Aug. 30, 2006
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
The college football universe is about to descend upon Georgia Tech for what promises to be an incredible weekend. Although I have no previous Tech experiences to draw upon, the hype–or should I say, the Buzz–surrounding this game is as great as for any game that I’ve ever been associated with at any school. What a tremendous opportunity to showcase Georgia Tech – the Institute, the campus, Bobby Dodd Stadium, the student body, our incredible fans and alumni, and most importantly, our student-athletes.
Before I talk more about the big game this weekend, I want to congratulate the youngsters from Columbus, Ga., for their incredible performance in winning the Little League World Series. What a great event for them and their families, and for the whole state of Georgia. I had a chance to speak to Coach Randy Morris and offer congratulations on behalf of Georgia Tech. We have invited the team to attend a football game and be recognized, and we hope to make that happen in the near future as their suddenly whirlwind schedule permits.
LONG-DISTANCE FAN
Many in the Georgia Tech community have loved ones in the U.S. military who are deployed in the Middle East, and our thoughts, prayers and sincere appreciation go out to all the men and women who are serving our country around the world.
One such person is Dan Paquette, the father of Tech football player Alex Paquette, a redshirt freshman defensive lineman from Stockbridge. Dan is in Kuwait, serving with a civilian branch affiliated with the U.S. Army that services telecommunications equipment. Dan is able to keep in touch with Alex and follow the Yellow Jackets via email and the Internet. We recently sent Dan a Georgia Tech flag, autographed by head coach Chan Gailey and Alex, that is now proudly hanging in his unit’s dining facility. We know he’ll find a way to follow the game Saturday night!
ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY
As you know, ESPN College Gameday with Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Chris Fowler will be originating from the Tech campus Friday and Saturday. We have a unique setup that the ESPN folks are very excited about. For the Gameday program Saturday morning, they will be set up at Yellow Jacket Park, with the Tech Student Center and Campanile in the background, but their pregame, halftime and postgame programming will originate from a set inside Bobby Dodd Stadium on the Wardlaw Terrace.
While the Gameday activities are directed primarily at students, we encourage all fans to join in the festivities. Click here for the complete schedule and other details.
All parking lots will be manned by 7 a.m. Saturday, so you can use your gameday parking pass. You will be able to leave and re-enter the lot later in the day with the same pass.
There are many other activities this weekend, including the Yellow Jacket Pep Rally Friday night at Atlantic Station and WreckFest, beginning Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on top of Peter’s Parking Deck – check it out after you greet the team as the Yellow Jackets arrive on campus and make their way down Yellow Jacket Walk. Click here for more information.
I also encourage you to support our volleyball team, which opens the season by hosting the Regency Suites Midtown Tournament Friday and Saturday at O’Keefe Gymnasium. In particular, Tech faces Georgia Friday at 6 p.m. Parking will be available in the O’Keefe lots for the Tech-Georgia match, but vehicles must be moved immediately following the match.
MORE ON SATURDAY’S GAME
I encourage you to take a few moments to review our Yellow Jacket Football Fan Guide, which includes helpful information on Bobby Dodd Stadium as well as maps and directions for gameday parking and traffic flow. There’s even a map showing the location of portable toilets around the stadium and the campus.
Please keep in mind that all pre-game and post-game traffic flow is determined by the Georgia Tech Police Department. The Tech Police and the Parking & Transportation Office have asked us to remind fans of a few important points:
• Pregame checkpoints (see maps in Fan Guide) will be set up beginning 3-1/2 hours before kickoff. Vehicles must have the appropriate gameday parking pass to proceed through these checkpoints. In general, you will not be able to cut across campus from east to west or west to east, so refer to the maps to determine your entry to campus
• The Institute has elected to prohibit all on-street parking on Ferst Drive from Fowler Street to Hemphill.
We on the Georgia Tech staff will do everything we can in our customer service efforts, and we ask that our fans put their best foot forward and be a great amabassadors for Georgia Tech by showing good sportsmanship and courtesy for fellow fans and SUPPORTING YOUR YELLOW JACKETS.
Again, thank you for your positive response to “The Good Word.” We welcome your feedback at goodword@athletics.gatech.edu. While I cannot guarantee a personal response to every email that we receive, please know that they will all be read, so I do encourage your continued participation in this process. Some of your questions could become topics for future issues of The Good Word.
I also encourage you to share this letter with any Tech fan who may not have access to the Internet. Our goal is to inform and engage as many Yellow Jacket supporters as we possibly can.
I want to personally thank you for your continued support of Georgia Tech Athletics as we move forward with our vision for excellence.
Go Jackets!
