Field was natural grass until 1971. The astroturf was replaced by grass in 1995.[104] The stadium officially holds 55,000 but has held up to 56,412 in 2005[108] and 56,680 in 2006.[109]

On February 26, 2019, Georgia Tech officials unveiled plans to hold one home game per season from 2020 to 2024 (five games total) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, located less than one mile from the Georgia Tech main campus, with the series dubbed "Mayhem at MBS". However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on July 30, 2020, the 2020 game against Notre Dame was moved back to Bobby Dodd Stadium and the agreement with MBS was extended to six years, running through 2026, comprising six games.[110][111][112][113]

Logos and uniforms edit

The interlocking GT logo was created in 1967 at the request of Bobby Dodd. One of the varsity players was asked to design a logo for the helmets. Several variations of the design were submitted, including a yellow jacket design. The yellow jacket was not submitted because to make the insect look mean it would have to be stinging and therefore flying backwards. The interlocking GT was selected during the summer of 1967 and formalized into decals for the helmets. Over the years it became the official logo for Georgia Tech Athletics.[114]

When head coach Paul Johnson was hired in 2008, the Yellow Jackets adopted a new uniform style. One year later, the uniforms were altered to change the yellow to gold. A year after that, the uniforms were altered again. This time, the team adopted separate white uniforms for both home and away games, while retaining the previous styles' navy and gold jerseys for occasions when the Yellow Jackets could not wear white at home.[citation needed]

In 2018, after nearly 40 years of being with Russell Athletic, Georgia Tech switched to Adidas. With the change came more consistent branding across all sports and a custom shade of gold for the team as well as new uniforms that entwine progressive and traditional elements. The uniforms were updated in 2022 with a more classic look.

Rivalries edit

Georgia edit

Main article: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate

Georgia Tech's fight songs and cheers are tailored to belittle the Georgia Bulldogs, and the perennial catch-phrase for Georgia Tech fans for many decades has been "To Hell with Georgia". Georgia Tech and the Univ. of Georgia have played each other in football over 100 times (and hundreds more times in basketball, baseball, track and field, tennis, etc.) and this rivalry has become known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. They have been heated rivals since 1893. The annual football game is by far the most important game on the schedule for most Georgia Tech sports fans. The winner of this game takes home the Georgia State Governor's Cup. Georgia Tech trails Georgia in the all-time series 71–41–5 through the 2023 season.[115]

Auburn edit

Main article: Auburn–Georgia Tech football rivalry

The Yellow Jackets have played the Auburn Tigers more than 90 times in football, and the series of football games between the two is the second-oldest in the Southeast. Auburn Univ. or A.P.I. is by far Georgia Tech's second-most-often played opponent in football.[116] The rivalry is also intense in basketball, baseball, etc.

The first game took place on November 25, 1892, in Atlanta, Georgia. They played in the SIAA until it was defunct in 1922, before joining the Southeastern Conference. This rivalry lost some luster when the Georgia Tech Athletics discarded its membership in the Southeastern Conference in 1963 to become an independent institute. However, the Yellow Jackets continued their annual series of football games with the Auburn Tigers through 1987. Georgia Tech and Auburn play football games in occasional years, and games in other sports regularly. Even though the Yellow Jackets have joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for all sports in recent decades, from a historical perspective, the Auburn Tigers are Georgia Tech's second-highest sports rivalry, behind only the Georgia Bulldogs.[116] Auburn leads in the all-time series 47–41–4 with the last game played in 2005.[117]

Clemson edit

Main article: Clemson–Georgia Tech football rivalry

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Clemson Tigers have the fourth-most-played series in Georgia Tech football history. They have been rivals since 1898 and Clemson is Tech's closest opponent, geographically, in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Also, in the ACC's new two-division arrangement, each team has one football opponent in the opposite division which has been selected as the two teams' official cross-division rival that they play every year. The Yellow Jackets and the Clemson Tigers are one of these six pairs.[118] In addition to their geographical closeness and the Heisman connection, the Georgia Tech – Clemson pairing is also a logical one because of both schools' long history in engineering, technology, and science education. Recently, the game has become known for last-minute, extremely close finishes. From 1996 to 2001, each of the six games was decided by exactly three points.

In 1977 (before the Yellow Jackets had even joined the ACC), this football series was being considered for termination by the administration of Georgia Tech. Clemson football fans, in an effort to show their economic impact on the Atlanta, Ga., area, brought with them to Atlanta large stockpiles of two-dollar bills that were stamped with Clemson Tiger Paws.[119] Georgia Tech leads Clemson in the all-time series 50–32–2 through the 2019 season.[120]

Virginia Tech edit

Main article: Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech football rivalry

The rivalry with Virginia Tech has grown considerably since Virginia Tech entered the ACC. In previous years, the teams played infrequently. The intra-conference game has often seen both teams ranked and the outcome has played a key part in determining the winner of the ACC Coastal Division. Since the ACC switched to Division format in 2005, the winner of this game has gone on to win the Coastal Division all but once, with VT winning six times and GT winning four times.[121] Dubbed the Battle of the Techs, the game has seen some very close, very intense match-ups.[122]

Virginia Tech leads the series 11–8 through the 2022 season.[123]

Tennessee edit

Main article: Georgia Tech–Tennessee football rivalry

Georgia Tech and Tennessee hadn't met since 1987 until losing a heart breaking Labor Day game in Atlanta in 2017 that renewed the rivalry between the two.[124] When Georgia Tech was part of the Southeastern Conference they played annually. After Georgia Tech left the SEC in 1964, the teams still met until 1987. The series dates back to 1902 and Tennessee leads the series 25–17–2 with the last game played in the 2017 season.[125]

Vanderbilt edit

Main article: Georgia Tech–Vanderbilt football rivalry

The Yellow Jackets and the Vanderbilt Commodores first met in 1892 in Atlanta, Georgia with Vanderbilt winning 20–10.[126] Since 1924, the winning team in the series has received a silver-plated cowbell with the year and final score of each game engraved on it. The trophy was created by Ed F. Cavaleri was described by the Atlanta Constitution as “a faithful Georgia Tech supporter though he did not attend the Jacket institution,” according to Georgia Tech's website. Cavaleri purchased a cowbell at an Atlanta hardware store to use as a noise-maker while on his way to a game in 1924. The Commodores defeated Georgia Tech 3–0, however another fan in attendance suggested that Cavaleri award the bell to the winning team. The tradition was born and Cavaleri attended every game between the two teams from 1924 to 1967.[127] The cowbell has a gold plate screwed into each side, with “GEORGIA TECH-VANDERBILT FOOTBALL TROPHY” inscribed at the top. Three columns list the year of each game, Georgia Tech's points scored and Vanderbilt's points scored. The results of the games from 1924 to 1967 are engraved on one side; the results from 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2016 are on the other.[128] Georgia Tech is 20–15–3 against Vanderbilt in 38 games. The Yellow Jackets won the last matchup 38–7 in 2016.

Alabama edit

Main article: Alabama–Georgia Tech football rivalry

The Crimson Tide and the Yellow Jackets have played 52 times in a rivalry that dates back to 1902.[129] With the exception of a four-year break during World War II (1943–1946), they squared off annually from 1922 to 1963 as members of the Southern Conference (1922–1932) and Southeastern Conference (1933–1963). The rivalry continued for one season after Georgia Tech withdrew from the SEC in 1964, then was renewed again with games in six-straight seasons from 1979 to 1984. With 52 previous meetings, Alabama is Georgia Tech's fifth-most-common all-time opponent (behind only Georgia – 114 meetings, Auburn – 92, Duke – 87 and Clemson – 85).[130] Alabama and Georgia Tech announced in January 2020 that they are set to renew the rivalry after 36 years in 2030 and 2031.[131] Alabama leads the series 28–21–3, and the Yellow Jackets won the last matchup 16–6 in 1984.

Significant series edit

Notre Dame edit

This series began in 1922. The Fighting Irish were a longtime rival of the Yellow Jackets and the two teams met periodically on an annual basis over the years, particularly from 1963 to 1981 when both schools were independents following Tech's departure from the Southeastern Conference. The 1975 Georgia Tech-Notre Dame game marked the sole appearance in an Irish uniform of Rudy Ruettiger, the subject of the film Rudy. When Georgia Tech joined the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning in 1982, they were forced to end the series after 1981 because of scheduling difficulties. Consequently, the two teams have met very infrequently since then. Georgia Tech was the opponent in the inaugural game in the newly expanded Notre Dame Stadium in 1997, then a year later they met again in the Gator Bowl. The Fighting Irish and Yellow Jackets met in the 2006 and 2007 season openers and split both games. The rivalry resumed in 2015 with a 30–22 Irish win in South Bend, and will continue on a semi-regular basis as Georgia Tech and Notre Dame are scheduled to face off five times in the next ten years starting in 2020.[132] Notre Dame is set to play Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2020 and 2024. Georgia Tech will travel to South Bend in 2021.[133] Notre Dame leads the series 29–6–1.[134]

Duke edit

The Blue Devils and the Yellow Jackets have played 88 times in a series that dates back to 1933 and every year since.[135] There was a long period of Duke dominance in the series from 1936 to 1945. The Blue Devils won all but one matchup including a six-game win streak, the longest in the series for Duke. The win streak also came in the glory days for Duke football, as the 1930s and 1940s featured the best Duke football teams. From 1946 to 1984, the series would be rather back and forth, teams exchanging periods of dominance over the other. Heading into the 1984 season, the series was deadlock at 25–25–1. But since then it has been nearly all Georgia Tech. In the 36 matchups since 1984, the Jackets have walked away with 26 victories, the Blue Devils have won just ten.[136] Duke is Georgia Tech's third-most common opponent all-time (behind only Georgia – 113 meetings and Auburn – 92).[137] Georgia Tech leads the series 52–35-1. This game decided the ACC Coastal Division champion in 2014. Although Duke won the game 31–25, they had a loss to Miami beforehand followed by losses to Virginia Tech and rival North Carolina, which allowed the Yellow Jackets to claim the division title and a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship as they just had 2 conference losses whereas Duke had 3. Georgia Tech won the last matchup 23–20 in 2022.

Tulane edit

The Yellow Jackets and the Tulane Green Wave first met on November 4, 1916, in Atlanta, Georgia. Tulane was the opponent at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the Jackets’ first-ever televised football game — a 13–7 win over the Green Wave on WSB-TV on Oct. 2, 1948.[138] Tulane is the seventh-most frequent opponent for Georgia Tech (50 meetings).[139] Tulane and Georgia Tech spent most of their athletic histories as members of the same conference: they were among the first to join the SIAA in 1894 then Georgia Tech left in 1921 and Tulane in 1922 to join the Southern Conference. Both schools moved yet again in 1932 to charter the Southeastern Conference, of which they were members until Tech's departure in 1963 to become independent. Tulane followed suit in 1966, but they played each other yearly until 1982.[citation needed] Georgia Tech is now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Tulane is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The rivalry was renewed on September 6, 2014, in the first football game played on Tulane's campus since Tulane Stadium was torn down in 1980. Georgia Tech leads the series 37–13. The Yellow Jackets won the last matchup 65–10 in 2015.

Traditions edit

Main article: Georgia Tech traditions
 
The Ramblin' Reck during a football game.
  • Colors – Georgia Tech football features old gold and white uniforms with old gold helmets. Navy blue and black have been used as alternate jerseys. In 2006, Georgia Tech featured a throwback jersey based on Bud Carson-era uniforms. The jerseys were mustard gold and the helmets were white.
  • Songs – The fight songs for Georgia Tech are "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" and "Up With the White and Gold". If Georgia Tech scores a touchdown, then both songs are played, with Up With the White and Gold being played after the Yellow Jackets score and Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech being played after the PAT is kicked. If Georgia Tech only kicks a field goal, "Ramblin' Wreck" is played. For some big plays, a shortened version of either song is played.
  • Nicknames – Georgia Tech football teams have had several nicknames over the years including the "Blacksmiths", the "Engineers", the "Golden Tornado", or just the "Techs". Officially, the teams are called the "Yellow Jackets" or the "Ramblin' Wreck".
  • Mascots – The "Ramblin' Reck" and the yellow jacket "Buzz" are the mascots of Georgia Tech football. The "Ramblin' Reck" is a 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe, and it has led the football team onto Grant Field every game since September 30, 1961.[140] "Buzz" began pacing the sidelines of Grant Field as a mischievous anthropomorphized yellow jacket during the 1970s.[141] "Buzz" was ranked the number three top mascot in all of college football by "America's Best" and the "Top Ten" Web site.[142]
  • Yellow Jacket Alley – "Yellow Jacket Alley" is an event staged before every game. It is a players' walk in which the team and coaches walk from the buses to the stadium, and the fans surround and cheer the walking players.[143]
  • Steam Whistle – An industrial steam whistle has been present on Georgia Tech's campus ever since the early industrial shop years. It typically was blown for the change of classes at five minutes before the hour. On football game days, the whistle is blown after every Yellow Jackets' score, and again after every Yellow Jackets' victory.[144]
  • Student Section – The student sections for the Yellow Jackets' home football games are primarily located in the North and South End Zones of Grant Field. Until the 2011 season, Flash Card displays were performed by the student section every football season since 1957. A semi-official student cheering section called the "Swarm" is located in the North End Zone adjacent to the marching band. The Swarm began in 1996.[145]
  • RAT Caps - Incoming Georgia Tech freshmen are referred to as RATs, which stands for Recruits At Tech, although in recent years the Student Government has begun incorrectly using Recently Acquired Tech Students. A RAT is encouraged to wear the gold-colored beanie cap with the front bill worn turned up and bearing the student's name, hometown, major, class year, and the letters "RAT". A RAT should record the scores of each football game on the sides of their RAT Cap, written right side up for victories, upside down for losses, and sideways for ties. A RAT should write the "Good Word" on their caps: "To HELL with georgia". It is the responsibility of a RAT to know the fight songs, the Alma Mater, all of the cheers, and the "Good Word". Before ACC conference regulations prohibited the practice, upperclassmen ordered "RATs on the field" before each home game, and RATs would line up in the end zone along both sides of the entryway from the locker room forming an alleyway for the Ramblin' Reck to drive through leading the team out onto the field. The ACC forced an end to this tradition after the 1980 season. The RAT cap tradition is most strictly observed by members of the marching band.
  • Marching Band - Even though Georgia Tech is a high-ranking Institute of Technology, and not a college of the arts and humanities, it still fields a 300+ member marching band at all home football games and Bowl Games. A smaller Pep Band attends road games which the full band doesn't attend. Among other songs, the Yellow Jacket Marching Band always plays the Georgia Tech fight songs and the Alma Mater, and in addition, it plays "When You Say Budweiser, You've Said It All" at the completion of the third quarter.

Individual achievements edit

See also: List of Georgia Institute of Technology athletes § American football, and List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Starting Quarterbacks

Heisman Trophy finalists edit

Georgia Tech has had several players receive votes in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Eddie Prokop finished fifth in the 1943 Heisman voting,[146] Lenny Snow was fourteenth in 1966,[147] Eddie Lee Ivery was eighth in 1978,[148] and Calvin Johnson was tenth in 2006.[149] Billy Lothridge is the only Tech player to receive votes in multiple years. He was eighth in 1962 and runner-up in 1963.[147] Clint Castleberry was the only freshman in the history of the Heisman to finish as high as third until Herschel Walker's third-place finish in 1980.[150] Castleberry and Walker, however, were both surpassed in 2004 by true freshman Adrian Peterson's Heisman runner-up season. Joe Hamilton tied Lothridge's runner-up status in 1999.[151]

Year Name Position Finish
1942 Clint Castleberry HB 3rd
1943 Eddie Prokop QB 5th
1963 Billy Lothridge QB 2nd
1999 Joe Hamilton QB 2nd

All-Americans edit

Georgia Tech has fielded 50 First Team All-Americans. The first All-Americans at Tech were Walker Carpenter and Everett Strupper in 1917 while the most recent were Durant Brooks in 2007,[152] Michael Johnson in 2008, Derrick Morgan in 2009, and Shaquille Mason in 2014.

Name Position Selected Hometown
Maxie Baughan C 1959 Bessemer, Alabama
Ray Beck G 1951 Cedartown, Georgia
Don Bessillieu DB 1978 Decatur, Georgia
Jim Breland C 1966 Blacksburg, Virginia
George Broadnax E 1948 Atlanta
Durant Brooks P 2007 Macon, Georgia
Chris Brown T 2000 Augusta, Georgia
Pete Brown OC 1952 Rossville, Georgia
Gerry Bussell DB 1964 Jacksonville, Florida
Walker Carpenter T 1917 Newnan, Georgia
Marco Coleman OLB 1990 Dayton, Ohio
Bobby Davis T 1947 Columbus, Georgia
John Davis T 1985 Ellijay, Georgia
A.M. Day C 1918 -
Paul Duke C 1946 Atlanta
Bill Fincher E 1918, 1920 -
Smylie Gebhart DE 1971 Meridian, Mississippi
Rufus Guthrie G 1962 Atlanta
Joe Guyon T, HB 1918 White Earth, Minnesota
Joe Hamilton QB 1999 Alvin, South Carolina
Leon Hardeman HB 1952 LaFayette, Georgia
Harvey Hardy G 1942 Marion, Alabama
Pressley Harvin III P 2020 Alcolu, South Carolina
Bill Healy DG 1948 -
Robert Ison E 1939 -
Calvin Johnson WR 2005, 2006 Tyrone, Georgia
Michael Johnson DE 2008 Selma, Alabama
Billy Lothridge QB 1963 Gainesville, Georgia
Billy Martin E 1963 Gainesville, Georgia
Buck Martin E 1952 Haleyville, Alabama
Shaquille Mason OG 2014 Columbia, Tennessee
Hal Miller OT 1952 Kingsport, Tennessee
Warner Mizell HB 1928 -
Derrick Morgan DE 2009 Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Bobby Moorhead DB 1952 Miami, Florida
George Morris LB 1952 Vicksburg, Mississippi
Larry Morris C 1953 Decatur, Georgia
Craig Page C 1998 Jupiter, Florida
Rock Perdoni DT 1970 Wellesley, Massachusetts
Peter Pund C 1928 Augusta, Georgia
Randy Rhino DB 1972 Charlotte, North Carolina
Coleman Rudolph DT 1992 Valdosta, Georgia
Lucius Sanford LB 1977 Atlanta
Scott Sisson K 1992 Marietta, Georgia
Lenny Snow TB 1966 Daytona Beach, Florida
Frank Speer T 1928 Atlanta
John Steber G 1943 -
Don Stephenson C 1956 Bessemer, Alabama
Everett Strupper HB 1917 Columbus, Georgia
Ken Swilling FS 1990 Toccoa, Georgia
Pat Swilling DE 1985 Toccoa, Georgia
Phil Tinsley E 1944 Bessemer, Alabama
Lamar Wheat DT 1951 Chattanooga, Tennessee

Position award winners edit

Four Georgia Tech players have been awarded the highest collegiate award possible for their position. Joe Hamilton won the Davey O'Brien Award after his senior season in 1999, Calvin Johnson won the Fred Biletnikoff Award after his junior season in 2006, and Durant Brooks and Pressley Harvin III won the Ray Guy Award in 2007 and 2020 respectively. Hamilton and Johnson were the only Tech players to be named ACC Player of the Year until Jonathan Dwyer received the honor in 2008.[153]

Post-collegiate accolades edit

College Football Hall of Fame edit

Georgia Tech has had three coaches and 14 players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame just down the street in Atlanta.[154][155] Coaches Heisman, Alexander, and Dodd were inducted in the 1954, 1951, and 1993 classes respectively.

Name Position Played Inducted
Maxie Baughan C 1957–1959 1988
Ray Beck G 1948–1951 1997
Bobby Davis T 1944–1947 1978
Bill Fincher E, T 1916–1920 1974
Buck Flowers HB 1918–1920 1955
Joe Guyon HB, T 1917–1918 1971
Joe Hamilton QB 1996–1999 2014
Calvin Johnson WR 2004-2006 2018
George Morris C 1950–1952 1981
Larry Morris C 1951–1954 1992
Peter Pund C 1926–1928 1963
Randy Rhino S 1972–1974 2002
Everett Strupper HB 1915–1917 1972
Pat Swilling DE 1982–1985 2009

NFL Draft edit

Main article: List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the NFL Draft

Georgia Tech has over 150 alumni that have played in the National Football League.[156] Tech has had ten players selected in the first round of the NFL draft since its inception in 1937.[157] The first Georgia Tech player ever to be drafted was Middleton Fitzsimmons in 1937. He was drafted 2nd in the 10th round by the Chicago Bears.[158] The first Tech player selected in the first round was Eddie Prokop in 1945 and the most recent first round Yellow Jackets were Demaryius Thomas and Derrick Morgan in 2010.[157]

First round draft picks
Name Position Year Overall pick Team
Eddie Prokop QB 1945 4 Boston Yanks
Larry Morris LB 1955 7 L.A. Rams
Rufus Guthrie OG 1963 10 L.A. Rams
Kent Hill OG 1979 26 L.A. Rams
Eddie Lee Ivery RB 1979 15 Green Bay Packers
Marco Coleman DE 1992 12 Miami Dolphins
Keith Brooking LB 1998 12 Atlanta Falcons
Calvin Johnson WR 2007 2 Detroit Lions
Demaryius Thomas WR 2010 22 Denver Broncos
Derrick Morgan DE 2010 16 Tennessee Titans

Pro Football Hall of Fame edit

Three Yellow Jackets have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[159] Joe Guyon played professional football from 1920 to 1927. Guyon was a collegiate teammate of Jim Thorpe at Carlisle Indian Industrial School before transferring to Georgia Tech. His playing career began with the Canton Bulldogs and finished with the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 1966.[160] Billy Shaw played professional football for the Buffalo Bills from 1961 to 1969. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 1999.[161] Calvin Johnson played for the Detroit Lions from 2007 to 2015. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 2021, his first year of eligibility.[162]

Name Position Played Inducted
Joe Guyon HB, T 1920–1927 1966
Billy Shaw OG 1961–1969 1999
Calvin Johnson WR 2007–2015 2021

Future opponents edit

Announced schedules as of November 17, 2023.[163][164] With the ACC announcing a 17-team schedule, Georgia Tech plays the following games with no annual rival. Georgia Tech plays each team in the ACC at minimum once every 4 years.

Year Non-conference opponents Home ACC games Away ACC games
2024 vs. Georgia State (8/31) vs. VMI (9/14) vs. Notre Dame1 (10/19) at Georgia (11/30) vs. Florida State2 (8/24) vs. Duke vs. Miami (FL) vs. NC State at Louisville at North Carolina at Syracuse at Virginia Tech
2025 at Colorado (8/30) vs. Gardner-Webb (9/6) vs. Temple (9/20) vs. Georgia (11/29) vs. Clemson vs. Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech at Boston College at Duke at NC State at Wake Forest
2026 vs. Colorado (9/5) at Georgia State (9/19) at Georgia (11/28) vs. Boston College vs. Duke vs. Louisville vs. Wake Forest at Clemson at Pittsburgh at Stanford at Virginia Tech
2027 vs. Arkansas State (9/4) at Notre Dame (10/2) vs. Georgia (11/27) vs. California vs. North Carolina vs. Louisville vs. Virginia at Florida State at Miami (FL) at Southern Methodist at Wake Forest
2028 at Georgia (11/25) vs. Clemson vs. Pittsburgh vs. Southern Methodist vs. Stanford at California at Duke at Louisville at Virginia
2029 at Notre Dame (11/3) vs. Georgia (11/24) vs. Florida State vs. Louisville vs. Virginia vs. Virginia Tech at Boston College at Clemson at Southern Methodist at Wake Forest
2030 vs Alabama (8/31) at Georgia (11/30) vs. Boston College vs. California vs. Southern Methodist vs. Wake Forest at Louisville at Miami (FL) at Stanford at Syracuse
2031 at Alabama (8/30) vs. Georgia (11/29)
2032 vs. Notre Dame (10/30) at Georgia (11/27)
2033 vs. Georgia (11/26)
2034 at Georgia (11/25)
2035 vs. Georgia (11/24)
2036 vs. Notre Dame (9/27) at Georgia (11/29)
2037 vs. Georgia (11/28)

1. The 2024 game with Notre Dame will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA
2.The 2024 game with Florida State will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Notes edit

  1. ^ The Macon Telegraph reported, "The game, while not brilliant, was full of earnest and determined effort, and this sort of playing, is after all, the most enjoyable to watch."[6]
  2. ^ From 1915 to 1920 the team went 45–5–2 and outscored opponents 2180 to 142.
  3. ^ The yearbook remarked, "Bill began his great work on the sand lots of Tech Hi here in Atlanta years ago and ended it up by smearing "Fatty" Warren of the Auburn Tigers all over the flats of Grant Field on Turkey Day last."[20]
  4. ^ Morgan Blake, sports writer for the Atlanta Journal, said of an all-time All-Southern list:[25]

    "It seems to us that one name is left out in this collection, who may have been the best all-around player the South has had. "We have reference to Doug Wycoff of Tech who, for three straight years, was practically the unanimous all-Southern football choice, despite the fact that Georgia Tech had very lean years during his period of play at this institution. If Wycoff had been flanked by such a pair of halfbacks as Red Barron and Buck Flowers, or Thomason and Mizell while he was with the Jackets, he would have been an all-American. As it was he had to carry all of the offensive load and on the defense he was a wheelhorse. He was a great punter and passer. If Wycoff was not the best all-around player the South had produced then he was very close to the peak."
  5. ^ Tech traveled by train to meet the awaiting Golden Bears.
  6. ^ Vance Maree blocked the punt.
  7. ^ After the game, "Stumpy" Thomason acquired a live bear cub. He brought the cub back to Atlanta, where it lived under the bleachers of Grant Field for several years before it moved along with Stumpy up to Pittsburgh.[30]
  8. ^ Despite an extensive six-day search involving American and British search crews, on November 23, 1944, all crew members were officially re-classified from MIA to KNB (killed, no body).[33]

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Bibliography edit

  • McMath, Robert C.; Bayor, Ronald H.; Brittain, James E.; Foster, Lawrence; Giebelhaus, August W.; Reed, Germaine M. (1985). Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech 1885-1985. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press.
  • Wallace, Robert (1969). Dress Her in WHITE and GOLD: A biography of Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech Foundation.

External links edit

 
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February 15, 2024
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football program represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in the sport of American football The Yellow Jackets college football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision FBS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference ACC Georgia Tech has fielded a football team since 1892 and as of 2023 it has an all time record of 756 540 43 4 The Yellow Jackets play in Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field in Atlanta Georgia holding a stadium max capacity of 55 000 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football2023 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football teamFirst season1892Athletic directorJ BattHead coachBrent Key 2nd season 11 10 524 StadiumBobby Dodd Stadium capacity 55 000 Field surfaceLegion NXT by Shaw Sports TurfLocationAtlanta GeorgiaConferenceACCDivisionCoastalPast conferencesIndependent 1892 1897 SIAA 1898 1900 Independent 1901 SIAA 1902 1913 Independent 1914 1915 SIAA 1916 1921 SoCon 1922 1932 SEC 1933 1963 Independent 1964 1982 All time record756 540 43 1 581 Bowl record26 20 0 565 Claimed national titles4 1917 1928 1952 1990 Unclaimed national titles3 1916 1951 1956 Conference titles16Division titles5 2006 2008 2009 2012 2014 RivalriesGeorgia rivalry Auburn rivalry dormant Clemson rivalry Virginia Tech rivalry Tennessee rivalry dormant Vanderbilt rivalry dormant Consensus All Americans21Current uniformColorsTech gold and white 2 Fight song Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech and Up With the White and Gold MascotBuzz The Ramblin Wreck 3 Marching bandGeorgia Tech Yellow Jacket Marching BandWebsiteramblinwreck comThe Yellow Jackets have won four national championships across four decades 1917 1928 1952 1990 including 16 conference titles Among the team s former coaches are John Heisman for whom the Heisman Trophy is named and Bobby Dodd for whom the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and the school s stadium are named Heisman led the team to the most lopsided game in football history 222 0 and both Heisman and Dodd led Tech s football team to national championships Dodd also led the Jackets on their longest winning streak 8 straight games against the University of Georgia in Tech s most time endured rivalry called Clean Old Fashioned Hate For his part Heisman led Georgia Tech to an undefeated 12 0 1 record in the Georgia Tech Clemson football rivalry A number of successful collegiate and professional football players have also played for Tech The program has 48 first team All Americans and over 150 alumni who have played in the NFL Among the most lauded and most notable players the school has produced are Maxie Baughan Calvin Johnson Demaryius Thomas Keith Brooking Joe Hamilton Joe Guyon Pat Swilling and Billy Shaw In the 21st century Georgia Tech has won their Coastal Division and appeared in the ACC Championship Game four times since 2006 In addition to its conference and national championships legendary coaches and talented players Tech s football program has been noted for its many historic traditions and improbable game finishes throughout the years including its famed fight song Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech and its famous blocked field goal return against No 9 Florida State in 2015 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early history 1892 1944 1 2 Bobby Dodd era 1945 1966 1 3 Bud Carson era 1967 1971 1 4 Bill Fulcher era 1972 1973 1 5 Pepper Rodgers era 1974 1979 1 6 Bill Curry era 1980 1986 1 7 Bobby Ross era 1987 1991 1 8 Bill Lewis era 1992 1994 1 9 George O Leary era 1994 2001 1 10 Chan Gailey era 2002 2007 1 11 Paul Johnson era 2008 2018 1 12 Geoff Collins era 2019 2022 1 13 Brent Key era 2022 present 2 Conference affiliations 3 Championships 3 1 National championships 3 2 Conference championships 3 3 Division championships 4 Head coaches 5 Bowl games 6 Home stadium 7 Logos and uniforms 8 Rivalries 8 1 Georgia 8 2 Auburn 8 3 Clemson 8 4 Virginia Tech 8 5 Tennessee 8 6 Vanderbilt 8 7 Alabama 9 Significant series 9 1 Notre Dame 9 2 Duke 9 3 Tulane 10 Traditions 11 Individual achievements 11 1 Heisman Trophy finalists 11 2 All Americans 11 3 Position award winners 11 4 Post collegiate accolades 11 4 1 College Football Hall of Fame 11 4 2 NFL Draft 11 4 3 Pro Football Hall of Fame 12 Future opponents 13 Notes 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 External linksHistory editSee also List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football seasons Early history 1892 1944 edit nbsp The 1893 Georgia Tech football teamTech began its football program with several students forming a loose knit troop of footballers called the Blacksmiths On November 5 1892 Tech played its first football game against Mercer University The team lost to Mercer 12 6 in Macon Georgia n 1 Tech played two other games during their first season and lost both of them for a season record of 0 3 Discouraged by these results the Blacksmiths sought a coach to improve their record Leonard Wood an Army officer and Atlantan heard of Tech s football struggles and volunteered to player coach the team 7 Over the span of 1892 1903 Tech only won 8 games tied in 5 and lost 32 8 In 1893 Tech played against the University of Georgia for the first time Tech defeated Georgia 28 6 for the school s first ever victory The angry Georgia fans threw stones and other debris at the Tech players during and after the game The poor treatment of the Blacksmiths by the Georgia faithful gave birth to the rivalry now known as Clean Old Fashioned Hate 9 10 In 1902 Jesse Thrash was the team s first All Southern selection He began the season as a sub and closed it as the undisputed star of the Tech team 11 Oliver Jones Huie was selected by Ga Tech s athletic association to coach the football team for the 1903 season when the team won 3 and lost 5 games A professional coach was desperately needed if Tech wished to build a truly competitive football program The first game of the 1903 season was a 73 0 destruction at the hands of John Heisman s Clemson shortly after the season Tech offered Heisman a coaching position nbsp Coach Heisman John Heisman put together 16 consecutive non losing seasons amassed 104 wins including three undefeated campaigns and a 32 game undefeated streak From 1915 to 1918 Georgia Tech went 30 1 2 and outscored opponents 1611 93 utilizing his jump shift offense n 2 He would also muster a 5 game winning streak against the hated Georgia Bulldogs from 1904 to 1908 before incidents led up to the cutting of athletic ties with Georgia in 1919 9 Heisman was hired by Tech for 2 250 a year and 30 of the home ticket sales Heisman would not disappoint the Tech faithful as his first season was an 8 1 1 performance the first winning season since 1893 12 One source relates The real feature of the season was the marvelus advance made by the Georgia School of Technology which burst from fetters that kept it in the lowest class for ten years 13 His team posted victories over Georgia Tennessee University of Florida at Lake City and Cumberland and a tie with his last employer Clemson He suffered just one loss to another first year coach Mike Donahue of Auburn The 1905 team went 6 0 1 The 1906 team beat Auburn for the first time Stars of this early period for Tech include Lob Brown and Billy Wilson The 1907 and 1908 teams were led by Twenty Percent Davis Pat Patterson was All Southern in 1910 Patterson was captain in 1911 a season in which future coach William Alexander was a reserve quarterback Heisman helped students construct Grant Field in 1913 when Alf McDonald was quarterback The 1915 team went undefeated nbsp The 1916 scoreboardArguably the most notable game of Heisman s career was the most lopsided victory in college football history In 1916 Cumberland College ended its football program and attempted to cancel a scheduled game with Heisman s Jackets Heisman however was seeking vengeance for a 22 0 baseball loss to Cumberland in the spring of 1916 a game in which Heisman suspected Cumberland of hiring professional players to pose as Cumberland students Heisman refused the game s cancellation and Cumberland mustered up a group of commonfolk to play Tech 14 Tech won 222 0 15 Neither team achieved a first down other than a touchdown as Cumberland either punted or turned the ball over before a first down and Tech scored on almost every play from scrimmage 14 Jim Preas Tech s kicker kicked 16 point after tries which is still a record for a single game nbsp 1917 Georgia Tech backfield In 1917 Tech won its first national championship behind the backfield of Everett Strupper Joe Guyon Al Hill and Judy Harlan It was the first national title for a Southern team and for many years the Golden Tornado was considered the finest team the region ever produced Strupper and captain Walker Carpenter were the first two players from the Deep South ever selected first team All American Heisman challenged Pop Warner s undefeated Pittsburgh team to a decisive national championship game but he declined In the next season of 1918 Tech lost a lopsided game to Pitt 32 0 Center Bum Day became the first player from the south selected for Walter Camp s first team In 1919 Auburn upset Tech for the SIAA crown By 1919 Heisman had divorced his wife and felt that he would embarrass his wife socially if he remained in Atlanta 16 Heisman moved to Pennsylvania leaving Tech in the hands of William Alexander 17 William Alexander had attended Georgia Tech and after graduating as valedictorian of his class in 1912 taught mathematics at Tech and served as Heisman s assistant coach 17 In 1920 he was given the job of head coaching Tech s football team Alexander retained Heisman s jump shift offense and in his first season he saw Tech win an SIAA title behind captain Buck Flowers the first Georgia Tech player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame Tech suffered its only loss again to Warner s Pitt and finished the season with a win over rival Auburn 18 19 Tackle Bill Fincher made Camp s first team All America n 3 nbsp Georgia Tech vs Auburn 1921The 1921 and 1922 teams also claimed SIAA titles The 1921 team suffered its only loss to undefeated eastern power Penn State Tech was captained by fullback Judy Harlan Future Tech fullback Sam Murray was asked about a certain strong runner in the 1930s He s good But if I were playing again I would have one wish never to see bearing down upon me a more fearsome picture of power than Judy Harlan blocking for Red Barron 21 Barron ran for 1 459 yards on the season 22 nbsp Doug WycoffFrom 1923 to 1925 though Tech failed to claim a conference title it had one of its best ever players fullback Doug Wycoff the outstanding back of the South for the past two years 23 Coach Alexander recalled The work of Douglas Wycoff against Notre Dame two years in succession was brilliant in the extreme as was his plunging against Penn State when we defeated them twice 24 n 4 Tech and UGA renewed their annual rivalry game in 1925 after an eight year hiatus Quarterback Ike Armstrong thought the game clock read five seconds remaining in the game when in actuality it was five minutes Williams set up his offense for a field goal and kicked it to put Tech up 3 0 on first down Luckily for Williams Tech won 3 0 In 1927 Alexander instituted the Plan Georgia was highly rated to start the 1927 season known as the dream and wonder team and justified their rating throughout the season going 9 0 in their first 9 games Alexander s plan was to minimize injuries by benching his starters early no matter the score of every game before the UGA finale On December 3 1927 UGA rolled into Atlanta on the cusp of a national and conference title Tech s well rested starters were helped by the rain and shut out the Bulldogs 12 0 ending any chance of UGA s first national title while netting the SIAA title 26 nbsp Coach Alexander Alexander s 1928 team amassed a perfect record and won the school s second national title The team was led at center by captain Peter Pund and upset Notre Dame I sat at Grant Field and saw a magnificent Notre Dame team suddenly recoil before the furious pounding of one man Pund center said legendary coach Knute Rockne Nobody could stop him I counted 20 scoring plays that this man ruined 27 The 1928 team was also the very first Tech team to attend a bowl game The team was invited to the Rose Bowl to play California n 5 The game was a defensive struggle with the first points scored after a Georgia Tech fumble The loose ball was scooped up by California center Roy Riegels and then accidentally returned in the wrong direction Riegels returned the ball all the way to California s 3 yard line After Riegels was finally stopped by his own teammate at the 1 yard line he was swarmed by a group of Tech players The Bears opted to punt from the end zone The punt was blocked and converted by Tech into a safety giving Tech a 2 0 lead n 6 Cal scored a touchdown and a point after but Tech would score another touchdown to win the game 8 7 This victory made Tech the 10 0 undefeated national champion of 1928 28 29 n 7 Coach Alexander found campus spirit to be particularly low during the Great Depression His football program and the other athletic teams had very few student fans attending the games He helped to establish a spirit organization known as the Yellow Jacket Club in 1930 to bolster student spirit 31 The group would later become the Ramblin Reck Club Georgia Tech football declined following the 1928 championship and did not post another winning record until 1937 The 1939 team was SEC co champion The only retired jersey in Georgia Tech football history is No 19 32 The number belonged to Tech halfback Clint Castleberry Castleberry played on the No 5 ranked 1942 Tech team as a true freshman and was third place in the 1942 Heisman Trophy voting After ending his freshman year at Tech Castleberry elected to join the war effort and signed up for the Army Air Corps While co piloting a B 26 Marauder over Africa Castleberry his crew and another B 26 disappeared and were never heard from again n 8 Castleberry has been memorialized on Grant Field ever since with a prominent No 19 on display in the stadium 32 The 1943 and 1944 teams won SEC titles Coach Alexander finally retired in 1944 after winning 134 games as head coach and taking Tech to the Rose Bowl Orange Bowl Cotton Bowl Classic and Sugar Bowl To this day Alexander has the second most victories of any Tech football coach The record for most coaching victories in Tech history is still held by Alexander s then coordinator and eventual successor Bobby Dodd Bobby Dodd era 1945 1966 edit nbsp Bobby Dodd in 1952President Blake R Van Leer believed athletics were an important part of collegiate life he championed that belief with coaches like Dodd where he was recorded being proud of Dodd s accomplishments 34 Bobby Dodd took over the Georgia Tech football program following Coach Alexander s retirement in 1944 He did not believe in intense physical practices but rather precise and well executed practices Dodd s philosophy translated to winning He set the record for career wins at Tech at 165 career coaching wins including a 31 game winning streak from 1951 to 1952 35 He also managed to capture two Southeastern Conference Titles and the 1952 National Title which concluded a 12 0 perfect season and Sugar Bowl conquest of previously undefeated seventh ranked Ole Miss 35 in a season that also included victories over Orange Bowl champions 9th ranked Alabama 15th ranked Gator Bowl champions Florida Gators football 16th ranked Duke and a 7 4 rival Georgia While 9 0 Michigan State would capture the AP and UP titles the Yellow Jackets were ranked first in the International News Service poll Dodd also understood the deep seated rivalry with the University of Georgia His teams won 8 games in a row over the Bulldogs from 1949 to 1956 outscoring the Bulldogs 176 39 during the winning streak 36 This 8 game winning streak against Georgia remains the longest winning streak by either team in the series Dodd would finish his career with a 12 9 record against the Bulldogs 36 In 1956 much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl Segregationists tried to keep Pitt fullback linebacker Bobby Grier from playing because he was black Georgia s governor publicly threatened to remove funding if Georgia Tech s president Blake R Van Leer did not cancel the game Dodd backed Van Leer in his desire to move forward with the game Ultimately Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is regarded as the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South 5 Dodd s tenure included Georgia Tech s withdrawal from the Southeastern Conference 35 The initial spark for Dodd s withdrawal was a historic feud with Alabama Crimson Tide Coach Bear Bryant 37 The feud began when Tech was visiting the Tide at Legion Field in Birmingham in 1961 After a Tech punt Alabama fair caught the ball Chick Granning of Tech was playing coverage and relaxed after the signal for the fair catch Darwin Holt of Alabama continued play and smashed his elbow into Granning s face causing severe fracturing in his face a broken nose and blood filled sinuses Granning was knocked unconscious and suffered a severe concussion the result of which left him unable to play football ever again Dodd sent Bryant a letter asking Bryant to suspend Holt after game film indicated Holt had intentionally injured Granning 37 Bryant never suspended Holt The lack of discipline infuriated Dodd and sparked Dodd s interest in withdrawing from the SEC 38 Another issue of concern for Dodd was Alabama s and other SEC schools over recruitment of players 37 Universities would recruit more players than they had roster space for During the summer practice sessions the teams in question would cut the players well after signing day thus preventing the cut players from finding new colleges to play for Dodd appealed the SEC administration to punish the tryout camps of his fellow SEC members but the SEC did not Finally Dodd withdrew Georgia Tech from the SEC in 1964 37 Tech would remain an independent like Notre Dame and Penn State at the time during the final four years of Dodd s coaching tenure In 1967 Dodd passed the head coach position to his favorite coordinator Bud Carson Dodd simply retained his athletic director position which he had acquired in 1950 He would not retire from athletic directing until 1976 Bud Carson era 1967 1971 edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2022 Bud Carson was Tech s defensive coordinator in 1966 His job was to appease the Tech fan base Bobby Dodd had accumulated Carson was not the charismatic leader like Dodd but rather a strategy man that enjoyed intense game planning Carson s most notable achievements included recruiting Tech s first ever African American scholarship athlete and being the first Tech head coach to be fired Carson recruited Eddie McAshan to play quarterback in 1970 39 After several Summer practices McAshan won the starting quarterback job and became the first African American quarterback to start for a major Southeastern university 39 This decision initially polarized Georgia Tech s fan base but after winning his first 4 starts and leading Tech to a 9 3 season after three straight 4 6 seasons McAshan won the hearts of the Tech faithful McAshan s besting of UGA in the annual rivalry game made McAshan a fixture on campus The following season however led to Carson s demise In 1971 Tech went 6 6 and a fan base used to Bobby Dodd s 8 wins per season average forced Carson out by James E Boyd s hand Carson went on to form the Steel Curtain Pittsburgh Steelers defense Bill Fulcher era 1972 1973 edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2022 Bill Fulcher supplanted Bud Carson Fulcher appeared to be the right choice but quit after two seasons overwhelmed by racial incidents Fulcher s tenure included a terrible feud with Eddie McAshan which peaked before the 1972 UGA game McAshan had requested additional tickets for the game so that his family could attend Fulcher refused the ticket request and McAshan sat out of practice in protest 39 Fulcher responded by suspending the quarterback for the UGA game and the upcoming Liberty Bowl The story exploded on the national scene when Jesse Jackson attended the UGA game allowing McAshan to sit with him outside of the stadium in protest 39 Pepper Rodgers era 1974 1979 edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2022 Alumnus Pepper Rodgers was hired soon after Fulcher quit hired away from UCLA Like Carson and Fulcher he simply could not return Tech to its national prominence of Dodd s era in six seasons his overall record was 34 31 2 522 40 Rodgers flamboyant demeanor shortened his welcome at the school and athletic director Doug Weaver replaced him with Bill Curry after the 1979 season Homer Rice became athletic director and attempted to reinvigorate Tech s program by joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1980 Bill Curry era 1980 1986 edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2022 Alumnus Bill Curry had no experience as a head coach but was a refreshing change after the flamboyant Rodgers Curry s early years saw Tech reach its lowest point in modern history His first two Tech teams in 1980 and 1981 went 2 19 1 114 with the only bright spots being a brilliant 24 21 road victory over Bear Bryant s Alabama team at Legion Field to open the 1981 season and a 3 3 slug fest in 1980 with top ranked Notre Dame at Grant Field Things had gotten so bad they could only get better 41 Curry slowly rebuilt the team restored a winning mentality to the Georgia Tech fan base Tech won nine games in 1985 including a 17 14 victory over Michigan State in the All American Bowl Tech s 1984 1985 teams featured the Black Watch defense created by defensive coordinator Don Lindsey it featured linebackers Ted Roof and Jim Anderson safety Mark Hogan and lineman Pat Swilling 42 43 The elite defensive players were awarded black stripes down the center of their helmets and black GT emblems on the side of their helmets 43 Curry s leadership and ability to build a winning program sparked interest from the Crimson Tide and Alabama hired Curry away from Tech in 1986 44 Bobby Ross era 1987 1991 edit nbsp 1990 AFCA National Championship Trophy Georgia Tech received After Curry s departure Tech hired the talented Maryland Terrapins Coach Bobby Ross 45 who departed a Maryland athletic program in turmoil after the Len Bias tragedy 46 Bobby Ross came from Maryland after winning three ACC titles over four years Ross first season at Tech experienced a severe talent vacuum after Curry s departure and the players Ross inherited resisted the changes he demanded The team only won two games and Ross contemplated ending his coaching career after a humbling loss to Wake Forest in 1987 Ross decided to remain at Tech and continued to rebuild Tech s program The turning point came in 1989 with the recruitment of Shawn Jones and several other key freshman After two seasons and only five total wins Jones helped the Jackets rebound at the end of the 1989 season 47 In Jones sophomore season Tech powered through their schedule and won the ACC The four game unbeaten streak in 1989 extended all the way through 1990 and into the 1991 Citrus Bowl The key victory in the streak was a huge 41 38 come from behind upset victory over then No 1 ranked Virginia in Charlottesville before a nationwide TV audience Tech demolished Nebraska 45 21 in the 1991 Citrus Bowl finishing the season 11 0 1 and earning a share of the 1990 National Title with the Colorado Buffaloes 48 49 Tech s winning streak ended against Penn State in the 1991 Kick Off Classic Ross and Jones never replicated that 1990 season but managed to win 8 games in 1991 making Shawn Jones one of the most heralded quarterbacks in Tech history Ross was offered a head coach position after the 1991 season for the San Diego Chargers which he took 50 Bill Lewis era 1992 1994 edit After first considering Ross assistant coaches Ralph Friedgen and George O Leary Tech hired Bill Lewis away from East Carolina soon after Ross departure 51 When Lewis was hired the Tech faithful hoped he would continue to build on Ross success He had just led East Carolina to an 11 1 record and a final ranking of ninth in the nation However Lewis first season at Tech in 1992 saw the Jackets collapse to only a 5 6 record just two years removed from a national championship Preseason All American Shawn Jones suffered from nagging injuries leaving Tech s offense inept After Jones fourth year ran out redshirt freshman Donnie Davis stepped in to fill his shoes in 1993 which saw another 5 6 season In just two years Lewis had completely squandered the successful momentum established by Bobby Ross During the Summer of 94 George O Leary was rehired as defensive coordinator With Davis injured in spring practice Lewis recruited Tom Luginbill as his replacement Luginbill was a proficient passer at Palomar College a junior college in California and his first two games in 1994 showed promise Tech almost upset Arizona who was projected as the No 1 team in the nation by Sports Illustrated and won 45 26 over Western Carolina However Tech lost its next six games before Lewis was fired with three games remaining in the season 52 O Leary was named interim coach for the rest of the season 53 George O Leary era 1994 2001 edit Georgia Tech lost their final three games including a 48 10 drubbing at the hands of Georgia Despite this Tech dropped the interim tag from O Leary s title and named him head coach in 1995 O Leary s first season saw Senior Donnie Davis return as starter and Tech won 6 games O Leary s second season saw the emergence of Joe Hamilton as starter when Brandon Shaw struggled in his first two starts Hamilton would eventually lead the Jackets back to bowl contention and Tech attended its first bowl in six years the 1997 Carquest Bowl Hamilton s prowess as a runner and passer thrilled the Georgia Tech fans Offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen utilized a complex offense with Hamilton that featured option football mixed in with complex timing routes Hamilton racked up yardage touchdowns and wins for Tech In 1998 Hamilton and Tech s high powered offense won 10 games and a season ending victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl Hamilton s senior year put him on the national stage He was a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy against rushing phenomenon Ron Dayne Hamilton passed for over 3 000 yards and rushed for over 700 yards 54 But while Hamilton dazzled the Georgia Tech defense was a liability they allowed around 28 points per game and may have ultimately cost Hamilton the 1999 Heisman Trophy In a late season nationally televised game against Wake Forest Tech gave up 26 points and Hamilton threw two interceptions and no touchdowns As an indirect result Dayne went on to win the Heisman Joe was runner up Hamilton s Georgia Tech career ended on a sour note in the 2000 Gator Bowl against the Miami where the Jackets lost 28 13 55 The following season redshirt junior George Godsey a more traditional pocket passer succeeded Hamilton at the helm of Tech s powerful offense The drop off was minimal Godsey continued where Hamilton left off winning 9 games in 2000 and 8 games in 2001 In 2000 Godsey also led Tech to their third straight victory over the archrival Georgia Bulldogs 56 The end of the 2001 season saw George O Leary entertain a coaching offer from Notre Dame after Bob Davie announced resignation as Irish head coach 57 O Leary was eventually awarded the position but it was revoked shortly thereafter when Notre Dame discovered that O Leary had fabricated several aspects of his resume 58 He claimed to have played three years for the University of New Hampshire and to have attained a master s degree from New York University in actuality he had attended NYU but did not graduate and he never played a down of New Hampshire football 59 60 Following O Leary s departure Mac McWhorter was named interim head coach for Georgia Tech s bowl game a victory over Stanford in the 2001 Seattle Bowl Chan Gailey era 2002 2007 edit The following spring Chan Gailey was hired to replace O Leary as Georgia Tech s head coach 61 Chan Gailey came to Georgia Tech in 2002 after head coaching stints with the Dallas Cowboys Samford Bulldogs and Troy Trojans Gailey s first team in 2002 managed to win seven games under the quarterbacking of A J Suggs The most notable game of the 2002 season was an upset of National Title Contender North Carolina State Georgia Tech rallied in the fourth quarter to upset NC State and end Philip Rivers s Heisman Trophy hopes In 2003 eleven Georgia Tech players were found academically ineligible 62 Despite the academic losses and the playing of true freshman Reggie Ball Gailey would lead Tech to a seven win season and humiliation of Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl P J Daniels racked up over 300 yards rushing in the effort nbsp Calvin Johnson catching a pass2004 and 2005 saw Georgia Tech improve talent and skill wise but Tech won seven games again Star Calvin Johnson arrived as a true freshman in 2004 His performance against Clemson in 2004 helped cement Johnson s place in the annals of all time Tech greats Two off the field problems affected the Yellow Jackets 2005 season First Reuben Houston a starting cornerback was arrested for possession of over 100 pounds of marijuana Houston was dismissed from the football team immediately following this arrest but a later court order forced Coach Gailey to allow Houston to return to the team Houston would see little playing time following the court order 63 64 At the end of the 2005 season an NCAA investigation found that 11 ineligible players had played for the Yellow Jackets between the 1998 and 2005 seasons 65 These players played while not making progress towards graduation on the NCAA approved schedule The football victories for that season were initially revoked and Georgia Tech was put on two years of NCAA probation Twelve football scholarships were stricken from Georgia Tech s allotment for the 2006 and 2007 freshman classes 66 The Georgia Tech Athletic Department appealed this decision by the NCAA and the records were restored but scholarship reductions and probation remained 67 Athletic Director Dave Braine retired in January 2006 and Dan Radakovich was hired as athletic director Gailey s most successful year at Georgia Tech was in 2006 with nine victories and the ACC Coastal Division championship The Yellow Jackets football team reached its first New Year s Bowl since the 1999 Gator Bowl and played the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl Tashard Choice led the ACC in rushing yards and Calvin Johnson led the ACC in receptions and receiving yardage After an impressive 33 3 victory at Notre Dame to open the 2007 season the team slid to finish 7 6 On the morning of Monday November 26 2007 Gailey was fired from the Yellow Jackets two days after another heartbreaking loss to the University of Georgia 68 The Yellow Jackets Athletic Department hired Paul Johnson then the head coach at Navy and former Georgia Southern head coach as Gailey s replacement on December 7 2007 69 Paul Johnson era 2008 2018 edit On Friday December 7 2007 less than two weeks after Georgia Tech announced the firing of Chan Gailey Paul Johnson was announced as the new Georgia Tech head football coach 69 Johnson was hired under a seven year contract worth more than 11 million Johnson immediately began installing his unique flexbone option offense at Georgia Tech 70 By the regular season s end Johnson had led the Yellow Jackets to a 9 3 record including an ACC Coastal Division Co Championship and a 45 42 win in Athens Georgia over arch rival UGA Tech s first win against the Bulldogs since 2000 71 In recognition of his accomplishments in his first season Johnson was named 2008 ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as well as the CBSSports com coach of the year 72 73 nbsp GT vs UNC 2009Several weeks after Johnson s defeat of rival Georgia Georgia Tech rewarded Johnson with a new contract worth 17 7 million a 53 raise that made him the second highest paid coach in the ACC before he had even completed his first year in the conference 74 In 2009 Johnson led the Yellow Jackets to historic wins over Florida State in Tallahassee No 4 Virginia Tech breaking an 0 17 losing streak to top five opponents at Grant Field in the past 47 years and Virginia in Charlottesville The jackets went on to defeat the Clemson Tigers to make them ACC champions a title that would be vacated on July 14 2011 due to NCAA infractions 75 The Yellow Jackets went on to lose to Iowa in the Orange Bowl 24 14 Georgia Tech had another significant win over the No 5 Clemson Tigers on October 29 2011 giving the Tigers their first defeat of the season and enabling QB Tevin Washington to rush for 176 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown breaking a school record 76 In 2012 Georgia Tech was declared the winner of the ACC Coastal Division on November 19 2012 clinching it with a victory over Duke 42 24 and finishing with a 5 3 ACC record Georgia Tech played against Florida State in the 2012 ACC Championship Game which was coach Paul Johnson s second appearance in the title game The Yellow Jackets lost to the Seminoles 21 15 77 78 79 nbsp GT vs Duke 11 17 12The 2014 Yellow Jackets despite being predicted to finish 5th in Coastal Division by ESPN garnered a 10 2 regular season record 6 2 ACC 80 including wins over then No 19 Clemson and No 9 Georgia to finish the regular season ranked No 11 by the recently created College Football Playoff Committee The highlight of the season was an overtime thriller that lead to the defeat of the Bulldogs in Athens featuring Harrison Butker s 53 yard field goal that sent the game into overtime a 1 yard rushing touchdown by RB Zack Laskey and a game clinching interception of UGA quarterback Hutson Mason s throw by cornerback D J White 81 Georgia Tech met No 4 Florida State in the 2014 ACC Championship Game in Charlotte North Carolina losing 37 35 82 Following their conference championship Florida State was chosen in the top four ranked No 3 under which circumstance the Orange Bowl selected Georgia Tech now No 12 as its replacement to face the No 7 Mississippi State Bulldogs on December 31 2014 83 Justin Thomas led the Jackets to a dominating 49 34 win for the Yellow Jackets finishing the season 11 3 No 8 in AP poll and No 7 in the American Coaches Poll The 2015 season showed the Yellow Jackets a 3 9 record after numerous injuries throughout the entire year Their only notable win was a 22 16 upset over No 9 Florida State on Tech s Homecoming Night when the Yellow Jackets blocked an attempted field goal by Florida State Kicker Roberto Aguayo which was picked up by Lance Austin and returned for the game winning touchdown This was later coined the Miracle on Techwood Drive 84 85 2015 year marked the first year since 1996 that Georgia Tech did not make a bowl appearance The next year 2016 marked a bounce back season with the Yellow Jackets led by team captain Justin Thomas posting a 9 4 record including a win over Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Bowl 2016 also saw a 28 27 victory over Georgia in Athens featuring a 14 point comeback in the 4th quarter topped off by a 6 yard TD rush on third down by Qua Searcy with 30 seconds left in the game The Yellow Jackets took a step back in 2017 finishing 5 6 4 4 ACC with close losses to Tennessee 42 41 in 2OT at the Chick Fil A Kickoff Game in the newly constructed Mercedes Benz Stadium and at Miami 25 24 Despite starting the 2018 season 1 3 the Yellow Jackets rallied to finish the regular season 7 5 The most notable victory was that against rival Virginia Tech making Georgia Tech the only conference opponent to win three consecutive games in Lane Stadium against Virginia Tech 86 The season ended with the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl where the Jackets fell 34 10 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers 87 Johnson announced his retirement on November 28 2018 effective following the team s bowl game 88 Geoff Collins was named Johnson s replacement on December 7 2018 89 Geoff Collins era 2019 2022 edit Geoff Collins was announced on December 7 2018 as the new head coach to replace the retiring Paul Johnson starting the 2019 season 90 Collins was hired under a seven year contract worth more than 23 million 91 Geoff Collins a native of Conyers Georgia was previously the head coach at Temple defensive coordinator at Mississippi State and Florida and previously worked with Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant and recruiting coordinator 92 In his first season the Jackets experienced several significant losses A loss against The Citadel was the Jackets first loss against an FCS opponent since 1983 and a 45 0 loss to Virginia Tech was the Jackets first shutout loss at Bobby Dodd Stadium since 1957 93 94 Geoff Collins was fired from Georgia Tech along with athletic director Todd Stansbury on September 25 2022 after three 3 win seasons and a 1 3 start in 2022 His final record at Georgia Tech was 10 28 one of the worst coaching records in Georgia Tech history 95 Brent Key era 2022 present edit Brent Key a Georgia Tech alumnus and football letterwinner who at the time was the OL coach was named the interim for the rest of the 2022 season Key led the Yellow Jackets to a 4 4 record over the final eight games of the 2022 season The four wins included two road victories over nationally ranked opponents a 26 21 win at No 24 Pitt in his first game at the helm on October 1 and a 21 17 triumph at No 13 North Carolina on November 19 The Jackets overcame a plethora of injuries which included its top two quarterbacks to finish 5 7 overall and 4 4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play after a 1 3 start The overall and conference win totals were Tech s highest since 2018 as was its fourth place finish in the ACC Coastal Division standings Key s Jackets also defeated the three teams that finished ahead of them in the coastal division North Carolina Pitt and Duke nbsp Tech enters the field before a game with North Carolina in 2023 On Tuesday November 29 2022 the interim tag was stripped and Key was named Georgia Tech s 21st head football coach One of Key s most memorable wins came on October 7 2023 when following an embarrassing loss to Bowling Green the week prior the Yellow Jackets defeated the then 17th ranked Miami Hurricanes Miami could have won the game by taking a knee but they ran the ball before fumbling with 26 seconds left Tech drove 74 yards in four plays to win the game on a last second 44 yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Christian Leary It was Key s third win over a ranked ACC opponent on the road Tech finished the 2023 regular season at 6 6 and made its first bowl since 2018 The Jackets went 5 3 in ACC play and finished 4th in the conference They then defeated UCF 30 17 in the Gasparilla Bowl to finish 7 6 It was their first winning season since 2018 and their first bowl win since 2016 Conference affiliations edit citation needed Independent 1892 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1898 1913 suspended in 1901 Independent 1914 1915 SIAA 1916 1921 Southern Conference 1922 1932 Southeastern Conference 1933 1963 Independent 1964 1982 Atlantic Coast Conference 1983 present Championships editNational championships edit Georgia Tech has been named national champion seven times by NCAA designated major selectors 96 111 114 97 Georgia Tech claims the 1917 1928 1952 and 1990 championships 98 149 150 Season Coach Selectors Record Bowl Result Final AP Final Coaches1917 John Heisman Billingsley Helms Houlgate NCF 9 0 1928 William Alexander Berryman Billingsley Boand Football Research Helms Houlgate NCF Parke Davis Poling Sagarin ELO Chess 10 0 Rose Bowl W 8 7 1952 Bobby Dodd Berryman Billingsley INS Poling Sagarin ELO Chess 12 0 Sugar Bowl W 24 7 No 2 No 21990 Bobby Ross Dunkel FACT NCF Sagarin ELO Chess UPI Coaches 11 0 1 Citrus Bowl W 45 21 No 2 No 1Conference championships edit Georgia Tech has won 16 conference championships nine outright and seven shared Their 2009 ACC championship was later vacated by the NCAA 99 100 Year Conference Coach Overall record Conference record1916 SIAA John Heisman 8 0 1 5 01917 9 0 4 01918 6 1 3 01920 William Alexander 8 1 5 01921 8 1 4 01922 Southern 7 2 4 01927 8 1 1 7 0 11928 10 0 7 01939 SEC 8 2 6 01943 8 3 3 01944 8 3 4 01951 Bobby Dodd 11 0 1 7 01952 12 0 7 01990 ACC Bobby Ross 11 0 1 6 0 11998 George O Leary 10 2 7 12009 Paul Johnson 11 3 7 1 Co champions Vacated by the NCAA Division championships edit Georgia Tech has won five division championships with four of those leading to an appearance in the ACC Championship Game Year Division Coach Opponent CG Result2006 ACC Coastal Chan Gailey Wake Forest L 6 92008 Paul Johnson N A lost tiebreaker to Virginia Tech2009 Clemson W 39 342012 Florida State L 15 212014 Florida State L 35 37 Co championsHead coaches editMain article List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head football coaches List of Georgia Tech head coaches 101 Ernest West 1892 Frank O Spain and Leonard Wood 1893 1894 No team 1895 No coach 1896 1897 Rufus B Nalley 1898 Harris T Collier 1899 1900 Cyrus W Strickler 1901 John McKee 1902 1903 John Heisman 1904 1919 William Alexander 1920 1944 Bobby Dodd 1945 1966 Bud Carson 1967 1971 Bill Fulcher 1972 1973 Pepper Rodgers 1974 1979 Bill Curry 1980 1986 Bobby Ross 1987 1991 Bill Lewis 1992 1994 George O Leary 1994 2001 Mac McWhorter 2001 Chan Gailey 2002 2007 Jon Tenuta 2007 Paul Johnson 2008 2018 Geoff Collins 2019 2022 Brent Key 2022 present InterimBowl games editGeorgia Tech has appeared in 46 bowl games and compiled a record of 26 20 102 Georgia Tech s first four bowl game appearances the Rose Bowl 1929 Orange Bowl 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic 1943 and Sugar Bowl 1944 marked the first time a team had competed in all four of the Major Bowl Games 103 Year Bowl Coach Opponent Result1928 Rose Bowl William Alexander California W 8 71939 Orange Bowl Missouri W 21 71942 Cotton Bowl Classic Texas L 7 141943 Sugar Bowl Tulsa W 20 181944 Orange Bowl Tulsa L 12 261946 Oil Bowl Bobby Dodd Saint Mary s CA W 41 191947 Orange Bowl Kansas W 20 141951 Orange Bowl Baylor W 17 141952 Sugar Bowl Ole Miss W 24 71953 Sugar Bowl West Virginia W 42 191954 Cotton Bowl Classic Arkansas W 14 61955 Sugar Bowl Pittsburgh W 7 01956 Gator Bowl Pittsburgh W 21 141959 Gator Bowl Arkansas L 7 141961 Gator Bowl Penn State L 15 301962 Bluebonnet Bowl Missouri L 10 141965 Gator Bowl Texas Tech W 31 211966 Orange Bowl Florida L 12 271970 Sun Bowl Bud Carson Texas Tech W 17 91971 Peach Bowl Ole Miss L 18 411972 Liberty Bowl Bill Fulcher Iowa State W 31 301978 Peach Bowl Pepper Rodgers Purdue L 21 411985 Hall of Fame Classic Bill Curry Michigan State W 17 141990 Florida Citrus Bowl Bobby Ross Nebraska W 45 211991 Aloha Bowl Stanford W 18 171997 Carquest Bowl George O Leary West Virginia W 35 301998 Gator Bowl Notre Dame W 35 281999 Gator Bowl Miami L 13 282000 Peach Bowl LSU L 14 282001 Seattle Bowl Mac McWhorter Stanford W 24 142002 Silicon Valley Football Classic Chan Gailey Fresno State L 21 302004 Humanitarian Bowl Tulsa W 52 102004 Champs Sports Bowl Syracuse W 51 142005 Emerald Bowl Utah L 10 382006 Gator Bowl West Virginia L 35 382007 Humanitarian Bowl Jon Tenuta Fresno State L 28 402008 Chick fil A Bowl Paul Johnson LSU L 3 382009 Orange Bowl Iowa L 14 242010 Independence Bowl Air Force L 7 142011 Sun Bowl Utah L 27 302012 Sun Bowl USC W 21 72013 Music City Bowl Ole Miss L 17 252014 Orange Bowl Mississippi State W 49 342016 TaxSlayer Bowl Kentucky W 33 182018 Quick Lane Bowl Minnesota L 10 342023 Gasparilla Bowl Brent Key UCF W 30 17 Interim New Year s Six bowl gameHome stadium editMain article Bobby Dodd Stadium nbsp Grant Field and the east stands around 1912The Yellow Jackets play their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in Atlanta Georgia Upon his hiring in 1904 John Heisman insisted that the Institute acquire its own football field Grant Field was constructed to appease Heisman as well as bring a true home field advantage to Tech football 104 From 1893 to 1912 the team used area parks such as Brisbane Park Ponce de Leon Park and Piedmont Park as the home field 105 Georgia Tech took out a seven year lease on what is now the southern end of Grant Field although the land was not adequate for sports due to its unleveled rocky nature In 1905 Heisman had 300 convict laborers clear rocks remove tree stumps and level out the field for play Tech students then built a grandstand on the property The land was purchased by 1913 and John W Grant donated 15 000 towards the construction of the field s first permanent stands the field was named Grant Field in honor of the donor s deceased son Hugh Inman Grant 105 106 The stadium now sits amongst a unique urban skyline and is among the oldest Division I FBS football stadiums In fact the only Division I stadiums older are Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Stadium 107 Grant Field was natural grass until 1971 The astroturf was replaced by grass in 1995 104 The stadium officially holds 55 000 but has held up to 56 412 in 2005 108 and 56 680 in 2006 109 On February 26 2019 Georgia Tech officials unveiled plans to hold one home game per season from 2020 to 2024 five games total at Mercedes Benz Stadium located less than one mile from the Georgia Tech main campus with the series dubbed Mayhem at MBS However due to the COVID 19 pandemic on July 30 2020 the 2020 game against Notre Dame was moved back to Bobby Dodd Stadium and the agreement with MBS was extended to six years running through 2026 comprising six games 110 111 112 113 Logos and uniforms editThe interlocking GT logo was created in 1967 at the request of Bobby Dodd One of the varsity players was asked to design a logo for the helmets Several variations of the design were submitted including a yellow jacket design The yellow jacket was not submitted because to make the insect look mean it would have to be stinging and therefore flying backwards The interlocking GT was selected during the summer of 1967 and formalized into decals for the helmets Over the years it became the official logo for Georgia Tech Athletics 114 When head coach Paul Johnson was hired in 2008 the Yellow Jackets adopted a new uniform style One year later the uniforms were altered to change the yellow to gold A year after that the uniforms were altered again This time the team adopted separate white uniforms for both home and away games while retaining the previous styles navy and gold jerseys for occasions when the Yellow Jackets could not wear white at home citation needed In 2018 after nearly 40 years of being with Russell Athletic Georgia Tech switched to Adidas With the change came more consistent branding across all sports and a custom shade of gold for the team as well as new uniforms that entwine progressive and traditional elements The uniforms were updated in 2022 with a more classic look Rivalries editGeorgia edit Main article Clean Old Fashioned Hate Georgia Tech s fight songs and cheers are tailored to belittle the Georgia Bulldogs and the perennial catch phrase for Georgia Tech fans for many decades has been To Hell with Georgia Georgia Tech and the Univ of Georgia have played each other in football over 100 times and hundreds more times in basketball baseball track and field tennis etc and this rivalry has become known as Clean Old Fashioned Hate They have been heated rivals since 1893 The annual football game is by far the most important game on the schedule for most Georgia Tech sports fans The winner of this game takes home the Georgia State Governor s Cup Georgia Tech trails Georgia in the all time series 71 41 5 through the 2023 season 115 Auburn edit Main article Auburn Georgia Tech football rivalry The Yellow Jackets have played the Auburn Tigers more than 90 times in football and the series of football games between the two is the second oldest in the Southeast Auburn Univ or A P I is by far Georgia Tech s second most often played opponent in football 116 The rivalry is also intense in basketball baseball etc The first game took place on November 25 1892 in Atlanta Georgia They played in the SIAA until it was defunct in 1922 before joining the Southeastern Conference This rivalry lost some luster when the Georgia Tech Athletics discarded its membership in the Southeastern Conference in 1963 to become an independent institute However the Yellow Jackets continued their annual series of football games with the Auburn Tigers through 1987 Georgia Tech and Auburn play football games in occasional years and games in other sports regularly Even though the Yellow Jackets have joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for all sports in recent decades from a historical perspective the Auburn Tigers are Georgia Tech s second highest sports rivalry behind only the Georgia Bulldogs 116 Auburn leads in the all time series 47 41 4 with the last game played in 2005 117 Clemson edit Main article Clemson Georgia Tech football rivalry The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Clemson Tigers have the fourth most played series in Georgia Tech football history They have been rivals since 1898 and Clemson is Tech s closest opponent geographically in the Atlantic Coast Conference Also in the ACC s new two division arrangement each team has one football opponent in the opposite division which has been selected as the two teams official cross division rival that they play every year The Yellow Jackets and the Clemson Tigers are one of these six pairs 118 In addition to their geographical closeness and the Heisman connection the Georgia Tech Clemson pairing is also a logical one because of both schools long history in engineering technology and science education Recently the game has become known for last minute extremely close finishes From 1996 to 2001 each of the six games was decided by exactly three points In 1977 before the Yellow Jackets had even joined the ACC this football series was being considered for termination by the administration of Georgia Tech Clemson football fans in an effort to show their economic impact on the Atlanta Ga area brought with them to Atlanta large stockpiles of two dollar bills that were stamped with Clemson Tiger Paws 119 Georgia Tech leads Clemson in the all time series 50 32 2 through the 2019 season 120 Virginia Tech edit Main article Georgia Tech Virginia Tech football rivalry The rivalry with Virginia Tech has grown considerably since Virginia Tech entered the ACC In previous years the teams played infrequently The intra conference game has often seen both teams ranked and the outcome has played a key part in determining the winner of the ACC Coastal Division Since the ACC switched to Division format in 2005 the winner of this game has gone on to win the Coastal Division all but once with VT winning six times and GT winning four times 121 Dubbed the Battle of the Techs the game has seen some very close very intense match ups 122 Virginia Tech leads the series 11 8 through the 2022 season 123 Tennessee edit Main article Georgia Tech Tennessee football rivalry Georgia Tech and Tennessee hadn t met since 1987 until losing a heart breaking Labor Day game in Atlanta in 2017 that renewed the rivalry between the two 124 When Georgia Tech was part of the Southeastern Conference they played annually After Georgia Tech left the SEC in 1964 the teams still met until 1987 The series dates back to 1902 and Tennessee leads the series 25 17 2 with the last game played in the 2017 season 125 Vanderbilt edit Main article Georgia Tech Vanderbilt football rivalry The Yellow Jackets and the Vanderbilt Commodores first met in 1892 in Atlanta Georgia with Vanderbilt winning 20 10 126 Since 1924 the winning team in the series has received a silver plated cowbell with the year and final score of each game engraved on it The trophy was created by Ed F Cavaleri was described by the Atlanta Constitution as a faithful Georgia Tech supporter though he did not attend the Jacket institution according to Georgia Tech s website Cavaleri purchased a cowbell at an Atlanta hardware store to use as a noise maker while on his way to a game in 1924 The Commodores defeated Georgia Tech 3 0 however another fan in attendance suggested that Cavaleri award the bell to the winning team The tradition was born and Cavaleri attended every game between the two teams from 1924 to 1967 127 The cowbell has a gold plate screwed into each side with GEORGIA TECH VANDERBILT FOOTBALL TROPHY inscribed at the top Three columns list the year of each game Georgia Tech s points scored and Vanderbilt s points scored The results of the games from 1924 to 1967 are engraved on one side the results from 2002 2003 2009 and 2016 are on the other 128 Georgia Tech is 20 15 3 against Vanderbilt in 38 games The Yellow Jackets won the last matchup 38 7 in 2016 Alabama edit Main article Alabama Georgia Tech football rivalry The Crimson Tide and the Yellow Jackets have played 52 times in a rivalry that dates back to 1902 129 With the exception of a four year break during World War II 1943 1946 they squared off annually from 1922 to 1963 as members of the Southern Conference 1922 1932 and Southeastern Conference 1933 1963 The rivalry continued for one season after Georgia Tech withdrew from the SEC in 1964 then was renewed again with games in six straight seasons from 1979 to 1984 With 52 previous meetings Alabama is Georgia Tech s fifth most common all time opponent behind only Georgia 114 meetings Auburn 92 Duke 87 and Clemson 85 130 Alabama and Georgia Tech announced in January 2020 that they are set to renew the rivalry after 36 years in 2030 and 2031 131 Alabama leads the series 28 21 3 and the Yellow Jackets won the last matchup 16 6 in 1984 Significant series editNotre Dame edit This series began in 1922 The Fighting Irish were a longtime rival of the Yellow Jackets and the two teams met periodically on an annual basis over the years particularly from 1963 to 1981 when both schools were independents following Tech s departure from the Southeastern Conference The 1975 Georgia Tech Notre Dame game marked the sole appearance in an Irish uniform of Rudy Ruettiger the subject of the film Rudy When Georgia Tech joined the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning in 1982 they were forced to end the series after 1981 because of scheduling difficulties Consequently the two teams have met very infrequently since then Georgia Tech was the opponent in the inaugural game in the newly expanded Notre Dame Stadium in 1997 then a year later they met again in the Gator Bowl The Fighting Irish and Yellow Jackets met in the 2006 and 2007 season openers and split both games The rivalry resumed in 2015 with a 30 22 Irish win in South Bend and will continue on a semi regular basis as Georgia Tech and Notre Dame are scheduled to face off five times in the next ten years starting in 2020 132 Notre Dame is set to play Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium in 2020 and 2024 Georgia Tech will travel to South Bend in 2021 133 Notre Dame leads the series 29 6 1 134 Duke edit The Blue Devils and the Yellow Jackets have played 88 times in a series that dates back to 1933 and every year since 135 There was a long period of Duke dominance in the series from 1936 to 1945 The Blue Devils won all but one matchup including a six game win streak the longest in the series for Duke The win streak also came in the glory days for Duke football as the 1930s and 1940s featured the best Duke football teams From 1946 to 1984 the series would be rather back and forth teams exchanging periods of dominance over the other Heading into the 1984 season the series was deadlock at 25 25 1 But since then it has been nearly all Georgia Tech In the 36 matchups since 1984 the Jackets have walked away with 26 victories the Blue Devils have won just ten 136 Duke is Georgia Tech s third most common opponent all time behind only Georgia 113 meetings and Auburn 92 137 Georgia Tech leads the series 52 35 1 This game decided the ACC Coastal Division champion in 2014 Although Duke won the game 31 25 they had a loss to Miami beforehand followed by losses to Virginia Tech and rival North Carolina which allowed the Yellow Jackets to claim the division title and a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship as they just had 2 conference losses whereas Duke had 3 Georgia Tech won the last matchup 23 20 in 2022 Tulane edit The Yellow Jackets and the Tulane Green Wave first met on November 4 1916 in Atlanta Georgia Tulane was the opponent at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the Jackets first ever televised football game a 13 7 win over the Green Wave on WSB TV on Oct 2 1948 138 Tulane is the seventh most frequent opponent for Georgia Tech 50 meetings 139 Tulane and Georgia Tech spent most of their athletic histories as members of the same conference they were among the first to join the SIAA in 1894 then Georgia Tech left in 1921 and Tulane in 1922 to join the Southern Conference Both schools moved yet again in 1932 to charter the Southeastern Conference of which they were members until Tech s departure in 1963 to become independent Tulane followed suit in 1966 but they played each other yearly until 1982 citation needed Georgia Tech is now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference while Tulane is a member of the American Athletic Conference The rivalry was renewed on September 6 2014 in the first football game played on Tulane s campus since Tulane Stadium was torn down in 1980 Georgia Tech leads the series 37 13 The Yellow Jackets won the last matchup 65 10 in 2015 Traditions editMain article Georgia Tech traditions nbsp The Ramblin Reck during a football game Colors Georgia Tech football features old gold and white uniforms with old gold helmets Navy blue and black have been used as alternate jerseys In 2006 Georgia Tech featured a throwback jersey based on Bud Carson era uniforms The jerseys were mustard gold and the helmets were white Songs The fight songs for Georgia Tech are Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech and Up With the White and Gold If Georgia Tech scores a touchdown then both songs are played with Up With the White and Gold being played after the Yellow Jackets score and Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech being played after the PAT is kicked If Georgia Tech only kicks a field goal Ramblin Wreck is played For some big plays a shortened version of either song is played Nicknames Georgia Tech football teams have had several nicknames over the years including the Blacksmiths the Engineers the Golden Tornado or just the Techs Officially the teams are called the Yellow Jackets or the Ramblin Wreck Mascots The Ramblin Reck and the yellow jacket Buzz are the mascots of Georgia Tech football The Ramblin Reck is a 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe and it has led the football team onto Grant Field every game since September 30 1961 140 Buzz began pacing the sidelines of Grant Field as a mischievous anthropomorphized yellow jacket during the 1970s 141 Buzz was ranked the number three top mascot in all of college football by America s Best and the Top Ten Web site 142 Yellow Jacket Alley Yellow Jacket Alley is an event staged before every game It is a players walk in which the team and coaches walk from the buses to the stadium and the fans surround and cheer the walking players 143 Steam Whistle An industrial steam whistle has been present on Georgia Tech s campus ever since the early industrial shop years It typically was blown for the change of classes at five minutes before the hour On football game days the whistle is blown after every Yellow Jackets score and again after every Yellow Jackets victory 144 Student Section The student sections for the Yellow Jackets home football games are primarily located in the North and South End Zones of Grant Field Until the 2011 season Flash Card displays were performed by the student section every football season since 1957 A semi official student cheering section called the Swarm is located in the North End Zone adjacent to the marching band The Swarm began in 1996 145 RAT Caps Incoming Georgia Tech freshmen are referred to as RATs which stands for Recruits At Tech although in recent years the Student Government has begun incorrectly using Recently Acquired Tech Students A RAT is encouraged to wear the gold colored beanie cap with the front bill worn turned up and bearing the student s name hometown major class year and the letters RAT A RAT should record the scores of each football game on the sides of their RAT Cap written right side up for victories upside down for losses and sideways for ties A RAT should write the Good Word on their caps To HELL with georgia It is the responsibility of a RAT to know the fight songs the Alma Mater all of the cheers and the Good Word Before ACC conference regulations prohibited the practice upperclassmen ordered RATs on the field before each home game and RATs would line up in the end zone along both sides of the entryway from the locker room forming an alleyway for the Ramblin Reck to drive through leading the team out onto the field The ACC forced an end to this tradition after the 1980 season The RAT cap tradition is most strictly observed by members of the marching band Marching Band Even though Georgia Tech is a high ranking Institute of Technology and not a college of the arts and humanities it still fields a 300 member marching band at all home football games and Bowl Games A smaller Pep Band attends road games which the full band doesn t attend Among other songs the Yellow Jacket Marching Band always plays the Georgia Tech fight songs and the Alma Mater and in addition it plays When You Say Budweiser You ve Said It All at the completion of the third quarter Individual achievements editSee also List of Georgia Institute of Technology athletes American football and List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Starting Quarterbacks Heisman Trophy finalists edit Georgia Tech has had several players receive votes in the Heisman Trophy balloting Eddie Prokop finished fifth in the 1943 Heisman voting 146 Lenny Snow was fourteenth in 1966 147 Eddie Lee Ivery was eighth in 1978 148 and Calvin Johnson was tenth in 2006 149 Billy Lothridge is the only Tech player to receive votes in multiple years He was eighth in 1962 and runner up in 1963 147 Clint Castleberry was the only freshman in the history of the Heisman to finish as high as third until Herschel Walker s third place finish in 1980 150 Castleberry and Walker however were both surpassed in 2004 by true freshman Adrian Peterson s Heisman runner up season Joe Hamilton tied Lothridge s runner up status in 1999 151 Year Name Position Finish1942 Clint Castleberry HB 3rd1943 Eddie Prokop QB 5th1963 Billy Lothridge QB 2nd1999 Joe Hamilton QB 2ndAll Americans edit Georgia Tech has fielded 50 First Team All Americans The first All Americans at Tech were Walker Carpenter and Everett Strupper in 1917 while the most recent were Durant Brooks in 2007 152 Michael Johnson in 2008 Derrick Morgan in 2009 and Shaquille Mason in 2014 Name Position Selected HometownMaxie Baughan C 1959 Bessemer AlabamaRay Beck G 1951 Cedartown GeorgiaDon Bessillieu DB 1978 Decatur GeorgiaJim Breland C 1966 Blacksburg VirginiaGeorge Broadnax E 1948 AtlantaDurant Brooks P 2007 Macon GeorgiaChris Brown T 2000 Augusta GeorgiaPete Brown OC 1952 Rossville GeorgiaGerry Bussell DB 1964 Jacksonville FloridaWalker Carpenter T 1917 Newnan GeorgiaMarco Coleman OLB 1990 Dayton OhioBobby Davis T 1947 Columbus GeorgiaJohn Davis T 1985 Ellijay GeorgiaA M Day C 1918 Paul Duke C 1946 AtlantaBill Fincher E 1918 1920 Smylie Gebhart DE 1971 Meridian MississippiRufus Guthrie G 1962 AtlantaJoe Guyon T HB 1918 White Earth MinnesotaJoe Hamilton QB 1999 Alvin South CarolinaLeon Hardeman HB 1952 LaFayette GeorgiaHarvey Hardy G 1942 Marion AlabamaPressley Harvin III P 2020 Alcolu South CarolinaBill Healy DG 1948 Robert Ison E 1939 Calvin Johnson WR 2005 2006 Tyrone GeorgiaMichael Johnson DE 2008 Selma AlabamaBilly Lothridge QB 1963 Gainesville GeorgiaBilly Martin E 1963 Gainesville GeorgiaBuck Martin E 1952 Haleyville AlabamaShaquille Mason OG 2014 Columbia TennesseeHal Miller OT 1952 Kingsport TennesseeWarner Mizell HB 1928 Derrick Morgan DE 2009 Coatesville PennsylvaniaBobby Moorhead DB 1952 Miami FloridaGeorge Morris LB 1952 Vicksburg MississippiLarry Morris C 1953 Decatur GeorgiaCraig Page C 1998 Jupiter FloridaRock Perdoni DT 1970 Wellesley MassachusettsPeter Pund C 1928 Augusta GeorgiaRandy Rhino DB 1972 Charlotte North CarolinaColeman Rudolph DT 1992 Valdosta GeorgiaLucius Sanford LB 1977 AtlantaScott Sisson K 1992 Marietta GeorgiaLenny Snow TB 1966 Daytona Beach FloridaFrank Speer T 1928 AtlantaJohn Steber G 1943 Don Stephenson C 1956 Bessemer AlabamaEverett Strupper HB 1917 Columbus GeorgiaKen Swilling FS 1990 Toccoa GeorgiaPat Swilling DE 1985 Toccoa GeorgiaPhil Tinsley E 1944 Bessemer AlabamaLamar Wheat DT 1951 Chattanooga TennesseePosition award winners edit Four Georgia Tech players have been awarded the highest collegiate award possible for their position Joe Hamilton won the Davey O Brien Award after his senior season in 1999 Calvin Johnson won the Fred Biletnikoff Award after his junior season in 2006 and Durant Brooks and Pressley Harvin III won the Ray Guy Award in 2007 and 2020 respectively Hamilton and Johnson were the only Tech players to be named ACC Player of the Year until Jonathan Dwyer received the honor in 2008 153 Name Award YearJoe Hamilton O Brien 1999Calvin Johnson Biletnikoff 2006Durant Brooks Ray Guy 2007Pressley Harvin III Ray Guy 2020Post collegiate accolades edit College Football Hall of Fame edit Georgia Tech has had three coaches and 14 players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame just down the street in Atlanta 154 155 Coaches Heisman Alexander and Dodd were inducted in the 1954 1951 and 1993 classes respectively Name Position Played InductedMaxie Baughan C 1957 1959 1988Ray Beck G 1948 1951 1997Bobby Davis T 1944 1947 1978Bill Fincher E T 1916 1920 1974Buck Flowers HB 1918 1920 1955Joe Guyon HB T 1917 1918 1971Joe Hamilton QB 1996 1999 2014Calvin Johnson WR 2004 2006 2018George Morris C 1950 1952 1981Larry Morris C 1951 1954 1992Peter Pund C 1926 1928 1963Randy Rhino S 1972 1974 2002Everett Strupper HB 1915 1917 1972Pat Swilling DE 1982 1985 2009NFL Draft edit Main article List of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the NFL Draft Georgia Tech has over 150 alumni that have played in the National Football League 156 Tech has had ten players selected in the first round of the NFL draft since its inception in 1937 157 The first Georgia Tech player ever to be drafted was Middleton Fitzsimmons in 1937 He was drafted 2nd in the 10th round by the Chicago Bears 158 The first Tech player selected in the first round was Eddie Prokop in 1945 and the most recent first round Yellow Jackets were Demaryius Thomas and Derrick Morgan in 2010 157 First round draft picksName Position Year Overall pick TeamEddie Prokop QB 1945 4 Boston YanksLarry Morris LB 1955 7 L A RamsRufus Guthrie OG 1963 10 L A RamsKent Hill OG 1979 26 L A RamsEddie Lee Ivery RB 1979 15 Green Bay PackersMarco Coleman DE 1992 12 Miami DolphinsKeith Brooking LB 1998 12 Atlanta FalconsCalvin Johnson WR 2007 2 Detroit LionsDemaryius Thomas WR 2010 22 Denver BroncosDerrick Morgan DE 2010 16 Tennessee TitansPro Football Hall of Fame edit Three Yellow Jackets have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 159 Joe Guyon played professional football from 1920 to 1927 Guyon was a collegiate teammate of Jim Thorpe at Carlisle Indian Industrial School before transferring to Georgia Tech His playing career began with the Canton Bulldogs and finished with the New York Giants He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 1966 160 Billy Shaw played professional football for the Buffalo Bills from 1961 to 1969 He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 1999 161 Calvin Johnson played for the Detroit Lions from 2007 to 2015 He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 2021 his first year of eligibility 162 Name Position Played InductedJoe Guyon HB T 1920 1927 1966Billy Shaw OG 1961 1969 1999Calvin Johnson WR 2007 2015 2021Future opponents editAnnounced schedules as of November 17 2023 163 164 With the ACC announcing a 17 team schedule Georgia Tech plays the following games with no annual rival Georgia Tech plays each team in the ACC at minimum once every 4 years Year Non conference opponents Home ACC games Away ACC games2024 vs Georgia State 8 31 vs VMI 9 14 vs Notre Dame1 10 19 at Georgia 11 30 vs Florida State2 8 24 vs Duke vs Miami FL vs NC State at Louisville at North Carolina at Syracuse at Virginia Tech2025 at Colorado 8 30 vs Gardner Webb 9 6 vs Temple 9 20 vs Georgia 11 29 vs Clemson vs Pittsburgh vs Syracuse vs Virginia Tech at Boston College at Duke at NC State at Wake Forest2026 vs Colorado 9 5 at Georgia State 9 19 at Georgia 11 28 vs Boston College vs Duke vs Louisville vs Wake Forest at Clemson at Pittsburgh at Stanford at Virginia Tech2027 vs Arkansas State 9 4 at Notre Dame 10 2 vs Georgia 11 27 vs California vs North Carolina vs Louisville vs Virginia at Florida State at Miami FL at Southern Methodist at Wake Forest2028 at Georgia 11 25 vs Clemson vs Pittsburgh vs Southern Methodist vs Stanford at California at Duke at Louisville at Virginia2029 at Notre Dame 11 3 vs Georgia 11 24 vs Florida State vs Louisville vs Virginia vs Virginia Tech at Boston College at Clemson at Southern Methodist at Wake Forest2030 vs Alabama 8 31 at Georgia 11 30 vs Boston College vs California vs Southern Methodist vs Wake Forest at Louisville at Miami FL at Stanford at Syracuse2031 at Alabama 8 30 vs Georgia 11 29 2032 vs Notre Dame 10 30 at Georgia 11 27 2033 vs Georgia 11 26 2034 at Georgia 11 25 2035 vs Georgia 11 24 2036 vs Notre Dame 9 27 at Georgia 11 29 2037 vs Georgia 11 28 1 The 2024 game with Notre Dame will be played at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta GA 2 The 2024 game with Florida State will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin IrelandNotes edit The Macon Telegraph reported The game while not brilliant was full of earnest and determined effort and this sort of playing is after all the most enjoyable to watch 6 From 1915 to 1920 the team went 45 5 2 and outscored opponents 2180 to 142 The yearbook remarked Bill began his great work on the sand lots of Tech Hi here in Atlanta years ago and ended it up by smearing Fatty Warren of the Auburn Tigers all over the flats of Grant Field on Turkey Day last 20 Morgan Blake sports writer for the Atlanta Journal said of an all time All Southern list 25 It seems to us that one name is left out in this collection who may have been the best all around player the South has had We have reference to Doug Wycoff of Tech who for three straight years was practically the unanimous all Southern football choice despite the fact that Georgia Tech had very lean years during his period of play at this institution If Wycoff had been flanked by such a pair of halfbacks as Red Barron and Buck Flowers or Thomason and Mizell while he was with the Jackets he would have been an all American As it was he had to carry all of the offensive load and on the defense he was a wheelhorse He was a great punter and passer If Wycoff was not the best all around player the South had produced then he was very close to the peak Tech traveled by train to meet the awaiting Golden Bears Vance Maree blocked the punt After the game Stumpy Thomason acquired a live bear cub He brought the cub back to Atlanta where it lived under the bleachers of Grant Field for several years before it moved along with Stumpy up to Pittsburgh 30 Despite an extensive six day search involving American and British search crews on November 23 1944 all crew members were officially re classified from MIA to KNB killed no body 33 References edit NCAA Statistics https stats ncaa org teams history utf8 amp org id 255 amp sport code MFB amp commit Search Georgia Tech Athletics Athletics Brand Guidelines Retrieved April 19 2019 The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Official Athletic Site RamblinWreck com Archived from the original on June 27 2013 Retrieved January 14 2017 NCAA Record https stats ncaa org teams history utf8 amp org id 255 amp sport code MFB amp commit Search a b Thamel Pete 2006 01 01 Grier Integrated a Game and Earned the World s Respect New York Times Archived from the original on June 20 2015 Retrieved 2009 04 15 Macon Telegraph November 6 1892 Archived February 21 2009 at the Wayback Machine Byrd Joseph Spring 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2023 Bibliography editMcMath Robert C Bayor Ronald H Brittain James E Foster Lawrence Giebelhaus August W Reed Germaine M 1985 Engineering the New South Georgia Tech 1885 1985 Athens Georgia University of Georgia Press Wallace Robert 1969 Dress Her in WHITE and GOLD A biography of Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Foundation External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football Official website nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football amp oldid 1206946759, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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