RIP "Jolly Giant" - Billy Martin has passed (NFI)

DeepSnap

DeepSnap

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Just notified through the Letterwinners Club..... All Time GT FB great Billy Martin has passed away.

Played in a foursome with Billy at a GT FB Golf Outing many moons ago & it was four hours of stories about Dodd, Halas, and Van Brocklin. For a FB junkie, it doesn't get much better.

RIP, #88. Say hi to Lothridge.
 
DeepSnap said:
Just notified through the Letterwinners Club..... All Time GT FB great Billy Martin has passed away.

Played in a foursome with Billy at a GT FB Golf Outing many moons ago & it was four hours of stories about Dodd, Halas, and Van Brocklin. For a FB junkie, it doesn't get much better.

RIP, #88. Say hi to Lothridge.
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Very sad. Another link to the wonderful past gone. I still think the 1962 team, if not for a couple of bad bounces, could have been one of Dodd’s very best. Beat Namath and Bama, and trashed UGA 37-6 in Athens
 
DeepSnap said:
Just notified through the Letterwinners Club..... All Time GT FB great Billy Martin has passed away.

Played in a foursome with Billy at a GT FB Golf Outing many moons ago & it was four hours of stories about Dodd, Halas, and Van Brocklin. For a FB junkie, it doesn't get much better.

RIP, #88. Say hi to Lothridge.
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And The Grey Fox is back together with his Hall County dynamic duo!
 
RIP

Lothridge and Martin were obviously a great tandem and story.

Kind of lost in that story was we had 2 great ends - Martin and Ted Davis.

And those 2, I think, played a lot of D as well.

Others may know, but I think Davis probably had the better Pro career.

R.I.P. Billy. Thank you for the memories.
 
Seems martin and lothridge are to you old folks what Nesbitt and Dwyer are to us young folks. Rip
 
texstinger said:
RIP

Lothridge and Martin were obviously a great tandem and story.

Kind of lost in that story was we had 2 great ends - Martin and Ted Davis.

And those 2, I think, played a lot of D as well.

Others may know, but I think Davis probably had the better Pro career.

R.I.P. Billy. Thank you for the memories.
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Interesting note about Ted Davis. He was, in fact, very talented. But an odd incident cut short his Tech career. At the end of a play in the Auburn game in early 60s he kicked an Auburn player in frustration. This came on the heels of the Chick Granning/Darwin Holt incident that drove a wedge between Dodd and The Bear. Ted was so ashamed of what he did, he resigned from the team.
 
southendzoneBEE said:
Seems martin and lothridge are to you old folks what Nesbitt and Dwyer are to us young folks. Rip
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Perhaps true.

But both Billy’s were, as far as I know, multi year All Americans.

And Lothridge, by definition of the award, was really more deserving of the heisman than staubach was.

But proud of all 4 of these GT guys.
 
donsue said:
Interesting note about Ted Davis. He was, in fact, very talented. But an odd incident cut short his Tech career. At the end of a play in the Auburn game in early 60s he kicked an Auburn player in frustration. This came on the heels of the Chick Granning/Darwin Holt incident that drove a wedge between Dodd and The Bear. Ted was so ashamed of what he did, he resigned from the team.
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After kicking the Rawson kid in such a vicious manner, I believe Dodd told Ted, “either quit or I will kick you off the team.” But I believe Ted would have done the honorable thing regardless.

I am not sure the timing of the cowardly holt incident mattered. I think things would have played out as they did regardless but IDK.

I remember being at home the next week watching tv, and they actually broke into regular programming to say Ted had left the team. How things have changed for GT.

But, thanks to Martin and all those guys for giving my family memories of a GT team that ALWAYS had a chance against anyone.
 
texstinger said:
After kicking the Rawson kid in such a vicious manner, I believe Dodd told Ted, “either quit or I will kick you off the team.” But I believe Ted would have done the honorable thing regardless.

I am not sure the timing of the cowardly holt incident mattered. I think things would have played out as they did regardless but IDK.

I remember being at home the next week watching tv, and they actually broke into regular programming to say Ted had left the team. How things have changed for GT.

But, thanks to Martin and all those guys for giving my family memories of a GT team that ALWAYS had a chance against anyone.
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The Holt-Graning incident was 1961, Davis-Rawson 1963, per "Dodd's Luck," p. 224.

Chatted with the two surviving GT team captains from that 1961 team, Billy Williamson & Graning (the late Willie McGaughey was the 3rd), at a FB Letterwinners' outing a coupla years ago and they said Holt had followed Bryant from Texas A&M to Bama after being kicked out of A&M. There's a bit more detail on Holt's FB Rap Sheet in "Dodd's Luck."

Anyway, Ted went on to play LB in the NFL with the Colts, Saints and Dolphins over 7 years & IIRC was a dentist in his post-NFL career.
 
texstinger said:
After kicking the Rawson kid in such a vicious manner, I believe Dodd told Ted, “either quit or I will kick you off the team.” But I believe Ted would have done the honorable thing regardless.

I am not sure the timing of the cowardly holt incident mattered. I think things would have played out as they did regardless but IDK.

I remember being at home the next week watching tv, and they actually broke into regular programming to say Ted had left the team. How things have changed for GT.

But, thanks to Martin and all those guys for giving my family memories of a GT team that ALWAYS had a chance against anyone.
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I have a copy of the gameday program depth chart card from the 1962 Bama game. It is amazing the talent that was playing in that game on both sides: Leroy Jordan, Namath, Cotton Clark, etc. from Bama. GT: Lothridge, Martin, Ted Davis, Guthrie, Stallings, Curry, McNames, etc.
 
donsue said:
I have a copy of the gameday program depth chart card from the 1962 Bama game. It is amazing the talent that was playing in that game on both sides: Leroy Jordan, Namath, Cotton Clark, etc. from Bama. GT: Lothridge, Martin, Ted Davis, Guthrie, Stallings, Curry, McNames, etc.
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The first game my father ever took me to was in 1963 when I was 7. We drove to Birmingham from our home in Huntsville to watch Tech-Alabama in 1963. A similar list of stars that I could not appreciate at such a young age. I just remember the excitement of a college football game and the disappointment that Bama handled us pretty easily.

Back on the topic, Billy Martin was a real estate developer after his professional football days were over. When we moved to the Gainesville area our first home was in Martin's Landing. I did get a chance to meet Billy and his son Jay during that process. Both quality people and very nice guys.
 
DeepSnap said:
The Holt-Graning incident was 1961, Davis-Rawson 1963, per "Dodd's Luck," p. 224.

Chatted with the two surviving GT team captains from that 1961 team, Billy Williamson & Graning (the late Willie McGaughey was the 3rd), at a FB Letterwinners' outing a coupla years ago and they said Holt had followed Bryant from Texas A&M to Bama after being kicked out of A&M. There's a bit more detail on Holt's FB Rap Sheet in "Dodd's Luck."

Anyway, Ted went on to play LB in the NFL with the Colts, Saints and Dolphins over 7 years & IIRC was a dentist in his post-NFL career.
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According to gtsports blogspot, he became a veterinarian in Knoxville, TN.

http://gtsports.blogspot.com/2005/06/where-are-they-now-ted-davis.html?m=1

Not sure if true.
 
Story as related to me by 2 great GT supporters both of whom were neighbors of Billy years ago. And one of them was a work associate of mine at that time.

My friend was running Saturday errands and passed Billy, who was cutting his grass.

My friend came back home and saw Billy kneeling down and searching in the grass. Not knowing what was going on, he stopped and inquired.

Billy, nonchalantly, told my friend he had accidently backed the mower over his foot and cut some toes off. He was holding a couple and looking for the others.

I wasn't there, did not know Billy myself, or ever heard the story elsewhere.

But the 2 men I know were very successful business owners and men of their word.

IDK if the hospital was able to reattach the toes.
 
Ted Davis is still around. I talked to him extensively about 6 months ago. He absolutely loved Bobby Dodd. He has grandsons who are all great athletes. They all played at Blessed Trinity HS in Roswell, Ga. Connor Davis is starting LF for Auburn baseball. Colin Davis is starting CF for Wofford. Ryan is a junior at BT and is starting CF on baseball team and starting WR on 4A state champion football team. Ryan was an all state football player as a 10th grader. Could be the next Wes Welker in my opinion. Colin was at worst 2nd best HS baseball player in state last year behind Drew Waters. I fully expect to see Colin get a legitimate shot at pro baseball. He is a 5 tool player. Sadly, none were recruited or are being recruited by Tech, even with the Ted Davis association. No wonder the state of Tech baseball. Evaluation of talent leaves a lot to be desired. I'll just leave it at that.
 
Q
dawgbasher said:
Ted Davis is still around. I talked to him extensively about 6 months ago. He absolutely loved Bobby Dodd. He has grandsons who are all great athletes. They all played at Blessed Trinity HS in Roswell, Ga. Connor Davis is starting LF for Auburn baseball. Colin Davis is starting CF for Wofford. Ryan is a junior at BT and is starting CF on baseball team and starting WR on 4A state champion football team. Ryan was an all state football player as a 10th grader. Could be the next Wes Welker in my opinion. Colin was at worst 2nd best HS baseball player in state last year behind Drew Waters. I fully expect to see Colin get a legitimate shot at pro baseball. He is a 5 tool player. Sadly, none were recruited or are being recruited by Tech, even with the Ted Davis association. No wonder the state of Tech baseball. Evaluation of talent leaves a lot to be desired. I'll just leave it at that.
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Does Ted have sons / daughters or both?

I ask out of curiosity about their athletic ability.
 
texstinger said:
Q


Does Ted have sons / daughters or both?

I ask out of curiosity about their athletic ability.
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Good question. The only one I know of is a son, Richard Davis. He is the father of the three boys I talked about. Richard was a walk-on QB at Alabama during the Bear Bryant era. Ted still comes to many of the BT baseball games and some football games. BTW, he did not/does not want any of the boys to play college football due to possible head trauma later in life. He is one who speaks from experience.
 
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