Thursday, March 09, 2017

Top Ten Jackets

Most ten best player lists these days are compiled by some young yahoo who was born in the 90’s, with a point of reference of at most the past twenty years. Lists are heavily slanted to recent history, and the old days are long forgotten. I feel guilty enough placing half this team from the past 40 years.
 
Georgia Tech was an early football powerhouse, winning multiple national championships and major bowl games from the early days of college football through the early 1960’s. The Jackets produced 13 members of the College Football Hall of Fame, but only one in the past 50 years. Here’s my Top Ten:
 
10.Drew Hill WR KR GTHOF GTATT
9. Pat Swilling LB CFHOF GTATT
8. Randy Rhino DB KR CFHOF GTATT AA
7. Maxie Baughan GTHOF  CFHOF GTATT
6. Joe Hamilton QB CFHOF AA
5. Eddie Lee Ivery RB GTATT GTHOF
4. Larry Morris CFHOF GTATT
3. George Morris GTHOF CFHOF GTATT
2. Billy Lothridge QB K P GTHOF GTATT
1. Calvin Johnson WR 2XAA

Special mention for other Tech players in the College Football Hall of Game: Ray Beck, Bob Davis, Bill Fincher, Buck Flowers, Joe Guyon, Peter Pund, and Everett Strupper.
 
Billy Shaw and Joe Guyon are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 
Honorable mentions:
Taz Anderson GTHOF
Red Barron QB GTHOF
Don Bessillieu DB K GTHOF
Clint Castleberry GTHOF
Bill Curry C LB GTHOF GTATT
John Davis OT GTHOF GTATT
Kent Hill GTHOF GTATT (#11)
Kim King QB GTHOF
Robert Lavette RB GTATT GTHOF
Luke Manget K
Bill Martin AA GTHOF GTATT
Jerry Mays RB GTHOF
Eddie McAshan QB GTHOF
Wade Mitchell QB GTHOF
Rock Perdoni LB
Jimmy Robinson WR GTHOF GTATT
Ted Roof LB GTHOF
Larry Stallings GTHOF GTATT
Lucius Stanford LB GTHOF GTATT
Justin Thomas QB
E.O.Whealler K
Ken Whisenhunt QB TE  
 
Evidently you make the GT Hall of Fame if you quarterback a victory over Georgia. Was two-year starter John Dewberry really GT hall of fame material? Perhaps he was voted in for his contributions as an alumni.
 
There is a woefully incomplete list of notable Tech players on the internet. Several greats are left off, including standout linebacker Rock Perdoni and Tech Hall of Famer Wade Mitchell, who quarterbacked the Jackets to four straight bowl wins in an era of freshman ineligibity – yet any recent Tech player who weaseled a NFL tryout made the list.
 

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