Jan. 13, 2011
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
As this is our first Good Word of 2011, I want to wish a Happy New Year to all Yellow Jacket fans and thank you for your continued support and keen interest in Georgia Tech athletics.
As we turn the corner to a new year and a new decade, there is much work to be done. I can tell you that all of us here at Tech have rolled up our sleeves and are working to make 2011 our best year yet.
It has been an interesting week here, just as it has across the city of Atlanta. The Georgia Tech campus was closed for an unprecedented three consecutive days due to the ice and snow. Only today were we able to open our doors here on the Flats – and not until 10 a.m. I hope this edition of the Good Word finds you and your family safe and enduring these cold, icy conditions.
I start this Good Word with a piece of good news, as our Georgia Tech women’s basketball team defeated Virginia this afternoon, 68-48. This game was moved to 4 p.m. as we continue to try to avoid the slick, icy road conditions throughout the area. MaChelle Joseph’s team won its 12th straight game and is now 3-0 in ACC play.
I want to thank all of you who made the trip to Shreveport to support us in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl. We had a very respectable turnout of Georgia Tech fans, which did not go unnoticed in many circles. I want to thank executive director Missy Setters and her staff at the Independence Bowl for being so hospitable to our team and travel party. I also want to give a tip of the cap to Darrell Rebouche of Willis-Knighton Health Care System for assisting us in distributing our donated game tickets to some very deserving health care professionals and care-givers in the Shreveport-Bossier City area.
Despite the disappointment of losing the game, it is significant that our program has notched 14 consecutive bowl game appearances – tied for the third-best streak in all of college football.
Needless to say, we continue to emphasize the importance of the overall success of our programs. When we have seasons in any sport that fall below expectations, we set about to make the corrections necessary to improve. And we fully understand in this time of relentless scrutiny and instant media coverage that everything must be done with a sense of urgency. I am confident we will do the things necessary to return our football Jackets to a prominent position in the ACC in 2011.
Aside from the debriefing of our 2010 football season and engagement in the recruiting process, we have a few other notable interests in the coming months. Our various construction projects are in full gear. Work on the Mary and John Brock indoor practice facility has begun. We are also fully engaged in the spectacular replacement of the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, with work to begin at the conclusion of the current season. The Hank McCamish Pavilion will open for business in the fall of 2012. Improvements at the Bill Moore Tennis complex and our golf practice facility are also in the works.
Another priority is our 2011 football ticket sales process which begins over the next few weeks. Most of you know we are cycling into one of the most competitive home schedules in recent memory, with Western Carolina,Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina, Maryland, Kansas and Georgia visiting Grant Field in a seven-game home slate. Much more information regarding the renewal process and ways to purchase new season tickets will be forthcoming in the next few days. Much of our communication will be done through e-mail, so if you need to update your e-mail address with our ticket office, now would be a good time to take care of that. Just e-mail us at tickets@at.gtaa.gatech.edu.
In the meantime, we focus on our men’s and women’s basketball programs which are each in the early stages of ACC play. Paul Hewitt’s men’s team has a very important home ACC opener vs. North Carolina on Sunday at 7:45 p.m. and another home game next Wednesday at 7 p.m. vs. Wake Forest. As we work to improve our product, it is important to support our student-athletes and to let the regional and national television audiences know that basketball is still very important at Georgia Tech. I hope you’ll make plans to visit campus in the coming weeks to take in a game. Tickets are available to all remaining games, so go online or reach out to our ticket office directly. You can call 1-888-TECH-TIX or (get this new twist) go online to www.1-888-TECH-TIX.com. This URL will take you directly into our on line ticket pages.
Football All-Stars
Congrats to senior cornerback Mario Butler, who will play in the East-West Shrine Game Jan. 22 in Orlando, and to senior running back Anthony Allen, who will play in the Jan. 29 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Track In Kentucky – And Indoors
The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams will participate Friday and Saturday at the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, Ky. Twelve men’s teams and 14 women’s teams will be competing on the Wildcats’ indoor track facility.
Swimming In Tar Heel State
The Yellow Jacket men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will continue on their four meet road trip when they head to North Carolina this weekend. The Jackets will face off with Davidson on Friday night and finish their road trip out Saturday afternoon at ACC foe NC State.
Congrats To Wes
Wes Durham, the Voice of the Yellow Jackets, was named the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year earlier this week. Durham has won this prestigious award a remarkable seven times.
