Georgia Bulldog football greats Ben Zambiasi and Pat Dye enter Georgia-Florida Hall of fame
Former All-American Georgia Bulldog football greats Ben Zambiasi and Pat Dye will enter the Georgia-Florida game Hall of Fame.
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Georgiadogs.com quotes Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. “For decades, the annual Georgia-Florida game has been a showcase for top college football talent. The Hall of Fame is an opportunity for all of us to remember and honor the players who displayed greatness on the playing field and thrilled football fans far and wide.”
Ben Zambiasi
Ben Zambiasi led the Bulldogs in tackles from 1975 – 1977 and finished his career with 467 career tackles – still a school record. He earned All-America honors in 1976 and All-SEC Honors in 1975, ’76, and ’77. Zambiasi led the `Dogs to the 1976 SEC Championship and appearances in the 1976 Cotton Bowl and 1977 Sugar Bowl. He played 11 years in the Canadian Football League, and entered the CFL Hall of Fame in 2004.
Georgia Coach Vince Dooley: “In all my years of coaching, I never coached a more intense and tenacious football player than Ben Zambiasi.”
Pat Dye
Pat Dye earned a first team All-SEC spot as a lineman in 1958 and All-American honors in 1959 and 1960.
Dye never lost to the Jackets as a player or coach.
Quick and with a knack for the big play, Dye deflected a Gator pass into a teammate’s arm for a touchdown-scoring interception in 1959. A week later, he recovered the Auburn fumble in that led to Fran Tarkenton’s last second pass to win the 1959 Georgia SEC Championship. In 1960, Dye blocked a Georgia Tech extra point to give Wally Butts a victory over the Jackets in his final game as head coach preserve a record few can claim – Dye never lost to the Jackets as a player or coach.
Dye also played for Edmonton in the Canadian Football League alongside his brother Nat.
He served as head coach at Auburn for 12 years and was SEC Coach of the Year in 1983, ’87 and ’88. He also served as head coached at East Carolina for six years and Wyoming for one. Despite no coaching experience and after a two year stint in the Army, Bear Bryant hired Dye to coach and recruit. Dye coached linebackers at Alabama for Bear Bryant from1966 to 1973.
Dye entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 as a coach.
Pat Dye is not mentioned in this video, but his fumble recovery is.