SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Jon Kirk

Lucius Sanford, Georgia Tech Football: The Greatest No. 89 In Georgia Sports History

2011-08-01T12:53:19Z

In February of 1956 the town of Milledgeville, Georgia welcomed Lucius Martin Sanford, Jr. into the world. By 1974 Lucius would start his Campaign of Pain across college football stadiums of the Southeast that would continue on into 10 seasons in the NFL.

The Buffalo Bills Alumni Spotlight says, "Lucius Sanford, an outside linebacker with Buffalo for nine seasons, had a tendency to hit running backs head-on, lift them off their feet and plant their backs on the field. Offensive linemen had 'pancake blocks', Sanford had 'pancake tackles." Well ... that is not a surprise. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fans had been watching Sanford pancake opponents for four years.

When Lucius was at Tech, I was in high school. When I did not have a football game of my own to play, and Tech was playing at home, you could find me sitting in the upper West Stands. From my vantage point, when Lucius made a tackle, you often did not even need to see the number or wait to hear the announcer - you knew who did it. The Bills description is accurate; he would literally wrap his guy up and slam. Just as my high school coach had tried to teach us.

Often before the announcer could even give him credit for the tackle, the student section would launch into a chant of "LUUUUcius, LUUUUcius." A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with him and asked how he felt about those chants. He said he was actually embarrassed. (At that point I was glad I did not jump into an impromptu version.) He only wanted to do his job, and did not care for being singled out.

Sanford was a three sport letterman at Atlanta's West Fulton High School in football, track and basketball. He chose to be a bit selective in the recruiting process. As he was whittling his college choices, Tech was never at the top of the list. However as the list gradually grew shorter, Tech was still there. Eventually the final decision had a lot to do with being close to home.

Two of his more personally significant games were very early in his freshman year. The first game of the season was against No. 2 Notre Dame on national TV. (This was before there were multitudes of TV games every week, back when national TV was a big deal.) It was this game where Lucius said he really "felt like I belonged, like I could play on this level." Two weeks later came Pitt, featuring Tony Dorsett, and one of Sanford's best friend from high school.

Tech was 2-2 against UGA during his tenure. With the wins coming in his freshman and senior years. Lucius said "nothing else matched the intensity of those games." The game his junior year stands out as one of the most ferocious and hard-fought of his entire football career.

Lucius agreed with me that the Tech alumni never really knew how to take Coach Pepper Rodgers. However he learned much from the man Atlanta wondered about. Lucius can still remember specific instances of life lessons that he still caries and passes along. He credits Rodgers' training regimen with becoming a valuable tool for his pro career.

Lucius left a long list of accomplishments and raised the standards that future Tech linebackers would be graded against. He was a four-year letterman, Tech Hall of Famer, Georgia Sports Hall of Famer, First-Team All-American in 1977, honorable Mention All-American in 1976. He finished his career as the leading tackler in Tech history (and still ranks fourth) and holds the Tech freshman record of 124 tackles before leading Tech in tackles three straight years.

Today Lucius Sanford can be found back at the Georgia Tech Athletic Association where he holds two positions: Executive Director of the Letterman's Club and Associate Director of Development Athletics.

For Paul Hewitt: An Open Letter From A Georgia Tech Basketball Fan

2011-03-16T13:47:56Z

Dear coach Paul Hewitt,

First let me say, I was not, and still am not, a Hewitt Hater. I welcomed you to Georgia Tech basketball with open arms. Your leadership took the team to the National Championship game. I do not forget that, nor do I think it was a fluke. I thank you for your service to the Yellow Jackets. But the blame you placed on Yellow Jackets fans further soured what was already a difficult close to your Atlanta career.

As your critics grew in number over the years, the arguments I made for you were valid: one-and-dones, injuries, academic losses, and so on. And it did seem to me you were reaping more than your fair share of bad luck. Just a couple years ago you lost your top returning offensive player to academics and the top returning defensive player to a back injury, all just before the season started. Sorry, but that is quite a load to handle for anyone.

The editor of this blog will remember that I confronted a loud (and probably alcohol-enabled) fan who was letting everyone know in very vulgar terms how he felt about you at the Orange Bowl.

As you were slammed for making excuses in the local media, I chose to be patient with you.

Last year when St John's made a proposal to you, I thought it might be the best for everyone involved for you to accept their job. Not that I wanted you to go. But it would have allowed you and Dan Radakovich the opportunity to avoid what was probably otherwise inevitable. I was afraid that the water was already too poisoned for you to recover.

Now Paul, from reading some of your comments, I would ask that you show some of the same loyalty that many of us showed you.

In the real world, results count. Whether we like it or not, the world revolves around "What have you done for me lately?" When your meaningful losses outnumber your wins, it is only a matter of time before the importance of your wins diminishes - regardless of the business. Every job I have had over my career has had some type of performance review, usually on an annual basis.

As a manager, I have had employees that I liked and valued, that, unfortunately, were not performing up to the standard that the job demanded. Most everyone in a leadership role has experienced something similar.

College basketball is a business, and that business is dependent upon the customer base. In addition, the old saying "perception is reality" applies. The perception from a loud percentage of the customer base was that your results did not stand up to scrutiny. And, even though I would not count myself among those, in a quiet voice I would have to agree.

In the competition for today's entertainment dollar, your boss really did not have much of a choice. Enough of the fan base was unhappy enough to make a dent in the bottom line.

Paul, by making more excuses, and deflecting the blame to the expectations of the fan base, you are stepping into the trap of those same critics. You are giving them the excuse to say they were right all along. All you need to say is "I did not get the job done. Period." If you make that one statement, you will deflate a lot of behind-the-bench know-it-alls.

Wherever you end up, I will hope for your success (unless you are playing the Jackets at the time).

A Pair Of Forgotten Heroes From Georgia Tech And Georgia Football History

2010-12-24T13:58:47Z

This year represents the 30th anniversary of Georgia's 1980 national championship, and the 20th anniversary of the most recent title for Georgia Tech in 1990.

The 1980 season saw a freshman by the name of Herschel Walker burst on the scene. Everyone old enough well remembers Walker flattening Bill Bates in the Tennessee game. Each SEC team knew that Herschel was going to get the ball. Everybody stuffed the box daring Buck Belue to throw. Coach Vince Dooley called just enough passes to almost keep defenses honest, and the famous "Run, Lindsay, Run!" call saved the Florida game.

Going into the Sugar Bowl, Georgia had the better record and the No. 1 ranking. However, Notre Dame was favored due to their size on both lines and their defense. Georgia jumped out to a lead, taking advantage of Fighting Irish miscues. They were extremely dependent on giving Walker the ball and eating clock. He separated his shoulder on the first offensive play, finished with 150 yards, scored a touchdown, and won the game MVP award. Everybody remembers that, right?

For years I raised eyebrows by saying Walker was not the most valuable player that day. I know this would be sacrilegious to most UGA fans, and I would be reluctant to tell Mr. Walker to his face. However I would like to raise Scott Woerner for consideration. Who? An often over-looked safety that took points off the Irish's side of the scorebord all game long.

In the first half Woerner intercepted the Irish in Georgia territory. Then in the third quarter he knocked away a pass in the end zone. Early in the fourth he dropped a Notre Dame running back for a loss on third down in the red zone. And with three minutes to go Scott came up with an interception in the end zone, thus snuffing out the last threat and preserving Georgia's 17-10 victory.

How about the Jackets?

As Georgia was enjoying the strongest run of success in the early '80's, Tech was suffering through it's worst. School president Joseph Pettit actually had proposed dropping football, or at least dropping down in classification. A dark cloud was hanging over North Avenue. Tech faithful trudged onward.

Coming into the 1990 season, coach Bobby Ross had Tech on an upward path, but no one had any serious thoughts about becoming a top-tier program ... except for safety Ken Swilling. During the summer Swilling had raised eyebrows and become the brunt of numerous jokes because he had said out loud he thought Tech could go undefeated.

Coming into the Citrus Bowl, Tech still felt as though they were not getting the respect they deserved. Many had said their schedule was soft. However an AJ-C article showed that Tech's '90 schedule was tougher than UGA's '80 schedule.

Tech showed early they could move the ball and stop Nebraska. However late in the second quarter, the Cornhuskers had grabbed the momentum and pulled within a touchdown, 21-14. Tech was forced to punt and the ball was muffed, then touched by three Huskers. Jacket safety Jay Martin recovered for the Jackets. Scott Sisson kicked a field goal to go up 24-14, and Tech never looked back.

Who was Jay Martin? Jay's dad, Billy, was an All-American for Tech in the 60's and went on to the NFL as a tight end. You have seen his name on the side of the east stands of Bobby Dodd Stadium. Jay had a well-earned reputation as a ferocious tackler. However his college career was not to turn out as successful as his dad's.

He had three major surgeries in his first three years, missing his sophomore and junior seasons. He never stopped competing, though, and returned to the field four months earlier than expected after his last surgery. However he did not have quite the same demeanor. He wanted to continue the career he started, but the injuries had taken a toll. He did fill in for Swilling and start two games during the season.

William Bell and Sean Jones received all of the well-deserved Citrus Bowl notice. Bell finished with 126 yards and three touchdowns. Jones passed for 277 yards and a pair of scores, and ran for 41 yards and a touchdown. But to Jay Martin, the work to get back on the field was fulfilled with that punt recovery.

Merry Christmas!

Helmet-To-Helmet Hits: Why College And NFL Coaches Owe Dunta Robinson $75,000

2010-10-28T18:18:24Z

In light of the recent flurry of helmet-to-helmet fines, including the hit involving Atlanta Falcons CB Dunta Robinson, I spoke with my old high school coach, Ken Cannon. Coach Cannon was old school even in the 1970s. He laments that almost no one teaches proper tackling techniques anymore.

A few months ago, I talked with former NFL linebacker Lucius Sanford. Back in the 1970s, Lucius roamed Grant Field as a monster of a linebacker for Georgia Tech. I still remember the chants from the student section of "Luuuuu-cius" after one of his solid hits. As a high school player at the time, I wanted to hit people hard and clean like Lucius did.

Lucius said the young guys are "more into being on SportsCenter by going for the ‘wow' hit." ESPN's Tom Jackson, another former NFL player, has blamed coaching for bad tackling form. After leaving high school, many players are rarely, if ever, taught fundamentals anymore. Warren Sapp said once he got to the pros there was "no tackling technique being taught."

Let's compare proper tackling form, as taught by coaches for decades, with what we see on Sundays:

The old-school way was to lead with the facemask and shoulder, not the head. When going face first, you can still see the runner. It places the tackler's neck at a much stronger angle to absorb the hit. It allows the force to extend down the spine and through the core of the body. When hitting head-first the force is centered in the neck.

Once the facemask has been firmly planted into the runner's bread basket, the runner has to absorb the entire upper body of the tackler. Used to be, leading with the head was called spearing. When was the last time you saw a penalty for spearing? Aiming for the runner's midsection obviously would avoid the head-to-head hits that are seemingly prevalent.

We were taught to aim for the runner's stomach, not his head. Grabbing a larger runner's shoulders will get a defender thrown to the side or carried. Going for his thighs would often involve a momentary headache. Going for the feet would often encourage him to go over, and thus leave the would-be tackler looking silly (we see a lot of that on TV). As an undersized, flat-footed, and very near-sighted defensive lineman, going for the ball carrier's gut was the best choice I had.

This isn't to say that Dunta Robinson's hit was dirty, only that it demonstrated unfocused technique. Eagles players and coaches did not think it was a dirty hit. To me, that damns both the penalty and the fine. Expecting someone to defy the laws of physics by reversing direction at top speed is unreasonable. In every level of football the defender is taught that if the receiver catches the ball you try to hit him to dislodge it. This isn't to blame the Falcons' staff in particular either, as shoddy tackling is prevalent throughout the league.

NFL coaches shouldn't have to coach the aggressiveness out of their players. But they should be required to remind players how to flatten people properly.

Remembering Georgia Tech Quarterback Ken Whisenhunt's 'Upset' Of Notre Dame

2010-09-19T13:02:25Z

Ken Whisenhunt, the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, will be returning to Atlanta on Sunday. The Augusta native played his college ball at Tech and played his first few NFL seasons for the Falcons.

I remember seeing Whisenhunt's first noteworthy game action at Tech in 1980. I was a rookie police officer working the Notre Dame game.

Late in the 1980 season, Bill Curry's first Yellow Jacket team was having a tough time after losing a lot of talented players. The 1-7 Jackets were on a five-game losing streak, and undefeated Notre Dame came onto Grant Field ranked number one in the country. Third-year starting quarterback Mike Kelley was injured earlier in the week, and Curry had to turn to his third-stringer: freshman walk-on tight end Whisenhunt.

In the official stats, Whisenhunt completed three of five passes. The yardage total is up for discussion: one source gives him 60 yards, the other 29 yards. Yes, Tech has pretty much always been a running team. He also rushed for seven yards. His longest pass was 23 yards, which set up Tech's only score, a field goal. That field goal was possibly the most valuable score of the season.

Whisenhunt became a man on that November afternoon, showing calm and cool leadership. Nothing flashy. He managed the game; hey, he could've thrown five interceptions, after all. As the game unfolded, little by little the Jacket faithful began to realize we were still in the game. Life was breathing into Grant Field. Heading into the fourth quarter, a few began to actually dream of an upset.

With under a minute to go, and sick of being pelted by fish thrown by Tech students, Notre Dame coach Dan Devine had seen enough. Facing fourth down, he chose to punt to preserve a tie and fight the same field position game both teams had fought all afternoon, rather than risk the loss.

The final score was Georgia Tech 3, Notre Dame 3. Everyone always hates a tie, but not on this day. On this day, that tie was absolutely awesome.

That tie also assisted Georgia, who had been ranked number two in the nation. That tie moved the Bulldogs to number one and set up a Sugar Bowl with the same Notre Dame team, after which UGA won the National Championship.

That tie struck a positive nerve that maybe this Curry guy could really coach. That tie gave the Jackets hope for the future. That tie remains cemented in the memory of many old Tech fans, and is permanently linked to a successful pro head coach. When Whisenhunt leads the Cardinals onto the field every Sunday, we like to think his time at Tech had a lot to do with his coaching success.

He finished his career on the Flats as an All-American honorable mention tight end.

Georgia Tech Schedule Preview: Five Most Must-Watch Games

2010-09-01T14:52:24Z

While researching for this article, I had the opportunity to attend the 2010 Can't Wait Until Kickoff Luncheon for Georgia Tech football at the Cobb Galleria.

Coach Paul Johnson said he is "cautiously optimistic" and emphasized the Jackets are still a young team. He also promised an "improved offense." Well ... an improvement over 2009 spells nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators.

However, each team listed below has the potential to claim a top 20 defense by the end of the season. If so, Johnson's prediction of an improved offense will need to come true.

Now, on to my assignment.

WILD CARD: at Georgia Bulldogs, Nov. 27

(First let me get one point addressed. This will sound sacrilegious to most Jackets -- it is hard for me to even write this part -- but bear with me. For 50 years UGA has been the first game circled on my calendar. However, under the current format, the road to a BCS game runs through the ACC -- Clean Old-Fashioned Hate does not count. So considering that, while having a tough time placing them this far down the list, I came up with a compromise: we have the top BCS-relevant games listed one through four, and here's the one game that impacts the Georgia Tech emotional equilibrium more than any other. Tech fans, feel free to slot Georgia wherever you'd like.)

I find it amusing how short the Dawgs' memory must be. Just a couple of years ago or so, the average Georgia fan would have been ready to place a crown on Mark Richt's head. Last year I was on a flight sitting a couple of rows behind a Georgia fan that spent the entire flight from Baltimore telling everyone who wanted to listen, and those who did not, how Richt had "lost it." Winning 90 games in 10 years ain't too shabby. The guy is a quality coach and a quality man off of the field. He will lead them back to where they should be.

The Dawgs return five starters off of a line that only allowed 12 sacks last year. Wide receiver A.J. Green is regarded as one of the best in the nation, and a probable top 10 NFL draft pick. Tech is unlikely to be able to avoid Green this year, as they did last year when he was injured.

New defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has brought along a 3-4 scheme. Reports are that the 3-4 will be a much better fit for the athletes on hand. The players are looking to play a much more open and aggressive defense. Hmmm, sounds a lot like the new defense at Tech.

Last year, even with as bad as the Jackets played for the majority of the game, they were in a terrific position to steal the game with about 90 seconds to go. That game should remind Jacket fans to not count their chickens before they hatch. By all accounts Tech had the better team, but for this game it did not show. When these two rivals meet, anything can happen.

4. at North Carolina Tar Heels (Sept. 18)

North Carolina fans are interesting. Unless they think they have something special in football, they are so quiet in the fall you would not know they exist. They are all too busy daydreaming about basketball season. But they are loud this year.

The whole starting defensive 11: nothing but top draft choices! Don't even try to play offense! You'll be better off just punting every time you get the ball! Just like the answer to every Miami question is speed, the answer to every UNC question is defense. Of course, all that defense won't do much good if it's all on the sideline due to academic infractions.

The Tar Heel offense? Offense must be for basketball season. However, I will let you in on a secret -- the O has nine returning starters. The offense is young, and even though they did not overwhelm last year, they are gaining valuable experience fast. Some are expecting redshirt freshman Bryn Renner to eventually replace their fifth-year senior, T.J. Yates, at quarterback. Renner is bringing a zip and confidence that UNC has not been accustomed to seeing.

I originally had this game higher. However with the latest news of players in trouble and the new academic scandal reports, I would suspect they might be ripe for the picking. The Jackets get the Tar Heels early in the year. This might be good or bad. We could get them while they are distracted, or head coach Butch Davis might be able to use Tech as a rallying point.

3. at Clemson Tigers (Oct. 23)

The Clemson-Georgia Tech series has been tight for decades. One stretch had seven or eight straight games decided by three points or less. For many Jacket fans, hating Clemson is a fall tradition as important as almost any other.

The rest of the Tiger offense was extremely glad to see quarterback Kyle Parker turn down pro baseball for a return for his senior year. They will need him since they lost nine starters from last year, including Tech's all-world nemesis C.J. Spiller. The strong area for their offense will be along the line, where they return four starters. This will be the year many Tigers decide whether Coach Dabo Swinney can get it done. Can he replace that much talent at one time?

The heart of the Clemson attack will be on defense this year, which is predicted to be in the top three in the ACC. The line is solid and deep, with two probable high draft picks. The only deficiency on paper looks to be at linebacker, where they only return one starter and do not posses the depth they have elsewhere. However that one starter, Brandon Maye, is a stud and has been called one of the ACC's most intimidating players.

Having lost the last four against the Jackets, Clemson feels they are due for a win. Since Swinney is a bit of a hyper guy, he will probably have them on a serious emotional high for this game. If so, I hope he calls some of those botched trick plays like last year's regular season game.

2. Miami Hurricanes (Nov. 13)

I have to travel to south Florida regularly, and am tired of hearing "The U is BACK." These guys are doing some serious talking. One guy told me this may be the fastest Hurricane team ever. Lindy's Sports says "The Hurricanes have perhaps the best collection of athletes in the ACC."

Two years ago Tech ran all over them at Grant Field. Last year they had their way at Landshark. As ugly as that game was on TV, I can promise you it was even uglier in person. I did not enjoy going into our office outside of Ft. Lauderdale that next day.

The Miami offense goes through quarterback Jacory Harris. Harris showed flashes of brilliance last year, and the logical conclusion is he will only go farther and become more consistent. The guy can throw a laser. Evaluating the rest of their roster is simple. At running back: speed. At wide receiver: speed. Defense: speed. Miami plays faster than you can think.

Tech gets the Canes in Atlanta this year. Plus the Jackets don't have to play Miami as their third game in 13 days, like last year. Thank TV scheduling for that. Somebody in the ACC scheduling hierarchy should have been able to see something might not have been kosher with that arrangement. How well Al Groh's 3-4 deals with all that speed may decide the next chapter of a growing rivalry.

1. at Virginia Tech Hokies (November 4)

It seems most every pundit and know-it-all across the country has already declared Virginia Tech the ACC champions. [Editor's note: Including most of SBN ATL.] Seems most of them thought the same thing last year, and the Jackets had something else to say about that.

Virginia Tech has the top running back tandem in the country: Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. Both separately rushed for over 1,000 yards. Now with both entering the season healthy, Hokie fans are salivating. Couple them with dual threat quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and Frank Beamer has a loaded offense. Period.

On defense, highly touted coordinator Bud Foster has to replace six starters. Some reports are calling this a rebuilding year on defense. Sorry guys, I don't buy it. Count on seeing the same solid defense VPI has played for years.

Virginia Tech has averaged over ten wins a season lately by producing a solid, technically (pun intended) sound team that does not beat itself. Frank Beamer will not allow otherwise. The road to Tech's second straight conference title goes through Blacksburg, and we've got our hands full.

Atlanta Sports History: The Five Best, Worst, And Ugliest Moments

2010-08-22T12:27:16Z

Let's get the ugly out of the way first. And I don't mean ugly like the lime green Hawks uniforms from the early 70's.

The Ugliest

Michael Vick's looong list of infractions. Enough of the list was documented during The Falcoholic's reevaluations of past players. We don't have room to list them all.
bobby petrino. Sorry bobby, capital letters are for adults.
The exit of the original Atlanta NHL team, the Flames. They were very competitive and respected around the league. Alas, hockey was not to be in Atlanta for long. True Flames fans followed them for years after they moved to Calgary. I still miss them.
A few loud idiots giving Hank Aaron a hard time during his home run record pursuit. Hank endured insults and threats while chasing Babe Ruth's record. All the while, he quietly kept on being himself, and showed quite a bit of class. The national media chose to make it look like the drama was due to universal Southern racism. That theory would have been blown to bits just by looking around the stands. Hank was roundly accepted by everyone who had an intelligence high enough to matter.
The Olympic Park bombing.

My dad used to have a practice of betting $5 against Atlanta teams regardless of who they were playing. Before we condemn him too harshly, check the first three items in our Worst list.

The Worst

The '74 Saints only won two games ... both against the Falcons.
In '88 the Braves lost 106 games.
The Hawks hold the current record for the worst single-season Atlanta pro team: their '04 team won only 13 games for a .159 average.
Ted Turner firing Bobby Cox in '81. In a moment of honesty at the time, Ted said he would probably regret firing him.
When Falcons owner Rankin Smith fired head coach Marion Campbell the first time (yes, he eventually fired the same coach twice), he forced Pat Peppler out of the front office to coach. Peppler made it clear he did not want the job! Rankin later fired head coach Leeman Bennett and famously said he wanted to reach another level. We know what level that turned out to be: Jerry Glanville, a time bomb. The one constant through all those lean Falcons years was Rankin Smith.

Feeling down enough yet? Breathe deep ... Finally, here comes some good.

The Best

The Olympics. Though it wasn't the most widely acclaimed Olympics, Atlanta's still an Olympic city. Not many cities can claim that.
The Masters. Even if you are not a golf fan, you should visit at least once. The uniform majesty and respect Augusta National has throughout the world of golf is deserved. TV does not do the course justice. How is this a moment, you ask? Every time you see this course counts as a great moment.
The Braves achieved a record string of 14 straight division championships. This includes the simply magical "Worst to First" '91 and winning the World Series in '95.
College football national championships: Tech in 1917, 1928, 1952 and 1990, and UGA in 1942 and 1980.
Hank Aaron. We all know who the real home run king is.

For the first time in a long time, things are looking up across the board.

Currently the Braves are in first and looking forward to giving Bobby Cox a terrific retirement gift. The Falcons are operating under the best leadership they have ever had. The Hawks are gradually improving. All three have good young talent with loads of potential.

Tech and UGA are still running highly successful athletic departments. Georgia State will be playing their first season of football this year. Kennesaw State is in the planning stages for football as well.

So we are positively and enthusiastically looking forward to this Best list growing in the near future. Long-time Atlanta sports fans: what would make your lists?