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A Georgia Bulldogs fan shouldn’t be too sad to see the Georgia Dome go

By Kyle Funderburk

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 3: Quarterback D.J. Shockley #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs breaks away from defenders Claude Wroten #98 and E.J. Kuale #51 of the Louisiana State University Tigers during the 2005 SEC Football Championship Game on December 3, 2005 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia won 34-14. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - DECEMBER 3: Quarterback D.J. Shockley #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs breaks away from defenders Claude Wroten #98 and E.J. Kuale #51 of the Louisiana State University Tigers during the 2005 SEC Football Championship Game on December 3, 2005 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia won 34-14. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Should fans of the Georgia Bulldogs miss the Georgia Dome when it’s torn down?

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted its first game Saturday and soon the Georgia Dome will be torn down to make way for new parking spaces. The Georgia Dome, while innovative in 1993, fell behind in the stadium arms race by 2010.

In response, Atlanta Falcons and United FC owner Arthur Blank had the Mercedes-Benz Stadium built. And it is an impressive structure both inside and out. And like that, an era of Atlanta sports comes to a close and a new one begins.

The Falcons saw their franchise transform from bottom feeder, to division contender, to being a top-notch NFL franchise in the Georgia Dome’s lifetime. The SEC Championship Game became one of the most anticipated and most watched games of the college football season.

Then in basketball, the SEC moved the men’s tournament into the Dome. The NCAA also hosted several Final Four’s there. It can’t be understated that the Georgia Dome was a very important venue in the world of sports.

But the Georgia Bulldogs can’t say they achieved much success in the Georgia Dome. In fact, Georgia football had a losing record there. The bulldogs only visited the dome 11 times, three Peach Bowls, two Chick-Fil-A Season Kickoff Games, five SEC Championship Games, and the 2006 Sugar Bowl when Atlanta hosted it because of Hurricane Katrina.

Georgia’s record in those 11 games? 5-6, under .500. Ray Goff’s Bulldogs lost their first game there in 1995 when they allowed Virginia to score on a kickoff after taking the lead with only a few seconds remaining.

They did get revenge against Virginia with a close win in 1998. Georgia also came back from a 24-3 halftime deficit to defeat Virginia tech in the 2006 Chick-Fil-A Bowl. But that followed Georgia’s embarrassing loss to West Virginia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl. Then Georgia went 1-1 in kickoff games; losing to Boise State in 2011 and beating North Carolina last year.

the Bulldogs only won two of their five SEC Championship Games in the dome. They crushed Arkansas in 2002 and LSU in 2005. But they suffered blowouts to LSU in 2003 and 2011. Lastly, Georgia came up four-yards short against Alabama in 2012.

Georgia football just hasn’t had a good time in the Georgia Dome over the years. Georgia basketball has seen even less success there. Georgia never had much success in the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs suffered first round exits in 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2005. And Georgia never made it past the second round. (Georgia Dome hosted the SEC Tournament in 1995, 1998-2000, 2002, 2004-05, 2007-08, 2011, 2014).

Even in their best season, in 2002, Georgia couldn’t get past the first round. The Georgia Dome also hosted the Final Four that year and despite being a solid team, Georgia lost in the round of 32. And of course, the one year Georgia won the SEC Tournament, the tournament moved from the Georgia Dome to Georgia Tech because of tornadoes.

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It’s a shame that the Bulldogs never had a strong presence in the Georgia Dome. It truly was one of the best venues in sports throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s. But as the era of Mercedes-Benz Stadium begins, as does UGA’s new legacy in that stadium.

We can put our past failures in the dome behind us and let that become rubble. And the Bulldog Nation can focus on doing what we should have done to the Georgia Dome, and that’s making Mercedes-Benz Stadium our second home.

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