Oct. 9, 1999 – 3:30 p.m.
Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field – Atlanta, Ga.
ALL-TIME RECORD
Now in its 107th season of intercollegiate football, Georgia Tech has an all-time record of 587-398-43 (.591). Entering the 1999 season, Tech ranked 20th among Division I-A teams in all-time victories.
HEAD COACH GEORGE O’LEARY
Now in his fifth full season as Georgia Tech’s head coach, George O’Leary was officially named the Institute’s 10th head coach on Nov. 28, 1994, three weeks after being elevated from defensive coordinator to interim head coach.
The 1998 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, O’Leary originally joined the Tech staff in 1987 and spent five years as defensive coordinator under former head coach Bobby Ross. He then coached two seasons (1992-93) under Ross with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers before returning to Tech as defensive coordinator in January of 1994.
A 30-year veteran of professional, college and prep coaching, O’Leary has a record of 31-22 (.585), including a 22-15 (.595) mark in ACC games.
HAMILTON IS NATION’S TOP PASSER
Quarterback Joe Hamilton LEADS THE NATION in passing efficiency with a rating of 202.4. In four games he has completed 72 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Hamilton also ranks fourth nationally in total offense with 329.5 yards per game.
HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 1991
Georgia Tech climbed to No. 7 in this week’s AP poll and No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. Those are the Yellow Jackets’ highest rankings since 1991. Following the 1990 national championship, Tech was ranked sixth by USA Today and eighth by AP in the 1991 preseason polls.
JACKETS HAVE WON 16 OF LAST 20
Georgia Tech has won 13 of its last 15 games, with both losses coming at the hands of Florida State.
Tech has won 16 of its last 20 games, dating back to the 1997 season.
JACKETS LEAD NATION IN SCORING, TOTAL OFFENSE
Georgia Tech leads the nation this week in both scoring and total offense. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 43.5 points per game, just ahead of second place Florida State (43.4). Tech has a slightly larger lead in total offense, averaging 517.3 yards per game to 504.2 for second-place Florida.
The Jackets ranks seventh nationally in rushing (243.3) and 22nd in passing (274.0).
THE SERIES WITH NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina holds a 16-15-3 lead in the series with Georgia Tech, which dates back to 1915. The Yellow Jackets captured last year’s game, 43-21 in Chapel Hill, but UNC won the last meeting in Atlanta, 16-13 in 1997, and the Tar Heels have won five of the last seven games. Tech leads 10-7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field, and the Jackets’ last home win over UNC was a 27-25 decision in 1995.
LAST MEETING WITH NORTH CAROLINA
Quarterback Joe Hamilton accounted for 362 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, including two scoring passes to Dez White, as Georgia Tech downed North Carolina, 43-21, at Kenan Stadium. The win was Tech’s first in Chapel Hill since 1945, ending a nine-game winless streak.
Tech led 30-7 and was attempting a field on the final play of the first half, but holder Rodney Williams did not catch the snap cleanly and tried to run with the ball. But Williams fumbled, and UNC’s Antwon Black returned the fumble 81 yards for a touchdown. After the Heels returned the second half kickoff for another score, Techs lead was trimmed to 30-21, but Hamilton and the Jackets regained control with a 69-yard touchdown drive.
TECH ON HOMECOMING
Georgia Tech has a 36-13-1 record in Homecoming games, including last year’s 41-38 victory over Virginia. Tech has won all three previous Homecoming dates with North Carolina, including victories in 1991 (35-14), 1989, (17-14) and 1974 (29-28). Two of those games featured dramatic endings by the Jackets. In 1989, Shawn Jones scrambled 30 yards for the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left, while in 1974, Adrian Rucker scored on a seven-yard run with 36 seconds left and then Rudy Allen hit Jimmy Robinson for the two-point conversion.
HAMILTON EARNS SECOND ACC OFFENSIVE BACK OF THE WEEK AWARD
For the second time this season and fifth time in his career, quarterback Joe Hamilton was named ACC Offensive Back of the Week after he set a school record with 474 yards of total offense to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 49-31 win over Maryland. Hamilton, who had 387 yards passing on 19-for-31 passing and 87 yards rushing on 13 carries, shattered the previous mark of 412 yards by Darrell Gast in a 1987 loss to Duke.
Hamilton, who had three touchdowns passing and oe rushing on a spectacular 41-yard run, tied the career best of 387 yards passing that he set two games earlier against Florida State. He passed for 257 yards before halftime to set a Tech record for passing yards in a first half.
WHITE IS RIGHT
After catching just nine passes in Georgia Tech’s first three games, split end Dez White had a breakout game in the Yellow Jackets’ victory over Maryland. White caught five passes for 215 yards against the Terrapins, with touchdowns of 80 yards and 29 yards.
White’s 215 yards is the third-best receiving effort in school history, behind his own school-record 243 yards last year against Virginia and Derrick Steagall’s 223 yards against the Cavaliers in 1997.
DANGEROUS DEZ DOES IT ALL
Biletnikoff Award candidate Dez White leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in receiving yards with 106.5 per game. That is almost five yards better than Florida State’s Peter Warrick, who averages twice as many catches as White but fewer yards.
White’s average of 30.4 yards per catch leads the nation.
White, who averages 28.8 yards per kickoff return and also lines up in the backfield at times, totals 147.3 all-pupose yards per game to rank third in the league. White averages 24.5 yards per play.
A MODEL OF EFFICIENCY
Joe Hamilton owns the top pass efficiency rating in school history at 144.18, which is also the second-best mark in ACC history. The current school record is 134.6 by Toppy Vann from 1953-56, while the ACC standard is held by Thad Busby of Florida State at 144.89.
Hamilton’s numbers over the last three seasons are even more impressive. Since the beginning of his sophomore season, the Alvin, S.C., native has an efficiency rating of 152.8. During that time, he has averaged 213.6 yards passing and 252.8 yards of total offense per game while completing 62 percent of his passes. Hamilton has thrown 39 touchdown passes against just 17 interceptions over the last 26 regular-season games.
GATHERS NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman defensive end Greg Gathers was named ACC Rookie of the Week for his performance in Tech’s win over Maryland. One of two true freshmen to start for the Tech defense, Gathers had four tackles for loss for 13 yards as he helped Tech hold the Terps to 89 yards rushing. Gathers made six tackles and also had a quarterback pressure.
CLIMBING ACC LISTS
With three touchdowns passing and one rushing against Maryland, Joe Hamilton moved into sole possession of third place in Atlantic Coast Conference history in career touchdown responsibility with 63. Only former Tech quarterback Shawn Jones (70) and Virginias Shawn Moore (83) have accounted for more touchdowns than Hamilton.
Hamilton climbed into fourth place in ACC annals in career total offense with 8,164 yards, trailing only Jones (9,296), and former Duke quarterbacks Spence Fischer (9,110) and Ben Bennett (9,061). Hamilton also ranks 10th in ACC history in career passing yards (6,896).
100TH PROGRAM COVER FOR MIKE LESTER
Since 1983, the cover art for all of Georgia Tech’s football programs has been conceived and drawn by illustrator Mike Lester of Rome, Ga. Today’s game marks Lester’s 100th Georgia Tech cover. His first program cover was for the 1983 Tech-Furman contest.
O’LEARY CLIMBS COACHING CHART
Georgia Tech’s victory over Maryland improved head coach George O’Leary’s record 31-22 in his fifth season on the Flats. O’Leary’s win total equals his former boss, Bobby Ross (31-26-1, 5 seasons) and Bill Curry (31-43-4, seven seasons). The only Tech head coaches with more wins are Pepper Rodgers (34-31-2, six seasons) and the Hall of Fame trio of John Heisman (102-29-7, 16 seasons), William Alexander (134-95-15, 25 seasons) and Bobby Dodd (165-64-8, 22 seasons).
O’Leary’s winning percentage of .584 is bettered only by Heisman (.779) and Dodd (.713).
DYKE DOES THE JOB
Entering the 1999 season, punting appeared to be a question mark for the Jackets after the graduation of Rodney Williams, the best punter in school history. But walk-on Dan Dyke has performed admirably. The sophomore from Winter Springs, Fla., has averaged 44.6 yards per punt, which would rank second in the ACC if he had enough attempts to qualify. Dyke’s net of 39.2 yards per punt leads the ACC and ranks 20th nationally. Six of his 12 punts have been inside the 20-yard line.
Dyke, who had no scholarship offers coming out of Oviedo High School, walked on the Tech squad last spring. and beat out freshman Philip Newman in preseason camp. He is a Presidential Scholar at Georgia Tech with a 4.0 grade point average in aerospace engineering.
CENTURY MARK VS. CENTRAL FLORIDA
Sophomore Sean Gregory rushed for a career-best 150 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Joe Hamilton added a career-high 100 yards rushing and two scores as 12th-ranked Georgia Tech defeated Central Florida, 41-10.
Hamilton, who also passed for 161 yards and one touchdown, became just the second quarterback in school history to rush and pass for 100 yards in the same game. He joined Donnie Davis, who turned the trick against Duke in 1995.
Gregory and Hamilton gave Tech two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time since 1996.
JACKETS FALL SHORT AT TOP-RANKED FSU
Joe Hamilton passed for 387 yards and accounted for five touchdowns as Georgia Tech fell, 41-35, to top-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee. Hamilton’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Kelly Campbell brought the Jackets within six points with 1:35 to play, but FSU recovered the ensuing onsides kick to preserve the win.
Tech piled up 501 yards of offense on the Seminoles’ vaunted defense, the most yards by an ACC team since FSU joined the league in 1992. Tech’s 35 points equals the high by an ACC opponent against the Seminoles; NC State lost 48-35 in 1997 in Tallahassee.
EPIC EFFORT VS. TOP-RANKED SEMINOLES
Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton was named Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Back of the Week after the most productive game of his career, and one of the top efforts in school history, in Tech’s hard-fought, 41-35 defeat at top-ranked Florida State. Hamilton completed 22 of 25 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. He also scored on a 19-yard run for 405 yards of total offense, another a career best.
Hamilton, who completed his final 15 passes, tossed touchdowns of 80, 56, 22 and 11 yards. His 80-yard strike to Dez White is the longest completion of his career, while his 22-yard scoring pass to Kelly Campbell brought the Jackets to within a touchdown with 1:35 left.
Hamilton’s passing and total offense yards were at the time the second-best single-game figures in Tech history, bettered only by Darrell Gast, who had 416 yards passing and 412 yards of total offense in a 1987 loss to Duke. His four touchdown passes is one shy of Eddie McAshan’s school-record of five, set in 1972 vs. Rice, while his five TDR ties McAshan’s Tech standard.
GREGORY HITS PINCH HIT HOME RUN
With Techs top two tailbacks injured, third-teamer Sean Gregory stepped in against Central Florida and rushed for a career-high 150 yards on 22 carries in his first collegiate start. The sophomore from Homewood, Ill., gained 82 yards in the first half to eclipse his previous best of 80 yards last November against Wake Forest, all of which came on one drive. Gregory scored on runs of seven and two yards.
Gregory is Tech’s leading rusher with 246 yards on 36 carries (6.8-yard average) and four touchdowns. He ranks sixth in the ACC in rushing.
HAMILTON HITS 18 STRAIGHT
Quarterback Joe Hamilton completed his first three passes against Central Florida to extend his school-record string to 18 straight completions. The senior from Alvin, S.C., completed his final pass of the first half against top-ranked Florida State and then was a perfect 14-for-14 in the second half. The previous high for consecutive completions by a Rambling Wreck quarterback was 12 in a row by Shawn Jones in Tech’s 1990 win over Georgia.
KELLY’S COMING-OUT PARTY
Sophomore Kelly Campbell enjoyed the best game of his career against top-ranked Florida State with seven catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Campbell’s 56-yard touchdown catch in the first half was the longest reception of his career. He then made a spectacular, one-handed catch in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown that brought the Jackets within six points with 1:35 to play.
Campbell, whose biggest moment as a freshman was his 55-yard touchdown catch against Georgia, is Tech’s leading receiver with 19 catches for 270 yards (14.2 average).
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
Georgia Tech’s 49-31 win over Maryland was the Yellow Jackets’ ninth appearance in an ESPN Thursday night telecast in the 1990s. Tech has a 5-4 record in its ESPN Thursday night games.
In addition to the nine ESPN dates, the Jackets have also played two other Thursday prime-time games in recent years, defeating Virginia, 31-27, in 1983 on TBS and falling to Arizona, 20-19, in 1995 on Prime. Counting Thanksgiving, Tech’s record on Thursday is 27-17-2.
ESPN THURSDAY NIGHT GAMES
Year Opponent Result Att1991 #20 Virginia hW 24-21 42,1921993 #25 Virginia hL 35-14 42,1001994 #7 Arizona hL 19-14 45,1121995 #16 Maryland hW 31-3 44,1371996 Duke hW 48-22 44,1451996 at Maryland aL 13-10 22,5101997 #5 North Carolina hL 16-13 45,1261998 at Clemson aW 24-21 62,0001999 Maryland hW 49-31 44,612
OFFENSE KEEPS ROLLING
Georgia Tech’s high-powered offense has averaged 36.9 points over the last 20 contests, including two bowl games. Not coincidentally, Tech has won 16 of those 20 games. Tech has been held under 20 points just once in the last 21 games, a 34-7 loss to Florida State last season. The Jackets have failed to score at least 30 points only four times during that stretch while topping 40 points 10 times.
BURNS LOST FOR SEASON
Sophomore tailback Joe Burns will miss the remainder of the season with a broken right ankle, suffered against Florida State. Burns rushed for 87 yards on 14 carries and caught seven passes for 96 yards and one touchdown in two games before the injury. Last season, he was Techs top rusher with 474 yards.
Tech is also playing without backup wide receiver Brett Basquin, out with a broken foot suffered in the preseason.
NATION’S WINNINGEST BOWL TEAM
With its 35-28 victory over Notre Dame in the 1999 Toyota Gator Bowl, Georgia Tech improved the nation’s top record in bowl games to 19-8 for a winning percentage of .704. Penn State is second with a 22-11-2 (.657) record.
Tech ranks sixth all-time in bowl victories with 19 and 13th in appearances with 26.
The Jackets have won five straight bowl games, including the 1997 Carquest Bowl, 1991 Aloha Bowl, 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl and 1985 All-American Bowl. Tech’s last loss in a bowl was a 41-21 defeat by Purdue in the 1978 Peach Bowl.
In 1955, the Jackets became the first team to win each of the four traditional major bowlsRose, Orange, Sugar and Cottonand Tech remains one of only five schools to accomplish this feat. Alabama (1962), Notre Dame (1975), Georgia (1960) and Penn State (1995) are the others.
BEST BOWL WINNING PERCENTAGE
1. GEORGIA TECH 19-8 .704 2. Penn State 22-11-2 .657 3. Southern Cal 25-14 .641 4. Oklahoma 20-11-1 .641 5. Florida State 16-9-2 .630 6. Arizona State 10-6-1 .618 7. Alabama 28-18-3 .602 8. Mississippi 16-11 .593 9. Auburn 14-10-2 .577 10. Notre Dame 13-10 .565
SEVEN-GAME ROAD STREAK HALTED
Georgia Tech’s loss at top-ranked Florida State was the Yellow Jackets first road loss since a 35-31 defeat at Virginia on Nov. 8, 1997, halting a seven-game winning streak.
Tech’s seven-game road winning streak is the third-longest in school history. The only longer road winning streaks were an eight-game streak from 1950-52 and an 11-game streak over the 1908-13 seasons.
SCORING BIG ON THE ROAD
Georgia Tech’s 49-14 victory at Navy represented the Rambling Wreck’s second-highest scoring output ever in a road game. The only game in which Tech scored more points on the road was a 71-6 win at Chattanooga on Oct. 11, 1913.
IN A RUSH
Georgia Tech topped 300 yards rushing in two of the first three games this season, against Navy (341) and Central Florida (318).
The Jackets’ 341 yards rushing against Navy, in which six backs gained at least 35 yards, was Tech’s best since rushing for 411 in a 1993 win over Maryland, when the Tech backfield featured Dorsey Levens and William Bell.
IN THE RED ZONE
On 17 red zone possessions (first down at or inside the opponents’ 20-yard line), Tech has scored points 15 times (88 percent). The Jackets have come away with 13 touchdowns (76 percent) and two field goals.
Tech has allowed its opponents 10 red zone possessions, and they have scored points nine times (90 percent), including eight touchdowns (80 percent).
AWARDS CHECKLIST
Quarterback Joe Hamilton, split end Dez White, free safety Travares Tillman and linebacker Chris Edwards are preseason nominees for the awards at their positions.
Hamilton, Tech’s Heisman Trophy candidate, is one of 16 nominees for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top senior quarterback.
White, a junior from Orange Park, Fla., is a preseason nominee for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s outstanding receiver. Last season, he was one of 10 semifinalists for the honor after catching 46 passes for a school record 976 yards and nine touchdowns.
Tillman, senior from Lyons, Ga., is on the preseason checklist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to college football’s outstanding defensive back. He is Tech’s top returning tackler with 82 hits, and his 180 career tackles rank first in the ACC and eighth in the nation among returning defensive backs.
Edwards was named to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award as the nations top linebacker. The senior from Warthen, Ga., made 53 tackles last fall.
CARMAN EARNS THIRD STRAIGHT LINEMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
Offensive tackle Jon Carman earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his performance in Techs win over Navy. The 6-8, 335-pound senior graded 95 percent with five “RBI” (great plays) as he paved the way for 341 yards rushing and 487 yards of total offense. Tech’s 341-yard effort was its best rushing output since 1993.
That gave Carman the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week award for three straight games. He also earned the honor for the final two weeks of 1998 as he helped Tech to wins over Georgia (241 yards rushing, 411 yards total offense ) and Wake Forest (319 rushing, 524 total offense).
TRUE FRESHMEN EARN STARTING NODS
Georgia Tech started three true freshmen – all on defense – in the season opener against Navy in cornerback Selwyn Scott, defensive end Greg Gathers and linebacker Recardo Wimbush.
The last time Tech started three true freshmen was in 1983, when several different rookies were in the lineup at various times during the season, including cornerback Reginald Rutland, tackle John Davis, tailback Cory Collier, safety Anthony Harrison and flanker Gary Lee.
Eleven other true freshmen have seen action in tailback Mike Kitchen, fullback Gary Johnson, receivers Will Glover and Anthony Lawston, offensive guard Raymond Roberts-Blake, linebacker Jeremy Muyres, defensive end Fred Wright, placekicker Luke Manget, kickoff specialist Philip Newman, and Kelley Rhino and Cory Collins on special teams.
GATHERS IMPRESSIVE IN DEBUT
True freshman defensive end Greg Gathers made an impressive debut against Navy. Earning a spot in the starting lineup, Gathers collected nine tackles, including six primary hits. He sacked the Navy quarterback twice for 14 yards, causing and recovering a fumble at the Navy 44-yard line on the second sack. He also had one other tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
O’LEARY TOPS IN ACC WINS
Georgia Tech’s 41-13 win over Duke in 1998 gave head coach George O’Leary more Atlantic Coast Conference victories than any other Tech head coach. O’Leary is now 22-15 (.595) in conference games. He passed his former boss, Bobby Ross, who posted a 15-18-1 ACC record from 1987-91. Bill Curry was 13-8-1 in ACC games from 1983-86 (Tech became eligible for the ACC championship in 1983).
BROTHERLY LOVE
This year’s team features two sets of brothers in senior running back Phillip Rogers and sophomore defensive end Nick Rogers, as well as junior receiver Jon Muyres and freshman safety Jeremy Muyres. Last season, the Rogers became the first pair of brothers to play for the Yellow Jackets at the same time since 1986, when Anthony Harrison was a senior starter at free safety, while his brother Danny was a freshman linebacker.
Phillip and Nick Rogers are the first pair of brothers to start for the Yellow Jackets at the same time since Randy and Danny Rhino in 1974.
Recent brother combinations to play for the Jackets:
Rogers: Phillip (TB, 1995-present) & Nick (LB, 1998-present)
Muyres: Jon (SE, 1996-present) & Jeremy (FS, 1999-present)
Williams: Rodney (P, 1995-98 & Marlon (OLB, 1990-93)
Stallworth: Dexter (QB, 1994-96) & Cedric (CB, 1985-88)
Travis: Mike (DB, 1982-85)& Scott (LB, 1990-92)
Harrison: Anthony (DB, 1983-86) & Danny (LB, 1987-89)
Swilling: Pat (OLB, 1982-85) & Darrell (LB, 1988-91)
Malone: Ralph (DT, 1982-85) & George (OLB, 1985-88)
Rhino: Randy (DB, 1972-74) & Danny (DB, 1974-76)
FATHERS AND SONS
Georgia Tech’s freshman class includes the sons of two of the greatest players in Rambling Wreck history. Freshman running back Kelley Rhino is the son of Randy Rhino, the only three-time all-America in Tech history. Randy, a defensive back and punt return specialist, earned all-America honors in 1972-73-74. Kelley’s grandfather, Chappell Rhino, and uncle Danny Rhino also starred for the Rambling Wreck. Freshman cornerback Eric Lavette is the son of Robert Lavette, Techs all-time leading rusher. Lavette starred for the Jackets from 1981-84, and his 4,066 yards rushing is the third-best total in ACC history.
Some prominent father-son combos in Tech history:
SON/FATHER
Eric Lavette (CB, 1999) Robert Lavette (RB, 1981-84)
Kelley Rhino (RB, 1999) Randy Rhino (DB, 1972-74)
Randy Rhino (DB, 1972-74)Chappell Rhino (1950-52)
Coleman Rudolph (DT, 1989-92) Jack Rudolph (1957-59)
Jay Martin (SS, 1986-90) Billy Martin (E, 1961-63)
ROGERS ON THE RUN
Tailback Phillip Rogers got his senior season off to a good start as he rushed for a career-best 80 yards and three touchdowns in Tech’s season-opening win over Navy.
Rogers’ career rushing total is now 1,114 yards, which ranks 24th on Tech’s career rushing list. He became the 27th player in Tech history – and the second on this year’s squad, along with quarterback Joe Hamilton – with 1,000 yards rushing.
WHITE IN SELECT COMPANY
Split end Dez White is in select company as one of just three players in Georgia Tech history who have returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. The junior from Orange Park, Fla., had a 100-yard return last season against Maryland and a 95-yarder versus Duke as a freshman, joining Drew Hill and Gary Lee.
White’s 100-yard return equals the second-longest return in Tech history. Drew Hill had a 100-yard return against Georgia in 1978, but the Tech record is 102 by Dewey Scarboro vs. Georgetown in 1919.
NO ROOM TO RUN
Stopping the run means usually means success for Georgia Tech under head coach George O’Leary. Since O’Leary took over the Tech program in 1995, the Jackets have held 17 opponents under 100 yards rushing, -including two this season – and Tech is 15-2 in those games.
Game Result Yds (Att.)Maryland, 1999 W 49-31 89 (36)Central Florida, 1999 W 41-10 92 (29)Georgia, 1998 W 21-19 91 (28)Wake Forest, 1998 W 63-35 61 (26)West Virginia, 1997 (Carquest Bowl) W 35-30 56 (22)Maryland, 1997 W 37-18 99 (41)Florida State, 1997 L 38-0 98 (29)Wake Forest, 1997 W 28-26 55 (22)Central Florida, 1996 W 27-20 52 (36)Duke, 1996 W 48-22 83 (31)Wake Forest, 1996 W 30-10 22 (19)Wake Forest, 1995 W 24-23 30 (17)North Carolina, 1995 W 27-25 68 (24)Duke, 1995 W 37-21 72 (24)Maryland, 1995 W 31-3 -30 (24)Arizona, 1995 L 20-19 13 (28)Furman, 1995 W 51-7 47 (35)
O’LEARY RUNS THE SHOW
Of the ten best single-game performances by the Georgia Tech defense against the run, George O’Leary has been involved in five of them, either as head coach or defensive coordinator.
Techs school record for rushing yards allowed is minus-30 yards against Maryland in 1995, O’Leary’s first full season as head coach. That performance broke the previous record of minus-20 yards set against Maryland in 1990, when O’Leary was defensive coordinator. Other top games in the O’Leary era include 10 yards by Duke in 1991, 13 by Arizona in 1995 and 22 by Wake Forest in 1996.
SMOKING TOBACCO ROAD
Georgia Tech has won seven of its last eight games in the state of North Carolina. Beginning with the 1995 season, Tech has recorded two wins over Duke (1995 and 1997), Wake Forest (1995 and 1997), and NC State (1996 and 1998) and one against North Carolina (1998). Tech’s lone defeat on Tobacco Road during that stretch was a 16-0 loss at North Carolina in 1996.
WINNING RECORDS VS. SIX ACC FOES
Georgia Tech has a winning record against every team in the Atlantic Coast Conference except Florida State and North Carolina. Tech’s all-time records against each ACC school: Clemson, 41-20-2; Duke, 36-29-1; Florida State, 7-8-1; Maryland, 9-3; North Carolina, 15-16-3; NC State, 11-7; Virginia, 11-9-1; Wake Forest, 16-5.
ROOF RETURNS TO FLATS
Ted Roof, one of the top defensive players in Georgia Tech annals, is in his first year as the Rambling Wreck’s defensive coordinator. Roof returned to his alma mater in 1998 as an assistant coach. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native coaches Tech’s linebackers, the position that he played on the Flats from 1982-85. He was a captain of Tech’s 1985 All-American Bowl team and a member of the “Black Watch” defense. Roof was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
OLDEST, AND WINNINGEST, I-A STADIUM
Built in 1913 and now in its 87th season, Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field is the oldest on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I-A. In fact, the only older on-campus facilities in the nation are Harvard Stadium and Penn’s Franklin Field. The next oldest I-A stadium is Mississippi State’s Scott Field, built in 1915. Tech has a record of 391-163-23 (.698) at its home facility.
Not only is Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field the oldest on-campus stadium, but it is also the site of more victories by the home team than any other facility. Since 1913 Georgia Tech has 391 wins at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field, leading Harvard (372) and Tennessee (367).
Oldest Stadiums
Division I-A Only
Georgia Tech (Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field), 1913>
Mississippi State (Scott Field), 1915>
Cincinnati (Nippert Stadium), 1916>
Wisconsin (Camp Randall Stadium), 1917>
Washington (Husky Stadium), 1920>
All Stadiums
Penn (Franklin Field), 1895>
Harvard (Harvard Stadium), 1903>
Georgia Tech (Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field), 1913>
Yale (Yale Bowl), 1914>
Mississippi State (Scott Field), 1915>
O’Leary is Tech’s 10th Head Coach
Even though Georgia Tech has played football for more than 100 years, head coach George O’Leary is just the 10th full-time head coach in Rambling Wreck history.
Only UNLV (7), Houston (8), Florida State (8) and Air Force (8) have had fewer head coaches than Tech, but none began playing football before 1946. By comparison, the Yellow Jackets’ 10 full-time head coaches have spanned a period of 96 years (1904-99). In fact, from 1904 through 1966, Tech employed just three coaches in John Heisman (1904-19), William Alexander (1920-44) and Bobby Dodd (1945-66), all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.
EXPERIENCED COACHING STAFF
Georgia Tech’s coaching staff has eight years of experience in the National Football League, led by Ralph Friedgen’s five years (1992-96) with the San Diego Chargers. Friedgen served as offensive coordinator his final three years in San Diego, including the Super Bowl season of 1994. Head coach George O’Leary spent two years (1992-93) as the Chargers’ defensive line coach. Tight ends coach Eddie Wilson was on the Kansas City Chiefs’ staff in 1974.
SHAW JOINS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
Former Yellow Jacket Billy Shaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in July of 1999. Shaw was a standout offensive guard with the Buffalo Bills from 1961-69, a five-time all-AFL selection who was named to the AFL’s All-Time Team. The Mississippi native lettered for the Jackets from 1958-60 under legendary head coach Bobby Dodd and earned all-SEC honors in 1959 and 1960.
Tech’s only other member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is Joe Guyon, a consensus all-America for the Jackets in 1918 who is also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
