University of Georgia Athletics
UGA and Auburn Renew South's Oldest Rivalry
November 13, 2015 | Football
By Loran Smith
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- If you remember the past, it is difficult to come here, to the banks of the Chattahoochee, and not recall the days when Georgia and Auburn annually played in old Memorial Stadium.
The two teams began playing in Columbus in 1916, a neutral site arrangement, which had one interruption--when Georgia won 24-0 in Athens in 1929, the year Sanford Stadium became a showcase football stadium. The last time Georgia and Auburn squared off in Columbus was in 1958 with Auburn winning, 21-6.
Nobody knows for sure the seating capacity of the old stadium on Fourth Street. The consensus was that it was "about" 20,000, but some estimates suggested that at least 30,000 fans found their way inside at kickoff. The game was a ticket scalper's dream. Both Georgia and Auburn realized there was a lot of lost revenue playing in a stadium that small. Jordan-Hare Stadium and Sanford Stadium seated twice as many people as Memorial Stadium. No one could come up with a legitimate argument to play in Columbus.
Common sense finally prevailed, and the game went to a home and home rotation. It smacked of understatement to say that city fathers in Columbus were disappointed, most of all Georgia partisans which included Judge Frank Foley and George "Kid" Woodruff who founded UGA's athletic scholarship fund, "The Georgia Student Educational Fund."
Many of the games played in Columbus were classics and so were the parties which took place all week, leading up to kickoff. The cocktail parties began on Monday and reached a peak on Friday night before the game. After the game, there was an unparalleled soiree at the Columbus County Club where the parties lasted into the wee hours. Partisans of each team partied as hard as the teams played in the afternoon.
Georgia had the upper hand in the series in the Forties. Except for Auburn's upset of the Bulldogs' Rose Bowl team of 1942, and a 20-20 tie in 1949, the Bulldogs were constant winners until former Butts' line coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan returned to Auburn and upgraded the Tigers' program. In 1953, Jordan was able to defeat his old friend and boss, beginning a streak of his own.
The most memorable game for Georgia in Columbus was the 1941 game when Racehorse Davis caught a pass from Frank Sinkwich with no time left on the clock to give Georgia a 7-0 victory which helped the Bulldogs earn an invitation to the Orange Bowl, the first time a team from Athens was invited to a bowl game. The Bulldogs had to beat Georgia Tech for that to happen, but the touchdown drama in Columbus, brought national headlines and enhanced opportunity.
Ranking touchdowns, games and high moments are always subject to debate, but I have always considered that score to be Georgia's most dramatic touchdown. The greatest touchdown, arguably, would be the pass from Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott in Jacksonville in that he preserved Georgia's opportunity to play for the national championship. The most beloved touchdown was the one Theron Sapp scored on Grant Field in 1957 which broke the drought--the eight year losing streak to Georgia Tech.
My memories of Columbus include the 1968 game when Georgia was on the way to the SEC title. In those days, the bowls tried to outdo one another to gain the commitment of the best teams. There was a day identified when the bowls picked its participants, but there was a lot of winking going on behind the scenes. The Orange Bowl, which the Bulldog players preferred, wanted Georgia, but the Bulldogs had to beat Auburn which they did 17-3. However, before the game the Sugar Bowl winked, obviously with a message that it would take Georgia, win or lose. Joel Eaves was the athletic director, but the decision was determined by Vince Dooley who took the bird in hand.
Dan Magill and I took the Orange Bowl representatives to dinner at the Black Angus, Columbus' most popular restaurant. They confirmed that they would not issue an invitation until after the game. They would have happily invited Georgia to Miami, but they were too late.
The players became upset but enjoyed a nice trip to New Orleans. Arkansas, however, had more fun: They won the game, 16-2. Over dinner with Chuck Dicus in Little Rock last year, the Razorback receiver who caught 12 passes, related an interesting post game story. The day after the game the two teams were hosted at a party at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Dicus spotted Jake Scott, the Bulldog All-America defensive back, walked over and introduced himself.
Scott said hello, but walked away, saying, "I only hope you are as lucky today as you were yesterday."
