Georgia football countdown to kickoff: 95 days to go
The 2018 Georgia football season begins in 95 days.
We’re now down to 95 days in our countdown to kickoff of the 2018 Georgia football season. So far we’ve been taking the number of days left and reviewing something in Georgia football history that is significant with that number.
The countdown began at 100 days so the topic was games in which Georgia scored 100 points. For 99 days, the story was about Georgia’s 99th victory. Then there was a countdown of Rodrigo Blankenship’s three biggest field goals for day 98. The last two days were about specific teams. The 1997 Bulldogs for day 97, and the 1896 squad for day 96.
So who’s next? No. 95 All-SEC defensive tackle Bill Goldberg. Of course, Goldberg has way more distinctions than that. He is a one-time WCW Heavyweight Champion, WWE World Heavy Weight Champion, and WWE Universal Champion. He is also a two-time United States Champion, one-time WCW Tag Team Champion and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Aside from football and professional wrestling, Goldberg has appeared in 13 films including Looney Tunes: Back in Action and the Longest Yard. Plus 25 television shows where his roles varied from hosting shows like Bullrun and Garage Mahal, single episode appearances in Law and Order: SVU and the Flash, and in game shows like Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader.
People all around the country know Goldberg as one of the most energetic and entertaining pro-wrestlers of the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Other’s know him as a tough dude who appears in movies and TV shows to play some imposing character.
But down here in Bulldog Country, Goldberg is known as one of the best defensive players in Georgia football history. A player who was always around the ball making tackles. And he rarely missed tackles.
He left school with the seventh most tackles in a career at UGA with 348. And only two players have passed him since. No wonder one of his signature moves in wrestling was the spear. A move that resembles a perfect football tackle. In 1988, the Coaches and UPI named Goldberg on their All-SEC Team. And the Associated Press included him on their All-SEC Team in 1989.
But no one knew the superstar potential that Goldberg possessed. After a rough NFL career and stints with the Canadian Football League and the World Football League, Goldberg returned to Atlanta to pursue a pro-wrestling career in 1996.
He joined WCW’s Power Plant that year and began making televised appearances in 1997. Early on, WCW booked him into a 173-0 winning streak. Although that number was very inflated and Goldberg likely didn’t even wrestle that many matches in that span of time. But he was over with the fans. Plus it helped that WCW Nitro visited Georgia a lot where the fans already loved him.
He quickly won his first United States Championship. Soon after, WCW placed their Heavyweight Championship on him. Around this time he also co-starred in the movie Ready to Rumble which featured WCW and several other wrestlers. Although Goldberg had the largest role of all the wrestlers.
His debut during the height of wrestling’s popularity, mixed with the huge ovations he received every week cemented him as an icon of the sport. That popularity led to the dozens of appearances in other forms of media. He’s a recognizable figure whose presence can stir intrigue. People want to watch Goldberg.
He’s transcended Georgia football. But despite everything Goldberg has accomplished and done in his life, he doesn’t view his time at Georgia as insignificant. He’s still a Bulldog. His blood runs red and black. His playing days ended almost 30 years ago, but he’s remained a loyal fan.
“Obviously, I’ve paid my dues and bled my blood at Sanford Stadium. There’s no way I’d ever cheer against Georgia with any team, whether it’s my home state or not. Ultimately, it’s Georgia, no question, especially because of this team,” said Goldberg to the Athens Banner Herald last December before the Rose Bowl.
Goldberg is a native of Tulsa of Oklahoma. So few wondered where his allegiance lied for that game. But he squashed any idea that he have conflicting feelings about the game. Goldberg is a Dawg. But not only that, his son may become one as well.
A football player in his own right, Gage has attended Georgia football camps and Goldberg says his son is frothing at the mouth to follow in his father’s footsteps to play at Georgia. Although fans will have to wait a few years before Kirby Smart offers him a scholarship, he’s only 11 years old.
Before Gage can have his time between the hedges, Goldberg is enjoying watching the current crop of Dawgs.
Next: Georgia, Auburn and the college football Mecca of Atlanta
“The UGA football program needs to be feared by people. We’re not in the business of showing up and providing an entertaining football game. We need to knock the hell out of people… These guys play like a team and revel in winning as a team, not as individuals. And I’m really proud of that. These are some good kids,” said Goldberg later in the same Athens Banner Herald story.
Bill Goldberg. All-SEC defensive tackle. World Bowl Champion. Three-time world champion in professional wrestling. Actor, game show contestant, television show host. Georgia Bulldog fan. And maybe even the father of a future Bulldog. Bill Goldberg is a Damn Good Dawg.