University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Steven Colquitt
Dogs Have Own Memorable Walk-Ons
September 08, 2017 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
When the movie "Rudy" was released in October 1993, most of us that weren't diehard Notre Dame fans hadn't heard of the plucky, undersized Fighting Irish walk-on, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who worked and worked for a chance to get on the field. But most every college football team has a Rudy.
The film version of Ruettiger's story is the classic tale of overcoming a lot of obstacles, fair and unfair, in pursuit of a dream. Plus you get to see a no-name Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau a few years before "Swingers" was released. "Rudy" isn't a great film, in truth most sports movies aren't great, but you can't help but feel good when Rudy finally takes the field — and gets a sack against Georgia Tech, no less.
Again, most every team has a Rudy in one form or another. Of the scout teams and walk-ons during his 25 years as Georgia's head coach, Vince Dooley said, "I think there were a lot of Rudys out there."
A post from the @UCLAwalkons Twitter page, recently the subject of a Los Angeles Times feature story, may encapsulate the life of a walk-on best. It shows a couple in bed, both with worried looks on their faces. The text reads: "Her: He's probably thinking of other girls; Him: I wonder if the head coach knows my name."
Georgia, which takes on the Irish Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium, has had its share of memorable walk-ons and scout-team players, from multiple key contributors on the 1980 national championship team — among them Robert Miles, Nate Taylor, Mike Fisher and Dale Williams — to an out-of-nowhere Frenchman that would set the school sack record. There are also current players like defensive back Aaron Davis and fullback Christian Payne.
"Christian Payne, he did a pretty incredible job of coming in, being a nobody and just doing his thing," said former offensive lineman Brandon Kublanow, who wrapped up his career in 2016. "He would come in there full speed and he tried to just kill you. He's kind of that same story (as Rudy), real relentless and every practice he's bringing it.
"I think he's a great, great guy, and represents Georgia well as a great symbol of hard work."
An Athens native, like several current walk-ons, Payne showed up and worked and earned his time on the field — as a true freshman he played in seven games (starting against Georgia Tech). As a sophomore he caught four passes for 57 yards, including a 23-yarder against Tech, and last season he played in every game, started six, and had a career day against Missouri with five catches for 41 yards, including his first career touchdown.
"He's a guy that you want on your team," Kublanow said.
The same certainly goes for Davis, a redshirt senior in his fourth season as a starter. Davis, from Locust Grove, Ga., suffered serious knee injuries in high school, which is why he wound up walking on at Georgia. He redshirted in 2013 and has started nearly every game since. He also graduated last fall with a degree in finance.
"Aaron is just an incredible story," his former teammate Kublanow said. "He comes in and started as a redshirt freshman walk-on and absolutely killed it, and he continues to do a great job for the program."
Kublanow knows the walk-on life well, because he lives with a couple of former scout team guys in Glenn Welch and Billy Seward. "I used to tell them, 'I'm not sure I'd be paying to do this,'" he said.
Senior safety Dominick Sanders said he has a lot of respect and appreciation for all the guys that come out and put in a lot of thankless work on the scout teams.
"Those guys give us a good look each and every day, throughout the season, and you want guys like that," he said. "You want guys that want to run you over and catch balls on you — that's going to make you better as a defensive player."
One of Georgia's most legendary walk-ons is defensive end Richard Tardits (1985-88), a Frenchman with exceptional athleticism that had never played football before. Dubbed "Le Sack" by the legendary Dan Magill, Tardits went from a total unknown that showed up for spring practice in 1985 to leading the Bulldogs in sacks from 1886-88.
"One of my favorite things about the Richard Tardits story is that he got his scholarship through a battlefield promotion," Hall of Fame former coach Vince Dooley said. "In the spring, in a scrimmage one day, he sacked the quarterback five times, and on the fifth sack I gave him a scholarship.
"He jumped up and said, 'Thank you very much, sir!' with his French accent — I never will forget it."
A gifted rugby player that had never played a down of football left Georgia as its sack king, with 29, including 12 his senior season. That record has since been passed, but it took one of college football's top defensive players of the last 20 years, David Pollack (36 career sacks), to do it.
Unlike Tardits, Cory Phillips (1999-2002) had played football much of his life, and played it well. But a bad knee injury his junior year in high school killed off any interest schools had in the quarterback, so he just came to Georgia as a regular student. As for how he wound up walking on and later even starting several games, "Dude, I'm going to tell you, it was a miracle."
The Dogs' coach at the time Phillips decided to give football another try, Jim Donnan, was essentially cold-called. Phillips' dad "called up there and somehow Jim Donnan answered the phone — I'm telling you, it's a dang miracle," Phillips said.
Phillips and his dad brought over some film from his days at Hart County High School, the coaches looked at it and when practice began Phillips was a walk-on, working under scout team coach Mike Bobo. Come the Georgia Tech game in 2000, Phillips not only started against the Yellow Jackets, he put himself in Georgia's record book.
Phillips tied Eric Zeier's school record with 36 completions and his 413 passing yards that day now rank No. 11 on the Bulldogs' all-time list. Phillips, whose only pass attempt in 1999 was a 53-yard touchdown, ended his career 105-for-190, for 1,378 yards, with 12 touchdowns.
"It's a band of brothers out there," Phillips said of his scout team days. "You're going out there and getting your teeth kicked in by the first-team defense, all day every day. ... It's a dog fight and you're doing everything you can," to coach a coach's eye.
"Obviously playing and getting in games is the most fun, but it is not far behind, just that camaraderie of being out there together. It's a good time."
As the story of Rudy proved, and the story of Phillips, Davis and Payne and so many others, you never know who is going to develop into something special and make their mark in one way or another. Could be a five-star recruit or it could be a guy basically walking in off the street.
Phillips said the odds were probably "one in a million" that he'd get to walk on at Georgia and play an important role for his favorite team. "And I'm darn grateful for it, obviously."
UGAAA Staff Writer
When the movie "Rudy" was released in October 1993, most of us that weren't diehard Notre Dame fans hadn't heard of the plucky, undersized Fighting Irish walk-on, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who worked and worked for a chance to get on the field. But most every college football team has a Rudy.
The film version of Ruettiger's story is the classic tale of overcoming a lot of obstacles, fair and unfair, in pursuit of a dream. Plus you get to see a no-name Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau a few years before "Swingers" was released. "Rudy" isn't a great film, in truth most sports movies aren't great, but you can't help but feel good when Rudy finally takes the field — and gets a sack against Georgia Tech, no less.
Again, most every team has a Rudy in one form or another. Of the scout teams and walk-ons during his 25 years as Georgia's head coach, Vince Dooley said, "I think there were a lot of Rudys out there."
A post from the @UCLAwalkons Twitter page, recently the subject of a Los Angeles Times feature story, may encapsulate the life of a walk-on best. It shows a couple in bed, both with worried looks on their faces. The text reads: "Her: He's probably thinking of other girls; Him: I wonder if the head coach knows my name."
Georgia, which takes on the Irish Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium, has had its share of memorable walk-ons and scout-team players, from multiple key contributors on the 1980 national championship team — among them Robert Miles, Nate Taylor, Mike Fisher and Dale Williams — to an out-of-nowhere Frenchman that would set the school sack record. There are also current players like defensive back Aaron Davis and fullback Christian Payne.
"Christian Payne, he did a pretty incredible job of coming in, being a nobody and just doing his thing," said former offensive lineman Brandon Kublanow, who wrapped up his career in 2016. "He would come in there full speed and he tried to just kill you. He's kind of that same story (as Rudy), real relentless and every practice he's bringing it.
"I think he's a great, great guy, and represents Georgia well as a great symbol of hard work."
An Athens native, like several current walk-ons, Payne showed up and worked and earned his time on the field — as a true freshman he played in seven games (starting against Georgia Tech). As a sophomore he caught four passes for 57 yards, including a 23-yarder against Tech, and last season he played in every game, started six, and had a career day against Missouri with five catches for 41 yards, including his first career touchdown.
"He's a guy that you want on your team," Kublanow said.
The same certainly goes for Davis, a redshirt senior in his fourth season as a starter. Davis, from Locust Grove, Ga., suffered serious knee injuries in high school, which is why he wound up walking on at Georgia. He redshirted in 2013 and has started nearly every game since. He also graduated last fall with a degree in finance.
"Aaron is just an incredible story," his former teammate Kublanow said. "He comes in and started as a redshirt freshman walk-on and absolutely killed it, and he continues to do a great job for the program."
Kublanow knows the walk-on life well, because he lives with a couple of former scout team guys in Glenn Welch and Billy Seward. "I used to tell them, 'I'm not sure I'd be paying to do this,'" he said.
Senior safety Dominick Sanders said he has a lot of respect and appreciation for all the guys that come out and put in a lot of thankless work on the scout teams.
"Those guys give us a good look each and every day, throughout the season, and you want guys like that," he said. "You want guys that want to run you over and catch balls on you — that's going to make you better as a defensive player."
One of Georgia's most legendary walk-ons is defensive end Richard Tardits (1985-88), a Frenchman with exceptional athleticism that had never played football before. Dubbed "Le Sack" by the legendary Dan Magill, Tardits went from a total unknown that showed up for spring practice in 1985 to leading the Bulldogs in sacks from 1886-88.
"One of my favorite things about the Richard Tardits story is that he got his scholarship through a battlefield promotion," Hall of Fame former coach Vince Dooley said. "In the spring, in a scrimmage one day, he sacked the quarterback five times, and on the fifth sack I gave him a scholarship.
"He jumped up and said, 'Thank you very much, sir!' with his French accent — I never will forget it."
A gifted rugby player that had never played a down of football left Georgia as its sack king, with 29, including 12 his senior season. That record has since been passed, but it took one of college football's top defensive players of the last 20 years, David Pollack (36 career sacks), to do it.
Unlike Tardits, Cory Phillips (1999-2002) had played football much of his life, and played it well. But a bad knee injury his junior year in high school killed off any interest schools had in the quarterback, so he just came to Georgia as a regular student. As for how he wound up walking on and later even starting several games, "Dude, I'm going to tell you, it was a miracle."
The Dogs' coach at the time Phillips decided to give football another try, Jim Donnan, was essentially cold-called. Phillips' dad "called up there and somehow Jim Donnan answered the phone — I'm telling you, it's a dang miracle," Phillips said.
Phillips and his dad brought over some film from his days at Hart County High School, the coaches looked at it and when practice began Phillips was a walk-on, working under scout team coach Mike Bobo. Come the Georgia Tech game in 2000, Phillips not only started against the Yellow Jackets, he put himself in Georgia's record book.
Phillips tied Eric Zeier's school record with 36 completions and his 413 passing yards that day now rank No. 11 on the Bulldogs' all-time list. Phillips, whose only pass attempt in 1999 was a 53-yard touchdown, ended his career 105-for-190, for 1,378 yards, with 12 touchdowns.
"It's a band of brothers out there," Phillips said of his scout team days. "You're going out there and getting your teeth kicked in by the first-team defense, all day every day. ... It's a dog fight and you're doing everything you can," to coach a coach's eye.
"Obviously playing and getting in games is the most fun, but it is not far behind, just that camaraderie of being out there together. It's a good time."
As the story of Rudy proved, and the story of Phillips, Davis and Payne and so many others, you never know who is going to develop into something special and make their mark in one way or another. Could be a five-star recruit or it could be a guy basically walking in off the street.
Phillips said the odds were probably "one in a million" that he'd get to walk on at Georgia and play an important role for his favorite team. "And I'm darn grateful for it, obviously."
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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