Georgia Football: Fran Tarkenton Gift Launches Indoor Practice Campaign
The fund raising campaign for Georgia’s Indoor Practice Facility is off and running with a major commitment from one of the greatest Georgia football players ever.
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“Fran Tarkenton has always been a leader, whether it was the Athens YMCA, Athens High School, the University of Georgia, the Minnesota Vikings or New York Giants.” – Greg McGarity
Fran Tarkenton, quarterback of Georgia’s 1959 SEC Championship team, is the first Georgia football letterman to commit a six-figure gift to develop the indoor athletic facility.
“I’m excited about the plans Georgia has to build a state-of-the-art indoor athletic facility for Coach Mark Richt and our football program,” Tarkenton told Georgiadogs.com. “With all that I see going on in Athens, I believe the University and our football program are poised for greatness, which is why I am pleased to be the first letterman to commit a major gift for athletics and I encourage my fellow lettermen to step up and help us bring about this much needed facility.”
Pending approval by the University System of Regents, construction on the Indoor Athletic Facility will begin after the 2015 football season.
Tarkenton, a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, led Georgia back to prominence in the final years of Coach Wallace Butts’ tenure, quarterbacking Georgia to its first winning season in five years, completing a fourth down touchdown pass against Auburn to seal the 14-13 win on Nov. 14, 1959 and give Butts his fourth and final conference championship.
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“In addition, I believe Greg McGarity is the perfect person to lead our athletic program. He is an Athens boy, too, and I find his management style to be proactive and refreshing. He has vision and expects all of our teams to compete for championships. I like that.
“The indoor athletic facility will be significant for Coach Richt in winning championships. He has recruited well and it seems to me that he has the best coaching staff he has had at Georgia. I believe he will win another championship for us soon.”