ATHENS —n began Sept. 4, in Charlotte, N.C., where a Christopher Smith interception return for a touchdown was the difference in the Bulldogs’ 10-3 win over Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.
The Georgia football season ended last Monday night in Indianapolis, where a Kelee Ringo interception return for a touchdown sealed a 33-18 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
What has followed has been a weeklong celebration across the state as the Bulldogs and their devoted fans, tens of thousands of whom were there in Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday, exulted in Georgia’s first national championship since 1980.
That celebration reached its peak on Saturday afternoon in Athens, when the university, the city, the team and the fans from near and far all came together for a party, first in the streets and then in the place the Bulldogs call home – Sanford Stadium.
Coach Kirby Smart and his team arrived at the stadium in style, slowly making their way down Lumpkin Street in a victory parade. The parade consisted of about two-dozen vehicles, from sporty convertibles to pickup trucks to some huge 18-wheelers with hay bales on the back. From start to finish, crowds three-, four- and five-people deep lined the road.
During the celebration that followed, Coach Smart told the 92,000-plus gathered inside the stadium that so much of what the Bulldogs achieved this season started about a year ago in the stadium when the players were there working out at 6 a.m.
“I want to give these guys a round of applause for what they did for this university,” he said, turning and encouraging his players to “Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!” Smart praised the fans who filled the stands on this Saturday and all the other Saturdays that preceded it. “You guys have been tremendous. You travel wherever we go and you take over stadiums.”
On and around the stage on Dooley Field were the players, the coaches, UGA President Jere Morehead, J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks, Gov. Brian Kemp and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
“As someone who was in New Orleans 41 years ago,” Kemp said of the 1980 team’s win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship, “this has been a long time coming.” Kemp went on to proclaim that this day, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, was “Georgia Bulldog National Championship Day.”
Former Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley served as Saturday’s master of ceremonies, bringing on the different speakers, including offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and nose tackle Jordan Davis. When Shockley asked Davis what the University of Georgia meant to him, Davis needed just two words: “It’s everything.”
Sankey drew one of the biggest roars of the afternoon. As the top man in the SEC, which has won the past three CFP national championships, Sankey said he has been to a lot of national championship ceremonies. However, he said, “I have never been to a stadium full on a Saturday in January.”
As Coach Smart wound down his remarks he said, “A new standard for excellence has been set.”
The festivities ended with the seniors from the 1980 team raising the flag for the 2021 national championship. It was a moment to celebrate, a day to savor and cherish. Now, how about we do it again next year?
