It’s the end of July. I am sure a lot of us are working in the nice cool indoors with the A/C blasting, but currently, the Georgia Football team is working out in the heat. Better them than me.
Now come September 2nd many of us will be sitting in Sanford Stadium wishing it was indoors. Have you ever noticed in a hot early-season game the wind never blows into Sanford? There can be 15 MPH winds and no breeze comes through the stadium. If you know why please comment.
Anyway, back to the point. While sweating in areas you never thought you could sweat from, you are wishing it to be about 72 degrees and a nice breeze blowing. I, on the other hand, go to the extreme. I wish for snow.
Late in the regular season, it seems like every game in the West and Midwest gets snow. There is nothing better than Snow football. I’ve always imagined what it could look like if Georgia played in the snow. I know in 2020 there was a chance for snow when Georgia played Missouri, but it didn’t happen.
While thinking about this today I wondered when was the last time Georgia played a Snow Game?
I got on the Google machine and found out Georgia last played a Snow game in 1912. It’s the only game in the snow Georgia has ever played in. Georgia played Auburn on Thanksgiving day and it was the first game in the series that was played in Athens. Georgia, being watched by 3,500 fans, beat Auburn 12-6.
This lead me down a rabbit hole and I started thinking about the fans who showed up. They had to be miserable. I’m pretty sure they had to be freezing. Thus, leading me to think of the Coldest Georgia games I’ve been to
- 2022 Georgia vs Kentucky (Lexington)
The single coldest game I’ve ever been to. That day it was down in the 30s and the wind was whipping. For the first quarter, I was doing ok. I was layered up, had gloves and two pairs of socks. But by the end of the 2nd quarter, I was freezing. It dipped down to the teens and I wanted the game to be over so badly. The Georgia offense did nobody in attendance any favors and could not score touchdowns in the red zone. Georgia ended up winning 16-6, but it felt like a loss maybe because I froze myself to death. I re-watched that game on youtube the other day and I got cold watching it. I had 2 blankets over me.
- Georgia vs Missouri 2015 (Athens)
I’ve tried to block this game out of my mind since it happened. Georgia won the game in a field goal-kicking competition 9-6. Brian Schottenheimer’s genius was on full display in that game. Watching that offense that year added insult to my freezing body. - Georgia vs Missouri 2019 (Athens)
Another Georgia-Mizzou game. Felt colder than it actually was. Georgia blew them out and most of the crowd left in the 4th quarter after the light show. But, they had to suffer through one of the colder nights in Athens that day. I think there is a theme here with Missouri and cold games. - 2009 Georgia vs Texas A&M 2009 Independence Bowl (Shreveport)
I have nothing nice to say about Joe Cox or the city of Shreveport. That stadium had ice hanging off it and felt like we were about to watch a rodeo. The temperature was 24 and the wind was swirling throughout the stadium. One of the stranger games I’ve ever gone to. Georgia won and it saved a bad season. Sometimes in my darkest moments, I think about Joe Cox floating a pass over the middle only for it to get picked. Miss you, Joe! Was a great experience going with my dad and traveling to see Georgia play, however. That’s about the only highlight. The trip back to Atlanta was for me worse. But that’s a different post. - Georgia vs Alabama 2022 CFP National Title game (Indianapolis)
Now this game was indoors and that’s the only reason why it’s at 5. If you were there you know, it was cold in the stadium too. It was negative 10 and the wind was blowing hard. My dad and I parked miles away from the stadium because we are cheap. Who pays for parking? I wish we did. I’ll never forget walking into the stadium and ice forming under my nose. Who wants to live up north? All the Georgia and Bama fans were already in the stadium two hours before kick-off. We don’t know how to deal with that type of cold. We all know what happened that night, one of the greatest days of my life and probably one of yours too. I’ll never forget walking out of that stadium and that feeling. It was so cold, but the happiness I felt made me warm and fuzzy. I remember walking to the car and the ice we left in the car was still there. I never took my two coats off, even inside the game. It was so cold up there I wore shorts the rest of the week because I got hot walking to Grady for class. Even during the Celebration parade, I wore shorts and a shirt. I hope the CFP committee never picks Indianapolis ever again and I hope Georgia only plays title games in warm-weather cities.