Zero Looking Ahead!

LORAN SMITH BOOK TAKES DAWG FANS
FROM PROGRAM’S BEGINNING TO THE COVETED 2021
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
BY: MURRAY POOLE
Loran Smith very seldom misses attending the Major golf
tournaments … the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA and the British Open.
But this July the University of Georgia broadcasting legend,
historian and author didn’t make the British Open tournament in
St. Andrews, Scotland due to having to put the finishing touches
on his new book, “Return to Glory.”
And this latest creation by Smith is one the Bulldog Nation
should relish as it not only relives the 2021 Bulldogs’ run to the
program’s first National Championship since 1980 but, also, takes
the reader through UGA football history
from the day the Bulldogs first took the
field in 1892 under Dr. Charles Herty.
Released in August by Whitman
Publishing, LLC, Smith’s 160-page book
is one in a long line of publications
that Loran has written on all things
concerning Georgia football.
“I guess there’s about 14 or 15 I’ve
written,” said Smith. “Some of those are
co-authored, one with Vince (Dooley)
and ‘Glory, Glory’ with Lewis Grizzard.
One of those was on the history of
the Orange Bowl and another was
on Athens, my hometown. I did the
history of the Orange Bowl for their
50th anniversary in 1980. Then I wrote
five books on the Masters…those are
not included in the stats I just gave you;
those are sort of annuals.
“On this book, it has some old history
in there but I wrote the manuscript
for the new part in January,” he said.
“With the Georgia history in there, I was
able to get it done before we won the
championship. So, it’s retracing old ground but the thing about
that first-ever Georgia game on Herty Field is a tackle on Georgia’s
first team told John Stegeman, our preeminent historian, that we
beat Mercer by that 50-0 score. But the scorekeeper got it wrong
because he missed two scores when he went across the street to
buy some booze. So, I’ve always maintained that not only was it
our first game but also our first tailgate party!
“The big thing about this book, with words and photography,
it touches the latest national championship. So that should
be the appeal of the book, that we’re celebrating a national
championship. And ‘Return to Glory’ is a pretty good description
of the story of the 2021 season and ’21 team.”
Smith, now 84 and going strong, said Georgia’s three national
championship teams of 1942, 1980 and 2021 all possessed
similar traits, which allowed those Bulldogs to overcome all odds
enroute to the most prestigious trophy in college football. He
even included a non-national title team at Georgia, the 1959 SEC
champions, in the discussion.
“The big thing is, like all championship teams, there was a
togetherness, a brotherhood,” said Smith. “Like in 1959, we didn’t
win the (national) championship but that was a classic example
of the benefit of good timing and also of the togetherness that
team had. Dave Lloyd was a disruptive guy who left the team
and Coach (Wally) Butts and the coaches were lamenting the
loss. But the players were overjoyed because he had such a
disruptive factor. And coinciding with
that, Coach J.B. Whitworth had the same
effect on the players that Erk Russell
had. It was almost identical; now he
didn’t butt heads or that kind of thing
but the brotherhood of that team was
unbeatable. So was that of the 1942
team. Now I say that having not been
here then but the factors were the same.
Like Georgia’s three national
championship teams, Smith said the
SEC champion 1959 Bulldogs – who lost
only to South Carolina and scored an
Orange Bowl victory over Missouri – had
great leadership.
“Captain of the 1959 team was
Don Soberdash and Jimmy Vickers
was alternate captain and then Fran
Tarkenton was captain and Pat Dye was
alternate captain in 1960,” Smith noted.
“Tarkenton was the central figure in
rallying the troops, rallying the players.
And they liked him very much and
he made a big difference. And I think
with Coach Whitworth providing the
inspiration … by that time Coach Butts
had some lean years and he had settled into a cynical stance
which came off as negative, and Coach Whitworth balanced the
emotions. He made football fun, made everybody believe in it
and made everybody feel good.
“Like I said, I wasn’t here for the 1942 team but I just heard all
what they said about it … like Racehorse Davis, (Frank) Sinkwich,
(Charley) Trippi, I knew all those guys. And Van Davis.”
Smith said Dooley’s 1980 champions literally overcame all odds,
starting the season ranked 16th in the AP poll and hurdling one
obstacle after another enroute to a 12-0 record and the national
championship win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
“Of course, in 1980 Georgia was not figured to be the best by
any prognosticators but, boy, they just had that great leadership,”
said Smith. “Herschel was the missing piece and he just really fit
in. He had the greatest attitude, was selfless and was really team
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