University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Enjoy Hall Of Fame Experience
July 28, 2015 | Football
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
ATLANTA -- There was a sea of red and white Monday at the College Football Hall of Fame. From the first floor to the third, the men in red and the boys in white roamed and explored the many exhibits and interactive displays.
The Georgia Bulldogs were in their red jerseys and the boys, from an Athens 12-and-under youth football league, wore white T-shirts with "Georgia" on the front and "Learn, Play, Excel" on the back. Georgia's Learn, Play, Excel program was started in 2011, as a way for Bulldogs to meet and mentor students about the importance of education, perseverance and pursuing their dreams.
Georgia coach Mark Richt spoke to the group for a few minutes, encouraging the youngsters to work hard on and off the field. He also wanted his players to get the most out of the experience.
"Just think back to when you were that age and how excited you'd be (to spend the afternoon with the Bulldogs)," he said.
Each of the Bulldogs was partnered with a player from the youth league and spent more than 90minutes at the Hall of Fame doing everything from attempting a field goal to checking out the exhibits to taking a turn at the simulated ESPN "College GameDay" desk.
"It's a great experience to come here and get away from Athens for a little while, and see this nice facility," said sophomore running back Nick Chubb, from Cedartown, Ga.
Along with taking in the Hall of Fame with his partner, Brandon, Chubb also stopped to take numerous photos with visitors to the facility, which opened in downtown Atlanta last year and is more than 90,000 square feet of football history.
Chubb, who had a spectacular freshman season in 2014, rushing for 1,547 yards, was definitely one of the stars on display. When asked what the highlight of his day at the Hall of Fame had been, Brandon smiled at the question, offering up an easy answer: "Being with the one and only Nick Chubb."
Chubb smiled and laughed at that.
While Chubb, listed at 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, was larger than life on the field a year ago, and appears normal-sized and fairly quiet off it, big junior defensive end Leonard Floyd stands tall and stands out all the time. Any glance at the 6-4, 231-pound Floyd interacting with the youngsters was an arresting one.
Like Chubb, Floyd had a very happy partner. Renardo -- "he told me to call him `Junior,' so that's his name for the day," Floyd said -- was asked who his favorite Bulldog was. Without hesitation came his answer: "Leonard Floyd."
"I'm proud to be his favorite Bulldog," said Floyd, who like Chubb is on numerous preseason All-America teams.
Floyd, from Eastman, Ga., remembers well what he was like as a 11- or 12-year-old. He said he enjoyed himself and wouldn't mind doing it over again, though football wasn't a priority at that point.
"When I was 11 I wasn't even thinking about football," he said.
Now, with the start of preseason practice in early August right around the corner, football will occupy much of Floyd's and the Bulldogs' time. The approaching hard work of camp and the upcoming season helped make Monday's experience even more enjoyable.
"We don't get that much time to mingle with everybody (once practice starts), so this is a good time for it," Floyd said. "You always want to give back when you get the chance to. It reminds you of where you came from and what you had to go through to get here."
John Frierson is a staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Hall of Fame at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. You can follow him on Twitter: @TheFrierson and @ITAHallofFame.
