Georgia Finally Breaks Championship Drought

November 16, 2002 | Football

Nov 16, 2002

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. - Vince Dooley's eyes were red and moist. His voice was crackly and hoarse. But he couldn't get that smile off his face.

As Georgia's athletic director walked out of Jordan-Hare Stadium, he reached up to touch a T-shirt that a fan dangled over the railing, bearing a message that made it all official.

"Georgia. Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Champions."

The drought was over.

Twenty years after winning its last championship, Georgia got to experience the feeling again on a cold, damp night in east Alabama. Michael Johnson made an improbable fourth-down touchdown catch with 1:25 remaining, giving the seventh-ranked Bulldogs a 24-21 victory over No. 24 Auburn on Saturday.

"That's what is so great about this team," said Dooley, who coached the Bulldogs for a quarter-century and won six SEC championships. "They never quit. They just keep going and going."