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Could you elaborate on this comment you made?
Quote:And for the record Georgia is not threatened by Tech in the least, but bad blood exists to this day between Alabama and Georgia Tech.
(02-25-2015 11:22 PM)murrdcu Wrote: [ -> ]Could you elaborate on this comment you made?
Quote:And for the record Georgia is not threatened by Tech in the least, but bad blood exists to this day between Alabama and Georgia Tech.

In the early 1960's Bobby Dodd of Georgia Tech took exception to a deliberate cheap shot that an Alabama sub took on his star player. The resulting verbal battle between Bear and Dodd led to Dodd's insistence on Georgia Tech's leaving of the SEC, an action that would follow a few years later. Tech focused on academics even then and Dodd had complained about Bear's unlimited signing of top talent that would never see a down of play at Alabama (there were no scholarship restrictions). Dodd pushed for the first scholarship limits for schools and insistence upon academic standards. Bear objected and the two were frequently at odds. Alumni of both schools still hold a grudge, something that obliquely surfaced again when Alabama hired Georgia Tech's Bill Curry and then fired him after a 10-1 season (the only loss was to Auburn). Many Bama alums said Curry was not good enough for Alabama and started undercutting him from the time of the hiring. Curry was a great guy and as with all things in his life he took it in stride. (During twenty years of traveling the Southeast and checking out some recruiting issues he was the only coach that I never found anything on. I also appreciated the fruits of his work and what he tried to instill in his players. I'm sorry I didn't know him personally.)

In retrospect Bobby Dodd was ahead of his time and he hated the cheap win at all costs philosophy of Bryant, as he saw it. Bryant hated what he saw as a coach with inferior talent trying to use rules to offset his liabilities. Both were great coaches but truly at the opposite end of the spectrum. For what it's worth I think Dodd was right to call out the cheap shot, and also right to insist upon scholarship limits. I think Dodd was wrong for pushing Georgia Tech to the extreme with regards to conference membership. I had first hand experience with Bryant and was present when he recruited and coached players. He grew up poor, was tough as nails, and it reflected in all he did. For him life was a war that you had to work every day to win. He had no tolerance for excuses, slackers, and those who didn't approach every game with a total commitment to winning.
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