The Georgia Bulldogs are one of the most recognizable collegiate brands in the nation, and they’ve had some pretty cool pop culture moments.
It’s always fun to spot something Georgia Bulldogs-related in a moment of pop culture. It can be something as small as a shirt or hat in a movie or TV show all the way to a viral sensation which includes the school’s beloved mascot or logo.
Pop culture is how we measure popularity at any given moment in time, and Georgia’s moments in the lexicon of modern culture have been at times fleeting and even painfully silly.
Here are some of the more memorable Georgia Bulldogs pop culture moments and tie-ins ever seen.
The Georgia Joker
On the heels of Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Batman foil, The Joker, in 2008’s The Dark Knight, people began capitalizing on the gory makeup and untamed hair that Ledger’s character brought to the screen.
Few were better at taking this idea and running with it than The Georgia Joker, who regularly appeared at UGA football games along with the UGA Spike Squad, nestled among the student section at Sanford Stadium.
The Georgia Joker (who was originally portrayed by student Pierce Wallace) became so famous he was interviewed on numerous talk shows, and was even given a segment on ESPN’s College GameDay, thanks to this infamous video prior to the big 2013 matchup against LSU.
Robert Duvall as Harry Hogge in Days of Thunder
While the Tom Cruise racing flick Days of Thunder will never be mistaken for an academy award winner, car-building Guru Harry Hogge, played by the always enjoyable Robert Duvall, is one memorable character from the movie.
Speaking with a heavy southern drawl, Hogge sported a number of baseball caps during the course of the movie, including a classic 1990s University of Georgia hat.
The whole scene is ruined, however, when somehow the UGA cap is changed to a gross-looking Florida Gators cap. The person in charge of props and costuming should have been fired.
Matthew Stafford and Hairy Dawg in Bristol, Ct.
The series of “This is SportsCenter” commercials are always great fun, and Georgia fans were treated to a classic starring UGA football great Matthew Stafford and our own costumed mascot, Hairy Dawg.
Don’t quit your day job for the acting career, Matt.
Ryan Seacrest teaches Kelly Ripa how to “Bark like a Dawg!”
Most Georgia fans know that Hollywood icon Ryan Seacrest is a Georgia fan, but he really showed his true colors while hosting Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2018.
As Seacrest spun a yarn about going to a bar in Brooklyn and watching the UGA football game, he and other Georgia fans spontaneously began the “Gooooo Dawgs! Sic ’em! Woof woof woof woof!” chant, much to the surprise of co-host Kelly Ripa. Seacrest then went into an explanation (and further demonstration) of how true Dawgs show their colors.
Bulldogs never bark alone, even on @LiveKellyRyan with @RyanSeacrest! #AlwaysADawg @FootballUGA @KirbySmartUGA @UGAAthletics pic.twitter.com/FkBBcQNMK2
— UGA (@universityofga) October 2, 2018
Samuel L. Jackson goes all-in for the Dawgs
It’s hard to find a movie made after the year 1990 that Samuel L. Jackson isn’t in, so when the Morehouse graduate and Georgia Bulldogs fan agreed to be the voice for a Georgia promo video in 2012, it was a big deal.
Jackson’s unmistakable voice resonating over mesmerizing highlights and fan shots made for one of the best and most widely-seen hype videos ever produced.
Luke Bryan representin’ on College GameDay
Luke Bryan is one of the biggest stars in country music, and when he was tapped as one of the celebrity guest pickers on the opening week of ESPN’s College GameDay in 2018, he made sure the world knew his allegiance.
Although the panel wasn’t picking a Georgia game that day, Bryan sported his spiffiest camouflage UGA hat and made sure he mentioned his love for the Georgia Bulldogs more than once.
He even grimaced when picking Alabama over Louisville. Good Dawg, Luke. Good Dawg.
Hines Ward in The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy was one of the biggest superhero box office successes, and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises was a fitting, if not somewhat melancholic, conclusion to the story.
In the early part of the film, Gotham City’s professional football team, the Gotham Rogues, is preparing to play a game that would quickly be interrupted by the sinister villain, Bane. As the ball is kicked off, none other than Georgia’s own Hines Ward manages to outrun the defense as well as the collapsing ground behind him on the way to the doomed game’s only score.
If only they’d used UGA colors rather than Pittsburgh Steelers colors, it would have been glorious.
Herschel Walker in Necessary Roughness
We may as well end this list with a little bit of Herschel.
When he played at Georgia, Herschel Walker was a man of few words and great action. He continued that personae when given a cameo — along with many other former NFL players — in the 1991 college football comedy, Necessary Roughness.
Walker gets a long look from the camera a the 00:20 mark in the video below, and as one of the “convicts” brought in to scrimmage with the Texas State Armadillos, he shows his most menacing face.
At least he didn’t swallow a finger, like Evander Holyfield.