University of Georgia Athletics
Rod Cole Again Named SEC Legend
February 08, 2023 | Men's Basketball
Conyers native was key to UGA's 1990 SEC title run
ATHENS, Ga. — Rod Cole, who helped lead the Georgia to the 1990 SEC Championship, has been selected as the Bulldogs' 2023 SEC Legend. The 14 Allstate SEC Basketball Legends from each league school will be honored at the SEC Tournament on March 8-12 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Cole was originally chosen as the Bulldogs' Legend in 2020, the 30th anniversary of Georgia's SEC Championship campaign; however, the SEC Tournament that season ended prematurely with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A native of Conyers, Ga., and a standout at Rockdale County High School, Cole was a four-year starter at Georgia from 1987-91. Among the Bulldogs' all-time statistical leaders, he finished his career ranked No. 2 in assists (379) and No. 5 in steals (191). Cole helped lead Georgia to its first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids in 1990 and 1991 and served as a team captain as a senior. He was named to the All-SEC as a junior and included on the league's All-Defensive team as a senior in 1991.
Cole played an instrumental role in Georgia's run to the 1990 SEC title. After the Bulldogs started league play 3-3, they won nine of their next 10 games en route to the program's first SEC regular-season crown. Cole was named SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 28, 1990 after helping start that hot streak. He scored a season-high 19 points – including three free throws with four seconds left to force overtime – in the Bulldogs' 94-92 upset of No. 16 LSU in Baton Rouge on Jan. 24. Cole then dished out a career-high nine assists in Georgia's 85-77 victory over Tennessee in Athens on Jan. 27.
The SEC Basketball Legends program was re-instituted this year after a three-year hiatus. This year represents the 23rd group of SEC Legends for basketball. Previous honorees for the Bulldogs include: Vern Flemin (1999), Alec Kessler (2000), Zippy Morocco (2001), Dominique Wilkins (2002), James Banks (2003), Lavon Mercer (2004), Ronnie Hogue (2005), Joe Ward (2006), Litterial Green (2007), Hugh Durham (2008), Shandon Anderson (2009), Tom Brennan (2010), Walter Daniels (2011), Willie Anderson (2012), Tim Bassett (2013), D.A. Layne (2014), Jacky Dorsey (2015), Jarvis Hayes (2016), Jimmy Pitts (2017), Chad Kessler (2018) and Jumaine Jones (2019).
Cole was originally chosen as the Bulldogs' Legend in 2020, the 30th anniversary of Georgia's SEC Championship campaign; however, the SEC Tournament that season ended prematurely with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A native of Conyers, Ga., and a standout at Rockdale County High School, Cole was a four-year starter at Georgia from 1987-91. Among the Bulldogs' all-time statistical leaders, he finished his career ranked No. 2 in assists (379) and No. 5 in steals (191). Cole helped lead Georgia to its first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids in 1990 and 1991 and served as a team captain as a senior. He was named to the All-SEC as a junior and included on the league's All-Defensive team as a senior in 1991.
Cole played an instrumental role in Georgia's run to the 1990 SEC title. After the Bulldogs started league play 3-3, they won nine of their next 10 games en route to the program's first SEC regular-season crown. Cole was named SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 28, 1990 after helping start that hot streak. He scored a season-high 19 points – including three free throws with four seconds left to force overtime – in the Bulldogs' 94-92 upset of No. 16 LSU in Baton Rouge on Jan. 24. Cole then dished out a career-high nine assists in Georgia's 85-77 victory over Tennessee in Athens on Jan. 27.
The SEC Basketball Legends program was re-instituted this year after a three-year hiatus. This year represents the 23rd group of SEC Legends for basketball. Previous honorees for the Bulldogs include: Vern Flemin (1999), Alec Kessler (2000), Zippy Morocco (2001), Dominique Wilkins (2002), James Banks (2003), Lavon Mercer (2004), Ronnie Hogue (2005), Joe Ward (2006), Litterial Green (2007), Hugh Durham (2008), Shandon Anderson (2009), Tom Brennan (2010), Walter Daniels (2011), Willie Anderson (2012), Tim Bassett (2013), D.A. Layne (2014), Jacky Dorsey (2015), Jarvis Hayes (2016), Jimmy Pitts (2017), Chad Kessler (2018) and Jumaine Jones (2019).
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