Aug 29, 2013
Jon Cooper, Sting Daily –
Here’s a surefire prediction for the coin-toss prior to Georgia Tech’s September 26th game against Virginia Tech.
It will be uniquely Georgia Tech, with the most unique part being the coin, itself.
Beginning with that Thursday-night game, the Yellow Jackets will be using a special commemorative coin that is being specially produced for the 2013 season to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of football being played on Grant Field.
“One side of the coin is the ‘GT.’ The backside of it is the logo for the 100th,” said Jim Terry, Class of ’72, a sales and marketing consultant for Georgia Tech, who also is working in concert with Rick Thorpe, Georgia Tech Associate Director of Athletics – Sales and Fan Experience on other aspects to celebrate the centennial. “The coin will go to the honorary captain for that football game.”
While the game’s honorary captain will receive the coin as a memento, Georgia Tech fans and alumni have the ability to purchase one of their own.
The coin is being minted by the Highland Mint, which has created special custom memorabilia for more than 30 years and boasts a clientele that includes Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Minor League Baseball, Collegiate Collectables and the Kentucky Derby.
Coins can be ordered online here.
Last season, Highland, located in Melbourne, Florida, did commemorative coins for the University of Alabama, to celebrate their National Championship also did one for Texas A&M’s entrance into the Southeastern Conference.
The Georgia Tech commemorative coin can be ordered on line on the bottom of RamblinWreck.com, the homepage for Georgia Tech Athletics. Coins can be purchased for $39.99.
Each coin is individually numbered and will come in its own protective display plaque, which is mounted on a wooden base and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Highland has already minted 5,000 of the coins and could mint more depending on demand.
Buying a coin does more than provide fans with a piece of history and a remembrance of the special year celebrating Grant Field. It also benefits Yellow Jackets athletes, as 25 percent of the total proceeds will go to back to the school’s Total Person Program.
“That was Doug Allvine’s idea,” said Terry. “He’s involved in the Total Person Program with Leah Thomas. Athletics Director Mike Bobinski blessed that as well. It’s a very special program within Georgia Tech. A lot of schools have similar programs but the Total Person Program was founded at Georgia Tech when Dr. Homer Rice was the Athletic Director at Tech, back in the ’80s.”
Terry, who graduated with a BS in Industrial Management, spent 40 years working with Coca Cola, during which time he frequently did cross-promotions with Georgia Tech. Two summers ago, following his retirement from Coke, he took on his current consulting responsibilities with the Tech Athletic Department. He’s very much involved in and excited about, the season-long, Grant Field 100th Anniversary celebration and believes fans will be very excited as well about what’s to come in 2013, starting with the Virginia Tech game.
“During the Virginia Tech game we’re going to really put a spotlight on 100 years of playing football at Grant Field,” he said. “That’s the logo that was developed for the 100th. There will also be a logo on the field. There’s also a commemorative Coca Cola bottle that will carry that same logo and then, of course, the commemorative coin.
“But what’s important about the coin and the Coke bottle is that it’s an integrated marketing plan to really put the spotlight on 100 years of Grant Field,” he added. “It’s going to be a really great thing for Georgia Tech, a time where we can talk about our history and our heritage at the same time looking forward to the future, particularly with the team we have this year. I think we’re going to have a pretty good season.”
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