Darwin Holt Died

Last November an unpleasant disturbance was set off in the section of the country I know best—the Southeast— when a linebacking specialist named Darwin Holt of the University of Alabama struck halfback Chick Graning of Georgia Tech such a devastating blow to the face that for days afterward Graning looked like Joe Louis the morning after his knockout by Rocky Marciano.​
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Graning was coming downfield on the outer fringe of a punt-covering setup. The ball had already been fielded by an Alabama safety man, who had signaled for a fair catch. Holt, however, veered from his apparent course to the Alabama bench and delivered a sudden forearm blow under the face bar of Graning's helmet as Graning eased up.​
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By pure coincidence, I had visited the Alabama campus four days earlier and noticed Holt, wearing a sweat shirt, prancing about on the practice field among a squad otherwise dressed out in full gear. Paul Bryant, the head coach, explained, "He's so tough we don't let him scrimmage during the week. He's liable to hurt somebody."​
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Just as his coach feared, the next Saturday Holt "hurt somebody." Holt later claimed that he hadn't realized the safety man had called for a fair catch, that he had merely attempted to block Graning out of the play, and that the injury to Graning "definitely wasn't intentional."​
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This declaration did not, I'm afraid, alter my conviction that the blow was no accident, a conviction unwittingly supported by a statement coach Bryant had already made.​
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"Holt came to me after the game," Bryant had said, "and told me he had hit this Tech player. He's all broken up about it. He said he didn't know why he did it."​

Furman Bisher column a year after the incident

satevepost-1962.pdf (saturdayeveningpost.com)
 
So which issue was the leading reason Dodd pulled us out of the SEC? Was it the 140 scholarship rule or was that just a smokescreen for lingering bitterness over the Graining-Holt issue. I've heard people say it was both. Either way, this issue was a defining moment in our history for all the wrong reasons.
 
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georgiatech22 said:
So which issue was the leading reason Dodd pulled us out of the SEC? Was it the 140 scholarship rule or was that just a smokescreen for lingering bitterness over the Graining-Holt issue. I've heard people say it was both. Either way, this issue was a defining moment in our history for all the wrong reasons.
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Dodd is on record saying it was the scholarship issue. However, it was Alabama who was supposed to support Tech’s proposal and they failed to do so. Whether they were still sore about the spanking they got in the media, no one knows. If so, it could have had an indirect influence on Tech leaving. This would tend to support Bear’s full-fledged support for Tech to rejoin the SEC back in 1978.
 
Here is a recounting of a similar incident in which a Tech player (Ted Davis) was at fault, and it demonstrates both the integrity of Ted Davis and the lack of integrity of Darwin Holt:

During his senior year, Ted Davis was involved in an incident during the Georgia Tech / Auburn game on October 19, 1963, in which he kicked Auburn halfback David Rawson in the face during the fourth quarter. The officials penalized Ted Davis and Rawson ended up having to go to the hospital. The following Monday, Ted Davis publicly apologized and owned up to his mistake made in anger during the game. He submitted his resignation to Coach Bobby Dodd and the Georgia Tech football team wishing to save Georgia Tech from the embarrassment of having to kick him off the team. He admitted that his actions violated every standard Coach Dodd had set for the team and he asked for Rawson's forgiveness. Ted was well respected at Georgia Tech and owned up to his mistake.

This incident was reminiscent of the so-called "Chick Granning-Darwin Holt Incident" from the Georgia Tech / Alabama game two years earlier but the outcomes were quite different. During this incident "an Alabama player damaged a Tech player in the heat of battle" by elbowing him in the face. This elbowing incident by Holt resulted in Granning being hospitalized and unable to play football for the rest of the year. Holt apologized for the incident but no further action was taken by the SEC or Alabama and he remained on the team.
 
gojkts said:
Bryant knew the Mississippi schools would block an invite when he publicly supported us rejoining. It was window dressing.
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Wonder what the vote would look like now. We've been purposeful in scheduling home and homes with both Ole Miss and Miss St. Just about all of the people that were around to be sore at us would probably either be dead by now or not in any position to vote. I really think now we could get some favorable numbers even if UGA was to vote against us again.
 
georgiatech22 said:
Wonder what the vote would look like now. We've been purposeful in scheduling home and homes with both Ole Miss and Miss St. Just about all of the people that were around to be sore at us would probably either be dead by now or not in any position to vote. I really think now we could get some favorable numbers even if UGA was to vote against us again.
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You know damn well the mutts would still vote against us
 
Here is a link to an excellent 2019 look-back at that game, including many quotes from Furman Bisher at the time of the incident and the following year. Bisher was always great and always called a spade a spade. I wonder what he might have to say about all the crap going on in Athens since Smart took over, and I'm not talking about 2 NCs and a possible 3rd one.

www.fromtherumbleseat.com

Rearview Mirror: Unfair Catch

Chick Graning was just the unfortunate soul at the end of a blow he didn’t deserve.
www.fromtherumbleseat.com www.fromtherumbleseat.com

I have mentioned this in the past on this site, but I was a Rat in 1962 when the "revenge game" occurred. which Tech won 7-6. It was by far the most intense football game atmosphere I have ever encountered. The stands were packed at least 30 minutes before kickoff, and the entire Tech section chanted "Remember Darwin Holt! Remember Darwin Holt!" throughout the entire game (along with several other more colorful chants).

Here is the cover of the program for that game, unfortunately blemished by my writing the score on it.

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Supersize that order mutt said:
The mutts also vetoed it the second time we tried. I think they knew having Tech back in the conference would have been a threat to them.
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They abstained in that 1978 vote. Auburn was not voting us back in and they voted “no” second after Alabama voted “yes.” Dooley knew that the Mississippi schools were both “no,” so that was 3 “nos.” We had to have 7 “yeses.” Knowing this, Dooley abstained - not a “no” vote, but still robbing us of the chance to return. He left the final “no” up to Mississippi State. What a 1st Class Weenie he was!
 
stinger78 said:
They abstained in that 1978 vote. Auburn was not voting us back in and they voted “no” second after Alabama voted “yes.” Dooley knew that the Mississippi schools were both “no,” so that was 3 “nos.” We had to have 7 “yeses.” Knowing this, Dooley abstained - not a “no” vote, but still robbing us of the chance to return. He left the final “no” up to Mississippi State. What a 1st Class Weenie he was!
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A non-vote in that case was essentially a no vote. Dooley just did not want us back in and he was not going to vote yes, but was apparently too chicken öööö to vote no.
 
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