This ended up being a bit long, so skip it if you're not interested.
I'm starting my 23rd season of attending every game at BDS@HGF--most of the road games, too, and all the rivalry road games. My student years were the fall of 1980 thru the fall of 1984. One of the reasons I delayed graduating until that fall because of anticipating a good football season in '84. During those years we had some really bad games and some really good games, but had a ton of fun regardless.
Some GT football memories as a student:
My first year I lived in Cloudman Hall across the street from BDS@HGF. Home game Saturdays we didn't need an alarm clock, because the band practiced at the stadium early in the morning. Even the small band in those days was loud enough to wake us up.
Roadtrip in 1980 to see GT-Auburn, and to see my girlfriend for the first time since we'd left for school. A rainy day, but exciting game that AU won 17-14. She and I sat in the AU student section with her friends, and then in the GT student section with mine--until Tech scored on a halfback pass to take the lead...then we had to be separated for our own good. That just made the postgame festivities better.
3-3 tie with ND in '80...or rather, they tied us. Like all good Rats in the bleachers on the track, we yelled the entire game. Coach Curry came and thanked the student body for sticking with the team.
Awful rainy game vs. Navy in 1980. Smallest crowd in modern GT football history. Sat in UE seats with friends visiting from out of town. We saw people falling down all game on the slick wet steps. One of my friends enjoyed too many adult beverages, and used the the big round industrial-looking sink in the restroom rather than the trough of the wall. That was just too funny. He went to F$U, where the Seminole fans regularly used the sinks as urinals, but he really didn't know it was a sink he used. We still don't let him forget it!
24-21 win over Alabama at Legion Field in 1981. I have the game program and ticket stub in my collection, plus the AUC's sports page that read, "Tech 24-21; It really did happen." I remember the Tide fans in disbelief leaving the stadium.
I became an uncle twice during the 1981 season: On the day Tech lost 28-7 to #6 North Carolina, and on the day of a 20-14 home loss to Navy. My nephew born on the UNC game day is now a junior at Tech (the niece born on the Navy game day is now a junior at Arkansas). That North Carolina game was also the only time I've ever sat in the LE deep under the overhang of the UE, (besides retreating there several times for rain). Weird sounds and echoes bouncing around, mystery fluids dripping down, and those darn pillars getting in the way proved to me it was the best place to put mutt fans ... but I didn't get my usual sunburn during the game.
1982 game vs. Alabama, on Bear Bryant's birthday. The GT cheerleaders gave him a big birthday cake during pregame warmups, while he was leaning on the north goalpost smoking a cigarette. He barely touched the cake and passed it off to one of his lackeys. UA was #4 and throttled the Jackets, 45-7. I have a photo of Tech with the ball on their own 1 yard line after Alabama downed a punt there. The big scoreboard in the old South stands had the score 45-0 showing, with the message board reading in huge letters: MOVE THE BALL! I was sarcastically thinking, "Yeah, this
would be a good time to move the ball."
31-21 win over Tennessee in 1982. Just a great time that day. I remember the Vol fans parading a big banner in the south endzone that said, "Punt Tech. Bring on Bama." Ironically, it was Jack Westbrook's punt return for a TD that was a big factor in the Tech win.
41-14 loss at Climpsun in Sept. 1983. That's the only game between GT and CU that I've not seen since the series was renewed. My grandmother died that Thursday and her funeral was Saturday while the game was going on. When we got in the car for the ride between the church and cemetery, we listened to the game--from the way it sounded, the game was probably more sad than the funeral.
1983 loss to Ugag, 27-24. One of the most exciting games, eventhough the Jackets lost. Tech was going for the winning score late in the game, until an incredible interception stopped the drive. I remember seeing the open receiver and then this hand reaching up and picking off the pass. I was with a group of friends on the top row of the UE, and thought one guy was going to jump in dispair off the back of the stadium onto Techwood Drive.
16-6 win over Alabama to start the 1984 season. Had my Auburn girlfriend there cheering for the Jackets, as well as other GT friends from LA (lower Alabama). It was a great Saturday, but broke up with the AU girl the next day.
28-21 win over Climpsun in 1984. What a wild game! That was the first and only time I have ever sat in the North end zone. I had sort of started seeing my former roommate's ex-girlfriend
, and had to wait for her and her sorority sisters to get ready for the game. We missed our seats in the UE and ended up in the second row of the north endzone
... but later I was real happy we saw the winning TD right in front of us at the end of the game.
35-18 win over Ugag in Athens, exactly one week before I graduated in 1984. It was a beautiful, crisp, day I'll always remember. Most of the Tech students were in the last section of seats next to the bank of general admission rednecks they used to have there at Fred Sanford Stadium. We got cups, rocks and bottles thrown at us all game because we were standing up. One of my friends got hit in the head by a whiskey bottle ... but it was my friend who the stadium security escorted out of the stadium, not the guy who threw the bottle. He got back in another gate, but still had a bloody gash in his head. It was the first time I'd seen the Red Wave leave a game so early (such a nice sight!) and my first piece of the shrubbery.
