Georgia football: meeting some legendary, Dooley-era Bulldogs
Peter Stoddard, author of “Lewis Grizzard: The Dawg That Did Not Hunt” met several great Georgia football players while and after working on his book.
During this rainy, chilly February slow sports period I’d like to introduce myself and dive into my first article. I’m a 1979 University of Georgia Marketing graduate who was away from Georgia from 1984 through 2016 for, uh, marketing stuff.
But I’m back as of 2017 and playing catch up in a hurry. In late 2018 I started looking for stuff belonging to the late, great humorist and rabid Georgia football fan, Lewis Grizzard. That led to a book, which is leading to book signings and public speaking.
On Saturday night, January 11, 2019 I was fortunate to introduce The Swingin’ Medallions on stage to a packed house at The Foundry in Athens GA. The Medallions were Lewis’ favorite band, and I heard them for the first time one year earlier, same venue. They are a chapter in the book.
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On Sunday morning, January 12, 2019 I was fortunate to attend a Sunday School class at Athens First United Methodist Church. I attended there for the first time one year earlier. There is a chapter about it in the book.
That Sunday School class is packed, and it was even “packeder” that day with a record attendance of 88. Folks in that room include many Athens titans (and titetts?), and I’ve met only a few. But I’ll tell you about only three titans here.
Don’t ask me how I got invited or by whom, subject for another time, and yes, it’s in the book. Safe to say you can’t get in that room without being invited.
A year ago I sat in the back on Rogue’s Row, where I was lucky to get a seat due to there being so many rogues in the class. The wives of those rogues have the good sense to sit way on the other side of the room where ventilation is better.
The only rogue I met in 2018 who I will identify today is Tommy Lyons. He is a gynecologist MD today, but he was once a Georgia and NFL football star. Tommy paid for and attended medical school while playing for the Denver Broncos. In his spare time, he also became an accomplished pianist. Plus he at least once won a bunch of money from Lewis Grizzard on a golf course. Tommy Lyons is the first titan.
What I did not know in 2018 is that the leader of that sunday school class then and now is Charley Whittemore. Charley is UGA’s first ever receiver only receiver. Before Charley anyone who caught a ball was an end or a running back of some sort. Charley is known to have had sure hands but feet of mud – or something like that. But if you needed a reception to keep a drive going, Charley would make it. Charley Whittemore is the second titan.
What I did not know in 2018 is that another member of that class is who Vince Dooley describes as pound-for-pound the best football player he ever coached. That guy is Steve Greer, who was so good they named his birth town and home town of Greer, South Carolina after him before he was even born. Steve is the last 200-lb. All American defensive lineman. He actually played at closer to 180 lbs. soaking wet. Steve Greer is the third titan.