University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Perry McIntyre
Quick Chat: Tae Crowder
September 12, 2018 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When I typed my first name into Google, John generated billions of results, which wasn't a surprise. You could spend the rest of your life clicking through an almost infinite number of pages. John is basically the McDonald's hamburger of names.
When I typed Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder's actual first name, Dequartavious, into the Google machine, not even a dozen unique results appeared. And every single one was about Crowder, who said he was named by an aunt.
It's a pretty neat thing, the fact that Google knows everything and the only Dequartavious it knows is the redshirt junior from the small town of Pine Mountain, Ga. — famous for Callaway Gardens — about 20 miles south of LaGrange.
During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Crowder talked about his name, his hometown, watching his buddy Roquan Smith make his NFL debut on Sunday and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Tell me about your hometown, which seems to only have about 1,300 people — what's it like to grow up in such a small place?
Crowder: Growing up it was all about sports. We loved sports and every Saturday was Pee-Wee and we were all just ready to get up and go play. Before the game we played all the way until it was time for us to play the real games. I loved my time there and it was great growing up there.
I love the people, we're all family, it's a small town, so everyone's family there.
Frierson: What other sports did you play and what was your best sport besides football?
Crowder: I played basketball, but I'd say baseball was probably my best sport. I kind of stopped playing that my freshman year of high school and just stuck with basketball and football.
Frierson: What positions did you play in baseball?
Crowder: I pitched a little bit, I played center [field] and I played a little bit of shortstop back in the day.
Frierson: I could see you having some nice range at shortstop. What was your best pitch?
Crowder: (Laughs) I was working on the curve but I couldn't really get the curve, so I just had a fastball and a changeup. But I threw like 87 [miles per hour].
Frierson: Do you ever think about what might have been if you'd stuck with baseball, especially given the enormous contracts so many of those guys get?
Crowder: I always do (laughs), because it's just crazy how that happens. I'm glad I made the decisions I did.
Frierson: I did a Google search of your first name and you are the only thing that comes up, in all of Google.
Crowder: For real?
Frierson: Google has all the information in the world, which makes you like one in a trillion or more, which is pretty special.
Crowder: (Laughs) That's crazy. I honestly didn't ever Google it, but if you type in Tae Crowder it will come up and show my name. That's crazy, I never really thought about that.
Frierson: Did your name come from anywhere in particular?
Crowder: Nah, my aunt named me. I've got a cousin names Shantavious and I was Dequartavious, and we both go by the same name — but I'm T-a-e and she's T-a-y-e, so that's kind of cool.
Frierson: Where would you go if you were given all the time and money you needed to travel anywhere in the world?
Crowder: I'd probably go to Europe, just because I want to see something different and see how they live over there.
Frierson: Who would you take with you?
Crowder: I'd take my boy Roquan. I'd definitely take him because I know he'd want to go, too.
Frierson: What was it like watching him on TV the other night?
Crowder: Words can't really explain it. You can't really make it bigger than what it is, but it's awesome, a special thing.
Frierson: Roquan's such a great player, great guy, so easy to look up to — and then his first play he gets a sack. Did you get goosebumps watching that?
Crowder: (Laughs) Yeah, I did. As soon as he got in I just had a feeling something was going to happen for him.
Frierson: I certainly didn't expect that game to end the way it did [with the Packers rallying in the fourth quarter to win].
Crowder: I hated that it ended that way, but Aaron Rodgers, man, you can't relax with him.
Frierson: If you could be great at any other sport for a day just to experience what it's like, what sport would it be?
Crowder: I would definitely go with soccer (laughs).
Frierson: Really? Where did that come from?
Crowder: I was pretty good at soccer, too, but I didn't play it in high school. I would definitely play soccer.
Frierson: Do you follow it, like watching the World Cup or some of the European leagues?
Crowder: I try to when I can; it's pretty cool how their fans are so into it.
Frierson: What's something you've tried to master but have never even come close?
Crowder: I've tried (laughs) to be pretty good at this game, Fortnite.
Frierson: It's the biggest game in the world right now, right?
Crowder: I'm pretty good at it, but now that I'm pretty good I want to go up and beyond. I see people across the world that are so good at it, which is pretty cool. But I can't really get it yet.
Frierson: What video game are you best at?
Crowder: Any sport game: soccer, 2K, Madden, all of those I can play pretty good.
Frierson: What's something you know now that you wish you'd known or understood as a freshman?
Crowder: I wish I'd known how to practice. When I first got here I didn't really know how to practice; sometimes it takes people longer to adjust to how you practice and do things. I wish I came in more mature and ready, but it took me some time.
Frierson: Because it came too easy in high school?
Crowder: Yeah, it did maybe come too easy in high school, and coming here was a big step. I had to learn how to adjust with school and ball. It was a big step I had to take.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
When I typed my first name into Google, John generated billions of results, which wasn't a surprise. You could spend the rest of your life clicking through an almost infinite number of pages. John is basically the McDonald's hamburger of names.
When I typed Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder's actual first name, Dequartavious, into the Google machine, not even a dozen unique results appeared. And every single one was about Crowder, who said he was named by an aunt.
It's a pretty neat thing, the fact that Google knows everything and the only Dequartavious it knows is the redshirt junior from the small town of Pine Mountain, Ga. — famous for Callaway Gardens — about 20 miles south of LaGrange.
During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Crowder talked about his name, his hometown, watching his buddy Roquan Smith make his NFL debut on Sunday and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Tell me about your hometown, which seems to only have about 1,300 people — what's it like to grow up in such a small place?
Crowder: Growing up it was all about sports. We loved sports and every Saturday was Pee-Wee and we were all just ready to get up and go play. Before the game we played all the way until it was time for us to play the real games. I loved my time there and it was great growing up there.
I love the people, we're all family, it's a small town, so everyone's family there.
Frierson: What other sports did you play and what was your best sport besides football?
Crowder: I played basketball, but I'd say baseball was probably my best sport. I kind of stopped playing that my freshman year of high school and just stuck with basketball and football.
Frierson: What positions did you play in baseball?
Crowder: I pitched a little bit, I played center [field] and I played a little bit of shortstop back in the day.
Frierson: I could see you having some nice range at shortstop. What was your best pitch?
Crowder: (Laughs) I was working on the curve but I couldn't really get the curve, so I just had a fastball and a changeup. But I threw like 87 [miles per hour].
Frierson: Do you ever think about what might have been if you'd stuck with baseball, especially given the enormous contracts so many of those guys get?
Crowder: I always do (laughs), because it's just crazy how that happens. I'm glad I made the decisions I did.
Frierson: I did a Google search of your first name and you are the only thing that comes up, in all of Google.
Crowder: For real?
Frierson: Google has all the information in the world, which makes you like one in a trillion or more, which is pretty special.
Crowder: (Laughs) That's crazy. I honestly didn't ever Google it, but if you type in Tae Crowder it will come up and show my name. That's crazy, I never really thought about that.
Frierson: Did your name come from anywhere in particular?
Crowder: Nah, my aunt named me. I've got a cousin names Shantavious and I was Dequartavious, and we both go by the same name — but I'm T-a-e and she's T-a-y-e, so that's kind of cool.
Frierson: Where would you go if you were given all the time and money you needed to travel anywhere in the world?
Crowder: I'd probably go to Europe, just because I want to see something different and see how they live over there.
Frierson: Who would you take with you?
Crowder: I'd take my boy Roquan. I'd definitely take him because I know he'd want to go, too.
Frierson: What was it like watching him on TV the other night?
Crowder: Words can't really explain it. You can't really make it bigger than what it is, but it's awesome, a special thing.
Frierson: Roquan's such a great player, great guy, so easy to look up to — and then his first play he gets a sack. Did you get goosebumps watching that?
Crowder: (Laughs) Yeah, I did. As soon as he got in I just had a feeling something was going to happen for him.
Frierson: I certainly didn't expect that game to end the way it did [with the Packers rallying in the fourth quarter to win].
Crowder: I hated that it ended that way, but Aaron Rodgers, man, you can't relax with him.
Frierson: If you could be great at any other sport for a day just to experience what it's like, what sport would it be?
Crowder: I would definitely go with soccer (laughs).
Frierson: Really? Where did that come from?
Crowder: I was pretty good at soccer, too, but I didn't play it in high school. I would definitely play soccer.
Frierson: Do you follow it, like watching the World Cup or some of the European leagues?
Crowder: I try to when I can; it's pretty cool how their fans are so into it.
Frierson: What's something you've tried to master but have never even come close?
Crowder: I've tried (laughs) to be pretty good at this game, Fortnite.
Frierson: It's the biggest game in the world right now, right?
Crowder: I'm pretty good at it, but now that I'm pretty good I want to go up and beyond. I see people across the world that are so good at it, which is pretty cool. But I can't really get it yet.
Frierson: What video game are you best at?
Crowder: Any sport game: soccer, 2K, Madden, all of those I can play pretty good.
Frierson: What's something you know now that you wish you'd known or understood as a freshman?
Crowder: I wish I'd known how to practice. When I first got here I didn't really know how to practice; sometimes it takes people longer to adjust to how you practice and do things. I wish I came in more mature and ready, but it took me some time.
Frierson: Because it came too easy in high school?
Crowder: Yeah, it did maybe come too easy in high school, and coming here was a big step. I had to learn how to adjust with school and ball. It was a big step I had to take.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
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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