Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate

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Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is the name of the college rivalry between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Georgia Bulldogs. The two schools are separated by a mere 70 miles and have been heated rivals since 1893.

A vandalized McDonald's billboard near the Georgia Tech campus. The vandals attempted to write "Jacket's" and cover the word "Dawg's" with yellow paint.

The two schools, in essence, are not only competing in athletics but are also competing for government and private funding, potential students, and amongst other things academic recognition in the State of Georgia and the United States.

[edit] Introduction

The University of Georgia (commonly referred to as Georgia or UGA) is located in Athens, Georgia and is a liberal arts research university. The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, Tech, or GT), however, is an engineering research university located in Atlanta, Georgia. The academic and geographic divergence of the two institutions polarizes the state of Georgia into two fairly large fan bases. Being two of the most prestigious public universities in the Southeastern United States has added even more grandeur to the rivalry.

The first known hostilities between the two schools trace back to 1891. The University of Georgia's literary magazine proclaimed UGA's school colors to be "old gold, black, and crimson." Dr. Charles H. Herty, the first UGA football coach, felt that old gold was too similar to yellow and that it symbolized cowardice. Georgia Tech would later use old gold as a color for their uniforms, as a proverbial slap in the face to UGA, in their first unofficial football game against Auburn. Georgia Tech's school colors would thenceforth be old gold and white.

The fight songs, sung at every sporting event, have even been tailored to the rivalry. The Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech was first published in the Georgia Tech yearbook, The Blueprint, and was written following the first UGA football game in which UGA fans harassed the Georgia Tech players and fans. Hence the infamous chorus "To Hell with Georgia" was written. Up With the White and Gold, published in 1929, featured the lyrics "Down with the red and black" and even "Drop the battle axe on Georgia's head". Georgia's fight song, Glory Glory, was arranged in 1909 and remains unchanged to this day. Officially, the end of the fight song is "G-E-O-R-G-I-A", but Georgia fans change the lyrics to "And to hell with Georgia Tech!" whenever the Yellow Jackets play in Athens.

The school newspapers of the two institutions often mock their rival institution. The Red and Black, Georgia's newspaper, usually has several jokes and articles mocking Georgia Tech the week before the football game. The Technique, Georgia Tech's newspaper, prints a special edition mocking the Red and Black, and commonly refers to its rival as "The University (sic) of Georgia". The special edition features several articles of parody and humor based on fictitious happenings at the University of Georgia.

[edit] Football

The game has been played 101 times according to Georgia Tech and only 99 times according to Georgia record books. Georgia discredits two games in 1943 and 1944 (both years in which Georgia Tech won) because many of their players went to fight in World War II. The game has been played in either Athens or Atlanta alternating every year since 1928. The two schools have captured 5 national titles and 29 conference titles between them, making the rivalry a battle between two historically prestigious programs.

The record between the two teams is 58 Georgia wins, 38 Georgia Tech wins, and 5 ties. Georgia has currently won six straight games. The longest Georgia winning streak was 7 games from 1991-1997 while the longest Georgia Tech winning streak was 8 games from 1949-1956.

The first time the two teams met on the football field was on November 4, 1893. The then Georgia Tech Blacksmiths led by coaches Stanley E. "Stan" Borleske and Casey C. Finnegan traveled 70 miles by train to play the Georgia Wildcats coached by Ernest Brown in Athens. The more prepared Blacksmiths defeated the Wildcats handily 28-6. After the game, disgruntled Georgia fans threw rocks and other debris at the Georgia Tech players and chased the victorious Blacksmiths back to their awaiting train. Hence, the sports rivalry was born.

The only true break in the series dates back to 1917 and the United States entry into World War I. The two institutions felt that the rivalry had grown too intense, allegedly fueled by Georgia's accusations that Georgia Tech was cowardly because the institution continued their football program during wartime while Georgia suspended theirs for the football seasons of 1917 and 1918. The game renewed play again in 1925.

In 1932, Georgia Tech and Georgia were two of the original 13 charter members of the Southeastern Conference. Georgia Tech would continue its membership until 1964 after Tech Coach Bobby Dodd began a historic feud with Alabama Coach Bear Bryant. Georgia Tech left the SEC concerning the allocation of scholarships and student athlete treatment. Georgia Tech would later attempt re-entry but the re-entry was eventually voted down. The biggest opponent of Georgia Tech's re-entry was Georgia. Lacking a league to compete within, Georgia Tech helped charter the Metro Conference in 1975 for all sports besides football (where it remained independent for 15 years). Tech eventually joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1979.

[edit] Basketball

The Georgia Tech and Georgia basketball rivalry can be just as heated as its football counterpart. Georgia Tech has 99 wins and Georgia has 83 wins in this series. The first game between the two basketball teams was on March 10, 1906. Georgia Tech won the game 27-13 in Athens.

The Georgia Tech vs. Georgia game was played in the Omni Coliseum for 13 years beginning in 1981 and ending in 1994. The neutrality of the Omni came into question by the UGA athletic department in 1993 so the series was renewed as an alternating home court event. The home team has won every game but one since the home court advantage was reinstated.

The rankings of the two squads usually inspires the respective opponent to play with even more intensity. Bobby Cremins' 1990 Final Four team struggled to beat UGA's squad in triple overtime. In Georgia Tech's 2004 National Title Runner-up season, they fell to the much lower-rated Bulldog squad in a double overtime thriller in Stegeman Coliseum. The loss was the first one of the season for the Yellow Jackets, who were nationally ranked 3rd going into the game.

[edit] Other Sports

Georgia Tech and Georgia enjoy healthy rivalries in all other sports in which the two universities compete most notably baseball, softball, women's basketball, and various club sports.

The two baseball teams have met 333 times since 1898. Georgia Tech has 143 wins, Georgia has 189 wins, and there are 2 ties in the series. Three baseball games are played between the two institutions every year. Two are played at the respective colleges' baseball stadiums while the finale is played at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. The 2004 Georgia Tech vs. Georgia Game at Turner Field had the second most spectators in college baseball history with 28,836 fans in attendance.

The two softball teams have met 20 times and Georgia holds 15 wins in the series over Georgia Tech's 5. The two women's basketball teams have met 30 times and Georgia holds 28 wins over Georgia Tech's 2. The two women's volleyball teams have played 28 times and Georgia holds 21 wins over Georgia Tech's 8.

[edit] Trivia

• It is common for Georgia fans to refer to the Georgia Institute of Technology as Georgia Tech University or GTU. This nickname is derived from the common mistitle given to Georgia Tech in media outlets. Also, since Georgia Tech is a predominant engineering school, Georgia fans often refer to Tech fans as nerds, Techies, or NATS (North Avenue Trade School).
• Georgia Tech fans often refer to the University of Georgia as U(sic)GA or ugag. Due to the very southern nature of UGA, Georgia Tech fans often refer to them as rednecks.
• The UGA Chapel Bell and the Georgia Tech Ramblin' Wreck both have been rumored to have been stolen numerous times by their respective rival before, after, or even during major sporting events between the two schools.
• Many fans of the respective institutions refuse to even partake in clothing, food, or other materials of their rival's school colors. Examples include Georgia fans refusing to eat mustard or Georgia Tech fans refusing to use red pens.
• From the two universities, there are over 80 football players currently in the NFL, 19 basketball players in the NBA and WNBA, and 5 baseball players in the MLB.
• Georgia Tech and Georgia were founded over 100 years apart. Georgia was founded on January 27, 1785 and Georgia Tech was founded on October 13, 1885.

[edit] External Sources

• [1] - Results of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech in football
• [2] - Official Georgia Tech Athletics Website
• [3] - Official Georgia Athletics Website
• [4] - The T-Book, a Comprehensive List of Georgia Tech Traditions
• [5] - A Google Search Trends Comparison of the Two Schools
• [6] - U.S. News Public University Rankings

[edit] References

• Barnhart, Tony. Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion, And Glory. Triumph Books. 2000.
• Cromartie, Bill. Clean Old-fashioned Hate: Georgia Vs. Georgia Tech. Strode Publishers. 1977.
• Dodd, Bobby and Jack Wilkinson. Dodd's Luck. Golden Coast Publishing Company. 1988.
• Dooley, Vince. Dooley's Dawgs. Longstreet Press. 2003.

[edit] See also

• Buzz - Georgia Tech's mascot
• Hairy Dawg - Georgia's mascot
• Notable GT Personalities - Famous Alum of Georgia Tech
• Notable UGA Personalities - Famous Alum of Georgia
• Ramblin' Wreck - Famous Icon for Georgia Tech
• Thrasher cup - Annual Hockey Tournament featuring Georgia Tech, Georgia, and other Southeastern schools