Georgia Bulldogs
Encyclopedia
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 (NCAA) Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 (SEC). The official mascot is Uga
Uga (mascot)
Uga is the name of a lineage of English Bulldogs owned by Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler, which have served as the mascot of the University of Georgia since 1956...

.

Bulldog legends John Russell
John Russell
-Politicians:* John Russell , MP for Herefordshire and Speaker of the House of Commons.* John E. Russell , U.S. Representative from Massachusetts* John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford -Politicians:* John Russell (speaker) (died 1497), MP for Herefordshire and Speaker of the House of Commons.* John E....

, Dan Magill
Dan Magill
Daniel Hamilton "Dan" Magill, Jr., longtime Sports Information Director, Head Tennis Coach, and Georgia Bulldog Club secretary for the University of Georgia, is known throughout the state of Georgia and the South for his unparalleled contributions to the Georgia Bulldog athletic program...

, Wally Butts
Wally Butts
James Wallace "Wally" Butts, Jr. was an American football player and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1960, compiling a record of 140–86–9...

, Howell Hollis
Howell Hollis
Howell T. Hollis was an American college football player, coach and athletic director, best known as the men's golf head coach for the University of Georgia from 1946 – 1970....

, Forrest "Spec" Towns
Forrest Towns
Forrest Grady "Spec" Towns was an American track and field athlete. He was the 1936 Olympic champion in the 110 m hurdles, and broke the World Record in that event three times....

, Herman Stegeman
Herman Stegeman
-Sources: -External links:* at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com*...

, Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...

, Erskine "Erk" Russell
Erk Russell
Erskine "Erk" Russell was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach in the United States. He was also the defensive coordinator for the University of Georgia Bulldogs for seventeen years and head football coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles...

 and Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....

, Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...

, along with current coaches Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...

, Andy Landers
Andy Landers
- External links :* * - Notes :...

, Jay Clark
Jay Clark (gymnastics)
Jay Clark is the head coach of the women's Georgia gymnastics program at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Clark was promoted from assistant coach to head coach upon the retirement of long-time coach Suzanne Yoculan after the 2009 season....

, Manuel Diaz, Jeff Wallace, Jack Bauerle
Jack Bauerle
Jack Bauerle is the head coach of the University of Georgia men's and women's swimming teams. In the spring of 2006, he finished his 27th year as a head coach for UGA...

, are all considered to be among the best in their respective sport.

Overview

The University sponsors nineteen sports – baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's equestrian, football, men's and women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball. Those 19 teams have won a combined 26 team national championships and 130 Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 championships as of May 1, 2009.

The first mention of "Bulldogs" in association with Georgia athletics occurred on November 28, 1901, at the Georgia-Auburn football game played in Atlanta. The Georgia fans "had a badge saying 'Eat `em Georgia' and a picture of a bulldog tearing a piece of cloth"; however, it was not until 1920 that the nickname "Bulldog" was used to describe the athletic teams at the University of Georgia. Traditionally, the choice of a Bulldog as the UGA mascot was attributed to the alma mater of its founders and first president, who graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

. On November 3, 1920, Morgan Blake, a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal wrote a story about school nicknames for football teams and proposed:
The Georgia Bulldogs would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity.

Shortly thereafter, another news story appeared in the Atlanta Constitution in which the name "Bulldogs" was used several times to describe the Georgia football team and the nickname has been used ever since then.

The athletic department suffered through several controversies in the early 2000s, including a major scandal within the men's basketball program. In 2003, a power struggle between University President Michael Adams
Michael F. Adams
Michael F. Adams is the president of the University of Georgia in the U.S. state of Georgia.Adams began his career in education as faculty at Ohio State University 1973-1975. He later served as vice president for university affairs at Pepperdine University 1982-1988...

 and athletic director and beloved Bulldog legend Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...

 stole headlines across the country when Adams refused to renew Dooley's contract, effectively firing him. The battle became one painted as academics versus athletics, though this idea was rejected when the University's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is the founding college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The college was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.-History:...

 faculty issued a vote of "no confidence" on Adams' leadership in 2004.

The firestorm has calmed slightly since then, however, largely due to the success of Dooley's successor, Damon Evans
Damon Evans
Damon M. Evans is the former Athletic Director at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.After graduating from Gainesville High School in Hall County, Georgia, Evans played football for UGA, and graduated from the Terry College of Business in 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration ...

. In 2006, the Bulldogs recorded the highest profit margin of any athletic program in the country (according to the EADA report), pulling in USD$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

23.9 million, and also recorded another highly-successful year on the field. However, Evans was arrested for DUI on June 30, 2010; his passenger, a 28-year-old woman, was arrested for disorderly conduct who told police that she had been seeing Evans for about one week. Evans has been asked for his resignation effective on Monday, July 5, and he has agreed to resign.

Football

Moving from North Campus toward South Campus—the more recently constructed campus where science and mathematics departments are located—one passes the Tate Student Center and, most notably, the 92,746 seat Sanford Stadium
Sanford Stadium
Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The 92,746-seat stadium is the seventh largest stadium in the NCAA. Architecturally, the stadium is known for the fact that its numerous expansions over the years have been...

: home of the Georgia football team
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...

. The white Bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...

 is UGA’s mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

 and is properly known as "Uga VIII
Uga (mascot)
Uga is the name of a lineage of English Bulldogs owned by Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler, which have served as the mascot of the University of Georgia since 1956...

". The Bulldogs play in the tradition-rich Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

.

The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with the Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers is the name given to Auburn University athletic teams. The University is a member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 19 varsity teams in 13 sports:* Men's sports** Baseball** Basketball...

 , referred to as "The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry"
Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia...

 and dating back to 1892. The other rivalries are between the Bulldogs and the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ("Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is the nickname given to an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia. The two Georgia universities are...

") and the Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...

 (Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic). In addition, UGA enjoyed a strong rivalry with the nearby Clemson Tigers
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....

 for many years in football, especially in the 1980s. The Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

 annual showdown on the second Saturday of October has become a rivalry as a result of the 1992 division of the Southeastern Conference into Eastern and Western divisions. Before 1992, the two teams had only met 21 times since 1899. Beginning in 1992, the two teams have played annually as members of the same division. Georgia also enjoys a healthy rivalry with the South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks
The University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the "Gamecocks". The unique moniker is held in honor of Thomas Sumter, a South Carolina war hero who was given the name "The Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution for his fierce fighting tactics, regardless of his...

, meeting on the football field 62 times since 1894.

The football team has celebrated recent success, compared to some relatively lean years in the 1990s. Between 1989 and 2000, the Bulldogs earned a record of 86–53–1 under head coaches Ray Goff
Ray Goff
-Quotes:-External links:...

 (often derisively referred to as Ray 'Goof', a nickname given by former Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...

 and current South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...

 coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...

) and Jim Donnan
Jim Donnan
Jim Donnan is a former American football player and coach and now a television analyst for college football and a motivational speaker. He served as the head football coach at Marshall University and the University of Georgia , compiling a career record of 104–40–1...

. Since 2001, Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...

 has led the Bulldogs to 2 SEC Championships in 3 appearances, as well as an overall record of 106–36 (7–3 in Bowl Games).

The Bulldogs have brought home two national championships in their storied history: a shared title in 1942 and a consensus national championship in 1980 (several polls recognized the Bulldogs as national champions in 1927, 1946, and 1968, as well). In addition to their 2 national championships, the Bulldogs have won 12 Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, the most recent coming in 2005, boast two Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

 winners (Frank Sinkwich
Frank Sinkwich
Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. won the 1942 Heisman Trophy as a player for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference. In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for the National Football League Most...

, 1942, and Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...

, 1982), and hold the distinction of having three graduates become Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...

s (Jake Scott, 1972, Terrell Davis
Terrell Davis
Terrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...

, 1998, and Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...

, 2005).

Notable former players include RB Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...

, QB Eric Zeier
Eric Zeier
Eric Royce Zeier is a former American football quarterback. In his five years in the NFL, he played for the Cleveland Browns , Baltimore Ravens , and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Zeier started his career at Heidelberg American High School in Heidelberg, Germany where he led them to a championship...

, QB Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....

, RB Frank Sinkwich
Frank Sinkwich
Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. won the 1942 Heisman Trophy as a player for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference. In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for the National Football League Most...

, RB Charley Trippi
Charley Trippi
Charles Louis Trippi is a former professional American football player for the Chicago Cardinals. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.Mr. Trippi currently resides in Athens, Georgia...

, RB Rodney Hampton
Rodney Hampton
Rodney Craig Hampton born April 3, 1969 in Houston, Texas, is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 215 lbs. running back from the University of Georgia by way of Kashmere High School in...

, FB Mack Strong
Mack Strong
Mack Carlington Strong is a former professional American football fullback and running back coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He currently is a football sportscaster for Root Sports Northwest...

, RB Garrison Hearst
Garrison Hearst
Gerard Garrison Hearst is a former National Football League running back who last played for the NFL's Denver Broncos in 2004. He had previously played for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Francisco 49ers...

, DE Bill Stanfill
Bill Stanfill
William Thomas Stanfill is a former defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League and then the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger of 1970.-High school years:...

, DB Terry Hoage
Terry Hoage
Terrell Lee "Terry" Hoage is a former football defensive back for the University of Georgia from 1980 – 1983 and several National Football League teams. He was a two time consensus All-American and graduated from Georgia in 1985 with a B.S. in Genetics with a 3.85 GPA...

, CB Champ Bailey
Champ Bailey
Roland "Champ" Bailey is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Bailey was drafted in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Georgia.Bailey is 8th among Broncos in all-time...

, RB Terrell Davis
Terrell Davis
Terrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...

, RB Olandis Gary
Olandis Gary
Olandis Gary is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos from 1999 through 2002 and the Detroit Lions in 2003 and 2004...

, WR Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...

, DE Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...

, LB Boss Bailey
Boss Bailey
Rodney "Boss" Bailey is a American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1st round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

, DE/LB David Pollack
David Pollack
-Injury:In the Bengals' September 17, 2006 game against in-state rival Cleveland Browns, Pollack suffered what was later determined to be a broken sixth cervical vertebrae on a first quarter tackle on running back Reuben Droughns. He reportedly suffered no paralysis, but was taken off the field on...

, QB David Greene, K Kevin Butler
Kevin Butler (American football)
Kevin Gregory Butler is a former professional American football placekicker. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and then played professionally for the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League...

, CB Sean Jones
Sean Jones (safety)
Sean Jones is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia.-Early years:Jones attended Westlake High School where he played both as a...

, SS/LB Thomas Davis, WR Reggie Brown, FS Greg Blue
Greg Blue
Gregory B. Blue, Jr. is a safety in the Canadian Football League who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

, Jon Bentley
Jon Bentley
Jon Louis Bentley is a researcher in the field of computer science. He is credited with the invention of the k-d tree....

, QB Buck Belue
Buck Belue
Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion...

, RB Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.-Early years:Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in...

, QB Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford
John Matthew Stafford is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia....

, and WR Mohamed Massaquoi
Mohamed Massaquoi
Mohamed Jah Massaquoi is a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. He is currently the second string receiver in Head Coach Pat Shurmur's new offense.-High school:...

, QB Evan Boose, PR Prince Miller
Prince Miller
Prince Miller is an American football cornerback who is currently a player for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played college football at Georgia.-Early years:...

, R Rennie Curran
Rennie Curran
Rennie Curran is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at the University of Georgia. Curran was considered one of the top weakside linebackers of his class, and has been called "the most dominant defensive player in the game" by The Sporting News...

, LT Jon Stinchcomb
Jon Stinchcomb
Jon Stinchcomb is a former American football offensive tackle who played eight seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints...

 .

The Georgia-Florida game is held annually in late October/early November in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, a site intended to be neutral. However, it is worth noting that the neutrality of the game's location is a point of contention for many Georgia fans; many of whom argue that Jacksonville's location relative to the two universities favors Florida. The city lies 342 miles from Athens, Georgia, home of the Bulldogs, but only 73 miles from Gainesville, Florida, home of the Gators. University athletic directors recently extended the agreement to continue playing in Jacksonville till 2010. The game is considered a must-do for many UGA students and alumni. Georgia holds the all-time advantage in the series, posting a win-loss record of 47–38–2 (46–38–2 according to the University of Florida, which does not include the 1904 game in Macon, Georgia before officially sanctioning its football program.) The University of Florida began closing the gap, going 15–1 between 1990 and 2003. Georgia has begun to even up the series since, winning in 2004, 2007, and 2011 while the Gators took the game in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009.

Men's Tennis

Under the direction of college sports legend Dan Magill
Dan Magill
Daniel Hamilton "Dan" Magill, Jr., longtime Sports Information Director, Head Tennis Coach, and Georgia Bulldog Club secretary for the University of Georgia, is known throughout the state of Georgia and the South for his unparalleled contributions to the Georgia Bulldog athletic program...

 from 1954 to 1988 and his successor (and current head coach) Manuel Diaz, the Georgia Men's Tennis program ranks among the nation's best. The team has won a total of eight tennis national championships
NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...

 in 1985, '87, '99, 2001, '06 (indoor), 07 (indoor and NCAA Division I), and 2008. The Bulldogs' six NCAA team championships rank second all-time behind Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

, who has won the team title 15 times. The 2007 indoor championship made Georgia only the sixth team in history to successfully defend the ITA Indoor title. Coach Manuel Diaz is the only NCAA Division I active coach with more than one NCAA team Championships, with four.

The squad has won 32 Southeastern Conference championships, 25 regular season championships and seven SEC tournament championships.

The NCAA Men's Tennis Championship has been held in Athens 24 times in the past 35 years, including consecutively from 1977–1989 and in 2007. All but one (2008) of UGA's NCAA team championships have been won in Athens.

Women's Tennis

UGA alum Jeff Wallace has coached the Georgia Women's Tennis program since 1985, and is currently the winningest active NCAA women's tennis coach. His teams have won two NCAA team championships
NCAA Women's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Women's Tennis Championship is the National Collegiate Athletic Association's tennis tournament to determine the Team Championships, Singles Championships, and Doubles Championships in Women's Tennis. It was started in 1982.-2009 Division tournament:...

 (1994 and 2000), three ITA Indoor Championships (1994, 1995 and 2002) and nine SEC titles.

The NCAA Women's Tennis Championship has been held in Athens 3 times.

Women's Gymnastics

No Bulldog team has dominated its sport as much in the past 20 years as the Georgia Gym Dogs
Georgia Gym Dogs
The Georgia Gym Dogs women's gymnastics team represents the University of Georgia and competes in the Southeastern Conference . The Gym Dogs compete in Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia and compete in NCAA Division I...

, under the direction of Suzanne Yoculan
Suzanne Yoculan
Suzanne Paige Yoculan was the head coach of the women's gymnastics program at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia from 1983 to 2009. During her tenure, she built the Georgia gymnastics program into a national powerhouse and is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of collegiate...

.

Since 1986, the Gym Dogs have brought home 10 gymnastics national championships
NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship
The NCAA introduced Women's Gymnastics as a championship sport in 1982. Since then, only four universities have claimed the overall Division I championship; Division II competition was discontinued in 1987. During the early years of competition, the University of Utah under the leadership of head...

 (1987, '89, 1993, '98, '99, 2005, '06, '07, '08, '09), the most of any team in NCAA history (While Utah
Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the athletics teams of the University of Utah. They are named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the "Runnin' Utes"; the women's basketball team, formerly known as the "Lady Utes," now prefers to be referred to as the "Utes"; and the...

 has also won ten national titles, their first was an AIAW Championship in 1981). Georgia is also only the second team (Utah, 1982–86) to win the national title in five consecutive years, winning in 2005–09. The Gym Dogs boast 16 Southeastern Conference titles.

The Gym Dogs consistently draw upwards of 10,000 fans to their meets, ranking them second only to football in average attendance among Georgia sports.

On October 18, 2007, Yoculan announced her retirement after the 2009 season. Longtime assistant Jay Clark
Jay Clark (gymnastics)
Jay Clark is the head coach of the women's Georgia gymnastics program at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Clark was promoted from assistant coach to head coach upon the retirement of long-time coach Suzanne Yoculan after the 2009 season....

 succeeded Yoculan as head coach.

Men's Golf

From 1946–70, Howell Hollis
Howell Hollis
Howell T. Hollis was an American college football player, coach and athletic director, best known as the men's golf head coach for the University of Georgia from 1946 – 1970....

 built the Georgia men's golf team into a conference power, claiming 13 SEC titles and laying the groundwork for the team's future successes.

Current coach Chris Haack has led the team to two golf national titles
NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, played in late May or early June, is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is a stroke play team competition, starting in 2009 the competition changed to a stroke play/match play competition with the top 8 teams after 54 holes of...

 (1999, 2005) and keeps them in contention for the crown each year.

Overall, the men's golf team leads all Georgia sports with 26 conference championships, including four since 2000.

Women's Golf

First organized by women's athletics pioneer Liz Murphey, the Georgia women's golf team is a fixture among the nation's top finishers. Todd McCorkle coached the Georgia women's golf team from 2001 to 2007, when he abruptly resigned before the NCAA Women's Golf Championship under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations. His inaugural UGA team won the national championship
NCAA Women's Golf Championship
NCAA Champions for women's golf:-Division I:-Division II-III combined:-Division II:-Division III:-Team:The following schools have won more than one team championship:*15: Methodist*7: Arizona State*5: Duke, Rollins*4: Florida Southern...

. UGA's sixth place tie at the 2006 national event marks the seventh top-10 final ranking in the last nine years. The progam has won eleven SEC titles. Former players include Vicki Goetze
Vicki Goetze
Vicki Goetze-Ackerman is an American golfer.Goetze was born in Mishicot, Wisconsin. Living in Hull, Georgia, she was voted "Player of the Year" from 1988 to 1990 by the American Junior Golf Association. In 1989 she was still only 16 years old when she defeated Brandie Burton to become the third...

, now on the LPGA Tour.

Women's Basketball

Coach Andy Landers
Andy Landers
- External links :* * - Notes :...

, a pioneer in the sport, has coached the Lady Bulldogs since 1979, leading them to seven regular-season SEC titles, four SEC tournament championships, twenty 21-win seasons (an average of 24.4 wins per season), 23 NCAA tournaments
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...

, and five Final Fours. Landers currently stands as the winningest women's college basketball coach not to have won the national championship. The Lady Dogs' all-time AP ranking stands at 4th as of 2005.

The Lady Dogs have also produced two U.S. Olympians who have combined to earn six Gold Medals (Teresa Edwards
Teresa Edwards
-External links:******...

 and Katrina McClain Johnson
Katrina McClain Johnson
Katrina McClain Johnson, born September 19, 1965 in Charleston, South Carolina, is a retired American basketball player.-College years:...

), 16 former players who have continued to the WNBA (second-most nationally), and six WNBA first-round draft picks in the past five years (second-most nationally). There were eight Lady Bulldogs on WNBA rosters in 2006: Kara Braxton
Kara Braxton
Kara Liana Braxton is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty in the WNBA.-Early life:...

, Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

; Kedra Holland-Corn
Kedra Holland-Corn
Kedra Holland-Corn is a WNBA basketball player. After attending the University of Georgia, she played for the Sacramento Monarchs and Houston Comets, and now plays for the Detroit Shock....

, Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

; Deanna Nolan
Deanna Nolan
Deanna "Tweety" Nicole Nolan is an American professional basketball player for the WNBA. Her primary position is shooting guard, but occasionally plays the point guard position...

, Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

; Kelly Miller
Kelly Miller (basketball player)
-External links:***...

, Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...

; Coco Miller
Coco Miller
-External links:**...

, Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...

; Christi Thomas
Christi Thomas
Christi Thomas plays professional basketball in the WNBA. She attended the University of Georgia where she played under coach Andy Landers. She has been a professional since 2004. Christi also played basketball at Buford High School in Buford, Georgia, where she led the Wolves to a State Runner-Up...

, Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

; Sherill Baker
Sherill Baker
Sherill Shavette Baker is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, most recently for the Detroit Shock....

, New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

; and Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown is an American professional basketball player.-High school:White attended Woodward Academy in Atlanta, where she was named a High School All-American by the WBCA...

, New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

.

Men's Basketball

While often overshadowed by the accomplishments of the Lady Dogs, Georgia's men's basketball program has enjoyed several impressive seasons, including a run to the 2008 SEC Championship
2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place on March 13–16, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. The first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds were televised by Raycom/LF Sports, and the SEC Championship Game was produced by CBS and televised by ESPN2...

 and berth in the NCAA tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...

 under former head coach Dennis Felton
Dennis Felton
Dennis Felton is an American basketball coach for the National Basketball Association New Jersey Nets. He is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia....

.

While Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA...

 is considered the greatest player in school history, the team's most successful season came one year after his graduation. The Bulldogs made their first NCAA appearance in 1983
1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 2, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known...

 – which would have been Wilkins' senior year had he not opted for the NBA. That team advanced to the Final Four before falling to eventual national champion NC State
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...

.

Since making its first postseason tournament in 1980, Georgia has received 21 postseason invitations under coaches Hugh Durham
Hugh Durham
Hugh Durham is the first and only coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball to lead two different schools to the NCAA Final Four for the first and only time in each school's history...

, Tubby Smith
Tubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...

, Ron Jirsa
Ron Jirsa
Ron Jirsa is an American college basketball coach. He has previously been the head coach at the University of Georgia and Marshall University....

, Jim Harrick
Jim Harrick
Jim Harrick is an American former basketball coach who coached at Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Georgia over a combined total of 23 seasons.-Biography:...

, and Dennis Felton
Dennis Felton
Dennis Felton is an American basketball coach for the National Basketball Association New Jersey Nets. He is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia....

, including 10 trips to the NCAA tournament.

Women's Swimming and Diving

In his 27th year with the Georgia Swimming and Diving program, Coach Jack Bauerle
Jack Bauerle
Jack Bauerle is the head coach of the University of Georgia men's and women's swimming teams. In the spring of 2006, he finished his 27th year as a head coach for UGA...

 has placed the women's program among the nation's elite. In the past eight years, the team has taken four national championships
NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
NCAA Team Championships for Women's Swimming and Diving-Division I:-See also:*AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Swimming and Diving Champions*List of college swimming and diving teams-References:*...

 (1999, 2000, '01, '05) and posted four national runner-up finishes (2002, '03, '04, '06). The Lady Bulldogs have also brought home six SEC team championships (1997, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '06) in the past ten years. Bauerle has coached 11 female Olympians and 88 SEC individual champions. Graduates of the Georgia Swimming and Diving program include three individual recipients of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award
NCAA Woman of the Year Award
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award was created to honor a senior female student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Each year, ten finalists are selected from a larger pool of...

: Lisa Coole
Lisa Coole
Lisa Ann Coole was a 1997 graduate of the University of Georgia who was named the NCAA Woman of the Year Award for 1997 and was also awarded the Today's Top VIII Award as a member of the Class of 1998...

 in 1997, Kristy Kowal
Kristy Kowal
Kristina Ann Kowal is a swimmer from the United States, who won the silver medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney....

 in 2000 and Kim Black
Kim Black
Kimberly A. Black is an American swimmer from Syracuse, New York.Black began her collegiate career at the University of Southern California, where she competed alongside future fellow Olympians such as Lindsay Benko, before transferring to the University of Georgia in 1999...

 in 2001.

Baseball

The Georgia Baseball team has seen most of its success in recent years, including winning the 1990 College World Series
1990 College World Series
The 1990 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 1 to June 9. The forty-fourth tournament's champion was the University of Georgia, coached by Steve Webber...

, as well as making the trip to Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

 in 1987
1987 College World Series
The 1987 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from May 29 to June 7. The forty-first tournament's champion was Stanford University, coached by Mark Marquess. The Most Outstanding Player was Paul Carey of Stanford University. This CWS was best known for...

, 1990
1990 College World Series
The 1990 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 1 to June 9. The forty-fourth tournament's champion was the University of Georgia, coached by Steve Webber...

, 2001
2001 College World Series
The 2001 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 8 to June 16. The fifty-fifth tournament's champion was the University of Miami, coached by Jim Morris...

, 2004
2004 College World Series
The 2004 College World Series was held June 18 through 28, 2004 in Omaha, Nebraska. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium....

, 2006
2006 College World Series
The 2006 College World Series was held June 16-26 in Omaha, Nebraska; it was the 60th College World Series and the 57th series held in Omaha. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium...

, and 2008
2008 College World Series
The 2008 College World Series was held June 14 through June 25, in Omaha, Nebraska. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Rosenblatt Stadium...

. The Diamond Dawgs, as they are called, are coached by David Perno
David Perno
David Perno is the head coach of the baseball team at the University of Georgia. Now in his ninth season as their head coach, he has compiled a record of 300-230-1 . He has led the program to five NCAA tournaments, including 3 of the last 8 College World Series. He was named the 2004 Coach of the...

.

In its history, the team has claimed five Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 tournament titles, in 1933, 1954, 1955, 2001, and 2004, and five regular season conference titles, in 1933, 1953, 1954, 2004, and 2008.

The program dates back to 1886 and, according to former Sports Information Director Dan Magill
Dan Magill
Daniel Hamilton "Dan" Magill, Jr., longtime Sports Information Director, Head Tennis Coach, and Georgia Bulldog Club secretary for the University of Georgia, is known throughout the state of Georgia and the South for his unparalleled contributions to the Georgia Bulldog athletic program...

, was once the most popular sport on campus. However, from the mid-1950s to the late-1980s, and then through most of the 1990s, there were only scattered bright spots as the team managed only a modicum of success.

Since 2001, however, the program has enjoyed quite a resurgence, winning three championships in the perennial stalwart Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 and participating in the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

 four times in those seven seasons.

The Georgia-Georgia Tech baseball rivalry is one of the South's most fierce, and the teams' annual Spring Baseball Classic at Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...

 draws some of the largest crowds in college baseball (the 2004 game was seen by 28,836 spectators, the second-largest crowd in college baseball history).

The team has seen several of its former players move on to successful professional careers, most notably former New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 pitcher Spud Chandler
Spud Chandler
Spurgeon Ferdinand "Spud" Chandler was an American right-handed starting pitcher in major league baseball, who played his entire career for the New York Yankees from 1937 through 1947...

. Also, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 pitcher Cris Carpenter
Cris Carpenter
Cris Howell Carpenter is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He is an alumnus of the University of Georgia....

 (not to be confused with current Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the...

), pitcher Derek Lilliquist
Derek Lilliquist
Derek Jansen Lilliquist , is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1989-1996. He later became a minor league pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and was named their major league bullpen coach on November 2, 2010.-External links:...

,Chicago White Soxs batter Gordon Beckham
Gordon Beckham
James Gordon Beckham III is a baseball infielder, who plays for the Chicago White Sox.-Personal life:...

, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

 pitcher Dave Fleming
Dave Fleming
David Anthony Fleming is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1991 to 1995, mostly for the Seattle Mariners.Fleming was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, and went to high school in Mahopac, New York...

, and Georgia high school football coaching legend Billy Henderson played for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs play in the 3,291-seat Foley Field
Foley Field
Foley Field is a baseball stadium in Athens, Georgia. It is the home field of the University of Georgia Bulldogs college baseball team. The stadium holds 3,291 people....

 stadium.

Equestrian

UGA's newest varsity team first competed in the 2002–2003 season. Head coach Meghan Boenig
Meghan Boenig
Meghan Boenig is the head coach of the women's equestrian varsity program at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, USA. In Boenig's first varsity season at UGA, the team won the national championship in the Varsity Equestrian National Championships...


guided the team to a national championship in the Varsity Equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

 National Championships (VENC) that year as well as a repeat national championship the following year (2003–2004). After a series of runner-up finishes, the team reclaimed the top spot in 2007–2008 and repeated as champions in 2008–2009 and 2009–2010.

Other sports

Other notable sports teams include the perennial power men's swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 team. Notable track and field athletes include Olympic gold medalists Forrest Towns
Forrest Towns
Forrest Grady "Spec" Towns was an American track and field athlete. He was the 1936 Olympic champion in the 110 m hurdles, and broke the World Record in that event three times....

 and Gwen Torrence
Gwen Torrence
Gwen Torrence is a retired American sprinter and Olympic gold medalist. She was born in Decatur, GA. She attended Columbia High School and the University of Georgia....

 as well as bronze medalist Debbie Ferguson
Debbie Ferguson
Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie is a Bahamian sprint athlete who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. She had her first major successes with the Bahamian 4×100 metres relay team, winning gold at the Pan American Games and World Championships in Athletics in 1999, and taking another gold at the Olympic...

.

Club sports

The University of Georgia offers a number of non-varsity sports such as rugby, lacrosse, women's tennis and ice hockey. Teams frequently play intercollegiate rivals and join club sports conferences, such as the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference
Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference
The South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference is an ACHA Division III non-varsity ice hockey conference in the Southern United States. The league's mission is to develop and advance collegiate ice hockey...

and the Southeastern Rugby Conference. Club sports are administered by the university's Department of Recreational Sports.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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