TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
Hello again from the Flats, Yellow Jacket fans. It’s been a great couple of weeks here at Georgia Tech. Since we visited last on this page, we’ve won a couple of ACC football games, gone on a four-match volleyball winning streak and our golfers and tennis players have performed well. Off the fields and courts, we were delighted that the Georgia Board of Regents approved two major facility projects I have been telling you about. We are now set to move forward on the replacement of the Alexander Memorial Coliseum and the construction of a new indoor football practice facility.
Construction work on the John and Mary Brock Football Practice Facility will begin in early 2011. The new Hank McCamish Pavilion, future home of Georgia Tech basketball, will begin to take shape right after the conclusion of our upcoming basketball season. Be on the lookout early next week when we will release a good amount of pertinent information on the basketball facility as well as our latest architect’s renderings. We will be creating a separate stand-alone web site detailing the design, construction and progress as we move forward with the project.
Home Football Saturday
I hope to see you at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday for our 3:30 p.m. kickoff vs. Middle Tennessee State. It should be another beautiful day on the Tech campus. We continue to receive occasional feedback from fans related to our game day operations and we are trying to be as sensitive and responsive as possible. Our No. 1 goal is to make sure that our event staff is courteous, helpful and accommodating. That being said, there are still stadium policies that they are asked to enforce. I have received e-mails from some of our long-time season ticket holders who wonder why some stadium security initiatives are necessary. The answer is simple – all Americans congregating in large entertainment venues must be cautious and vigilant – even here at Georgia Tech. Bags of a certain size, strollers, umbrellas and any other items deemed as such are prohibited items within Bobby Dodd Stadium. This is standard practice at virtually all stadiums across the country.
Responding to my inquiry, the Georgia Tech Police Department’s Office of Emergency Preparedness recommends that we continue to prohibit strollers inside the stadium for safety and other homeland security concerns. We apologize for any inconvenience, but we must remain vigilant with our protective measures and overall stadium security for the safety and well being of our many fans. I know that some of the security measures seem annoying even though they are truly necessary.
Hall of Fame Weekend
This weekend at Georgia Tech should provide some special memories as we celebrate our Hall of Fame festivities. This year’s class will be inducted on Friday night. All-America golfer and PGA Tour star Matt Kuchar headlines the 2010 class of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, which also includes All-ACC basketball guard Drew Barry, All-American offensive lineman Chris Brown, All-American pitcher Chuck Crowder, cross country All-American Beth Old and track All-American Jonas Motiejunas.
The group of former student-athletes will be inducted on Friday at the annual Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets for the dinner are $50 and can be purchased through the Alexander-Tharpe Fund at 404-894-6124. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of Saturday’s football game vs. Middle Tennessee State.
Volleyball at O’Keefe
If you’re not attending the Hall of Fame event on Friday night, plan to support our red-hot volleyball team at O’Keefe Gym. It’s “Dig for the Cure” night as the Yellow Jackets take on North Carolina at 7 p.m. ACC Player of the Week Monique Mead will lead the team in this annual match dedicated to the support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. There will be many ways to support this great cause and many fun promotions planned for the evening. Click here for more information. Also, Georgia Tech volleyball plays again at home Sunday, taking on NC State at 1 p.m.
Golf Extravaganza
With the PGA Tour’s leading money winner and Ryder Cup participant Matt Kuchar here this weekend, it will truly be an event golf fans won’t want to miss. In a related promotion, golf and football will come together when the historic Wanamaker Trophy makes a guest appearance at the halftime presentation of the 2010 ACC Championship rings to the Georgia Tech golf team. Matt Kuchar and I will present the championship rings to the team members as a number of PGA Championship officials also participate.
Leading up to the halftime presentation, the Wanamaker Trophy will be on display in the atrium Museum at the Edge Athletic Center beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Members of this year’s Tech golf team will be there as well visiting with fans. Please come by if you can. Click here for a feature story on the Wanamaker Trophy.
Next August, 156 of the world’s best golfers will return to the Atlanta Athletic Club (2001, 1981) to compete for the Wanamaker Trophy and title of 93rd PGA Championship. Georgia Tech, the PGA Championship and the Atlanta Athletic Club share a strong past. The Atlanta Athletic Club was the home club of famous Georgia Tech alums including Bobby Jones and John Heisman.
Men’s Basketball
Since we are now less than a month away from the beginning of basketball season I want to urge you all once again to consider purchasing season tickets. This is the lifeblood of our athletic program and we need you to strongly consider a show of support for the success we are showing across the board at Georgia Tech. When you have an opportunity to see the plans for the new building next week, you will certainly want to consider being a season ticket holder in order to secure priority seat selection when the new facility opens for the 2012-13 season. Good seats remain available for this season in all price levels. Click here to order season basketball tickets.
If you would like an opportunity to sample seats for the 2010-11 season in person, plan to attend our Men’s Basketball Hoopfest on Friday, October 22nd from 6:30-8:30 p.m.. Our Fan Relationship Team will be on hand to assist you. This event promises to be fun for all ages with inflatables, games, face painting, food and beverage. There will be fan-involved contests, great music and a dunk performance by Sky Hawk. There will also be a short scrimmage by our 2010-11 Yellow Jackets and an autograph session to wrap things up. Click here for full details.
Women’s Basketball
Don’t forget also to consider an advance purchase of some women’s basketball opportunities that are upcoming. Most notably, the two-time defending NCAA champion UConn Huskies and Atlanta superstar Maya Moore will visit the AMC on November 21st. We are packaging this game with our ACC-Big 10 Challenge opponent Northwestern (December 1st) and a visit by arch-rival Georgia on December 5th as a “Gold Pack” purchase for just $20. Click here to take advantage of this special deal.
New Photo Store Available
I am happy to announce that we have a new opportunity for you fans to order pictures of your favorite Yellow Jackets in game action. We are even starting with a Photo Store Grand Opening Giveaway, offering a free 9″x 12″ photo to all Yellow Jackets Fans. Click on the free photo link to receive a promotion code good for $29.95. Select a complimentary 9″x12″ photo of your choice or upgrade to a larger print or custom framed photo.
The Georgia Tech Photo Store will feature pictures of all 17 varsity sports, athletic facilities and Yellow Jacket traditions. Over 100 images are included in the galleries, and pictures from this year’s competition will continue to be posted regularly throughout the season.
Each image has been captured by a professional photographer and may be reproduced in a variety of sizes (6 x 8, 9 x 12, 12 x16, 15 x 20, 18×24) framed, unframed, or gallery wrapped on canvas. Unframed photos ship out one business day after sale and framed photos are guaranteed to ship out three business days after sale. Visit the Georgia Tech Photo Store to view all product offerings.
Try Out eStadium This Weekend
eStadium presented by eHire, the free website/app that allows you to watch real-time instant replays from your smart phone, is back this year with more exciting features and functionality. Not only can fans at home games search and watch virtually every replay of a game, they can view a graphical drive tracker, and access real-time game and player statistics. More functionality is coming including social networking, shopping and other location-based services. Created by Georgia Tech faculty and students for Tech students, alumni, and fans, eStadium presented by eHire is changing the way we experience live sports. Visit the site here.
FREE GT Mobile App Keeps You In Touch with the Jackets
Georgia Tech is proud to continue to offer our downloadable Mobile App. If you’re reading this edition of The Good Word on your mobile phone simply click here to download the app. If you are not on your mobile, then please text the word “Jackets” to 53000 and you will receive instructions on how to download the app.
Cross Country Update
The men’s and women’s cross country teams are in Charlotte (N.C.) Friday for their final tune-up before the Oct. 30 ACC Championships. Friday’s event is called the Royal Cross Country Challenge and will be held at McAlpine Creek Park. The women will kick things off at 3:30 p.m., followed by the men’s race at 4:15 p.m.
Women’s Tennis Traveling to Tallahassee
In a last-minute addition to the schedule, the Georgia Tech Women’s Tennis team will compete at the 2010 Seminoles Quad Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend. The Yellow Jackets will begin play Friday at 8:30 a.m., and are guaranteed three matches each. Results will be posted on RamblinWreck.com at the conclusion of each day.
Next Week…
… The swimming and diving teams will kick off the 2010-11 season at home on Saturday (Oct. 23) when Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic compete with the Yellow Jackets in a tri-meet.
… The men’s tennis team will be in Gainesville (Fla.) for the USTA/ITA Regional, while the women’s tennis team will be competing in Athens, Ga., for the Regional Championship.
… Oct. 24-26 the men’s golf team will be in Alpharetta for the U.S. Collegiate Championship, which will feature many of the nation’s top college golf teams.
