Georgia heads to Texas on Saturday for the much-awaited matchup on Saturday against the Longhorns.
There’ll be no shortage of talent on both sides, but Georgia will also be playing in a state that produced one of the greatest talents of those to have ever worn a Bulldog uniform – Terry Hoage.
It’s not a coincidence that Georgia had some of its greatest success to begin the 1980s. That was due to dynamic players. Yes, some were expected to thrive such as Herschel Walker. But Vince Dooley was known for maxing out the talent of little-known players and making them into household names.
Few did that more than Terry Hoage. He was not the most talented player on the field, but he more than made up for it with sheer determination and having knack for being in the right place at the right time.
How good was Hoage?
Here’s what Coach Dooley had to say about him once:
”the best defensive player I’ve ever coached and maybe the best one I’ve ever seen.”
In a 1981 Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame where defense and special teams won the day, Hoage had a blocked field goal, building on a freshman season to crack the starting lineup as a sophomore in 1981.
In 1983 on the road at Clemson, he blocked not one, but two field goals.
Speaking of 1983…Hoage arguably won the day for Georgia against Vanderbilt. And can we stop for a moment and appreciate the glory that came each week from coach’s shows and the amazing wardrobes?
He’d go on to earn all-american honors as a junior and senior plus finish fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting, a feat noteworthy since that was in an era where the award usually went to offensive skill players.
His storied legacy continued after that, playing 13 years in the NFL.
Not bad for a lightly-recruited player out of Huntsville, Texas.
Go Dawgs!