Back-To-Back

Attorney General Chris Carr, UGA President Jere Morehead, Sen. Bill Cowsert, Rep. Marcus Wiedower, Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp,
Gov. Brian Kemp, Judge John Ellington, Sen. Frank Ginn, Rep. Houston Gaines, Rep. Trey Rhodes
John Ellington, an avid Bulldog himself,
stepped up and said, let’s make this thing
happen … get these legislators sworn in
while not missing a play of the Georgia-TCU
battle. Justice Ellington graduated from
the University of Georgia with a B.B.A. in
Accounting in 1982, and from the UGA
School of Law with a J.D. in 1985.
“It’s in our constitution that the legislature
opens up on the second Monday in January,”
explained Ellington. “That’s when the
legislators are sworn in. And because we
were playing in LA there were a number of
legislators that wanted to go to the game
that weren’t going to be able to be in Atlanta
to be sworn in that day.
“So, I asked some senators and some
representatives to contact me because they
know I’m a Dawgs fan and I would already
be out there going to the game,” he said.
“And they wanted to know if I would be
available to swear them in in Los Angeles.
Otherwise, except for the game they would
have been sworn in in Atlanta.”
Two senators, Bill Cowsert and Frank
Ginn, were among the five legislators to
be sworn in with the other three being
House representatives Houston Gaines,
Marcus Wiedower and Trey Rhodes. All five
represent Athens and Clarke County as well
as surrounding counties.
“And so what happened, to see if I would
be at the game, they were contacting
me individually and I told them all to
get together and we would just do one
ceremony at the stadium,” Ellington said.
And as it turned out the five legislators
taking the oath of office would have a pretty
select witnessing party there in the spacious
SoFi Stadium.
“So, when I got to the stadium at 2 o’clock,
there was a tailgate there inside the stadium
… the President’s Club tailgate,” Ellington
recalled. “They had all reported there at 2
o’clock and there was a big crowd to witness
me swearing them in. President (Jere)
Morehead was there. Attorney General Chris
Carr, the governor (Brian Kemp) and the
first lady (Marty Kemp). And Barbara Dooley
joined in the fun. Anyway, I swore in the
House members first and then I swore in
the senators. They got the secretary of the
senate and the office of legislative counsel
here in Atlanta at the Capitol to approve it
since we were doing it out in California.”
Ellington said Georgia Athletic Director
Josh Brooks made arrangements “for us to
have a place in the stadium to do it. This
was the first time I had sworn people in like
this. And I joked that as I was swearing them
in, it dawned on me that I was working in
California and I needed to write off half of
my trip. And then I got mad at myself for not
going first class!
“No doubt it was history that we were
swearing them in at a football game but it
was also history that the Georgia Bulldogs
were going back-to-back for a national
championship!”
Ellington also noted that on the day of the
game, Delta Airlines added a flight that left
Atlanta at 12:30 p.m. and there were at least
a dozen legislators who were actually sworn
in at the Capitol that morning and made the
flight to Los Angeles for the game and then
back to Atlanta the same day.
“Of course, my five were already out there,”
he said. “But I was just glad I could swear
Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, Gov. Brian Kemp,
Rep. Houston Gaines, Judge John Ellington
them in and make it convenient for them
and that I could also take in the game.”
“It was very special,” said Rep. Wiedower.
“We get the honor of representing the
University of Georgia as part of my district
so it was obviously important for me to be
out there supporting them and obviously
a historic run at back-to-back national
championships.
“So if you think, it took 41 years to get one
and we’re there for our second back-to-back
… to be there and be surrounded by the
Bulldog faithful, and Gov. Kemp and Marty
were holding the Bible,” Wiedower said.
“And then Barbara Dooley decided she
wanted to be part of it and she stood in as
a witness. You think about Judge Ellington,
the governor and first lady there and then
Barbara Dooley, the first lady of Georgia
football … I don’t think it can get more
special than that! It was incredible and I’m
just proud of representing UGA and what an
incredible time to be doing so!”
“I was glad to be sworn in at the game,” said
Rep. Gaines. “And Georgia winning made
it all worth it and glad the Dawgs got it
done. But it was neat to have the governor
and the first lady holding the Bible and
Justice Ellington swearing us in. And we had
Barbara Dooley out there; it was just a great
experience.”
BULLDAWGILLUSTRATED
35 2022 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS EDITION