Georgia Football: 10 Best Players in Bulldogs History
The Georgia Bulldogs have been playing football since 1892, which means there have been a lot of players that have worn the red jersey and sliver britches (or white britches, depending on the coach). So a list of the 10 best Bulldogs of all time would be difficult to produce, right?
It’s not an easy task, but fans love to debate who the best players in the history of college football programs are. And when coming up with a list like this, there are many factors to consider, such as on-field production, team success during a player's tenure and how much of a lasting impact they made. There are more than 20 Bulldogs notable for all three of those things, but 10 stood out more than the rest.
So here’s a look at the 10 best players in the history of Georgia Bulldogs football. And if the list is not in your favor, please don’t kill the messenger.
10. Fran Tarkenton
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Fran Tarkenton is known as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. However, he was a pretty darn good college football player as well.
During his time at Georgia, Tarkenton was an All-American quarterback who led the Bulldogs to the SEC title and an Orange Bowl victory in 1959. He also earned All-SEC honors in 1958 and Freshman All-SEC honors in 1957.
Tarkenton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Bulldogs Circle of Honor in 1998.
9. Champ Bailey
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Like Tarkenton, Champ Bailey will be known best for what he did in the NFL. But the reason NFL teams were drooling over him when he was a rookie back in 1999 was the fact he was one of the most versatile players to ever play at Sanford Stadium.
From 1996 to 1998, Bailey was one of the best triple threats on the field, as he played offense, defense and special teams.
During his senior year at Georgia, Bailey registered 52 tackles, three interceptions and seven passes defended. He also caught 47 passes for 744 yards and five touchdowns, ran for 84 yards on 16 carries and he also had 261 kickoff return yards and 49 punt return yards. He was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy at the end of the year and was a consensus All-American.
Bailey was also an All-SEC performer in his sophomore season after starting every game at cornerback and one at receiver. Based on the resume Bailey had his junior year, he could have been chosen for the Heisman Trophy, as he was one of most outstanding players in the country.
8. David Greene
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Winning is the key to being a successful quarterback, and David Greene did plenty of that.
During his career at Georgia, Greene won 42 games, which was an NCAA record at the time. But he was more than just a winner. Greene could air it out as he finished his career with 11,528 passing yards, which was an SEC record at the time. It would be broken by another Bulldog (Aaron Murray) years later, though.
Greene was named SEC Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2001 and SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2002. He also led the Bulldogs to an SEC title in 2002, their first in 20 years.
7. Bill Stanfill
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Cairo, Georgia, is known for its syrup, but it’s also home to Georgia great Bill Stanfill, who learned how to be a great defensive lineman by doing everything at Cairo High School.
Stanfill was a three-time All-SEC player. He was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1968 along with winning the Outland Trophy and earning consensus All-American honors.
Stanfill was big, fast and athletic, which made him a player ahead of his time. Because of his dominance in Athens, Stanfill was named to the 50th Anniversary All-Time SEC Team, the SEC Quarter Century Team and the 1960s All-SEC Team. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
6. Jake Scott
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Jake Scott only played two seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs. But one could argue that not one single player in the history of the program had two better seasons than him.
Scott started his stint at Georgia in 1967 and led the Bulldogs with six interceptions. He followed that up with 10 interceptions in 1968, which is the second-most in school history.
Scott’s 16 interceptions are the most in Georgia’s history, and his 315 interception return yards are also a school record. He was a two-time All-SEC performer and was also a consensus All-American in 1968. Scott was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
5. Terry Hoage
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A lot of great defenders have come through Athens, but Terry Hoage could arguably be one of the two best defenders in school history.
Hoage played for Georgia from 1980 to 1983, and he was a two-time consensus All-American. Hoage finished with 14 career interceptions, and 12 of those came in 1982, which is still an SEC record. As good as Hoage was in 1982, he made even more of an impact in 1983, when he notched only two interceptions but registered 67 tackles and five sacks, leading to Heisman consideration.
Hoage was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000, and he was also named to the SEC 25-year team.
4. David Pollack
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If Hoage is one of the two best defensive players in the Bulldogs history, then the other would have to be David Pollack.
From 2001 to 2004, Pollack became one of the most dominant defensive players of his generation. He was a three-time first-team All-American (the second player in Bulldogs history to do such thing), he won the SEC Player and Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004 and the Chuck Bednarik, Ted Hendricks, Lombardi and Lott awards that same year.
Pollack finished with 36 career sacks, which is the highest total in Georgia history and the third most in NCAA history. Not bad for a guy from Snellville, Georgia, huh?
3. Charley Trippi
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Georgia was a good football program in the 1940s, and the reason for that had to do with Charley Trippi. The quarterback and halfback helped Georgia win the national title in 1942 before taking a break from college football to take part in World War II.
He came back in 1945 and picked up where he left off. In fact, he won the Maxwell Award in 1946 and was a consensus All-American after helping the Bulldogs win the Sugar Bowl.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959. He was also inducted into Georgia's Circle of Honor, and his No. 62 is retired.
2. Frank Sinkwich
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Trippi’s teammate in 1942 was Frank Sinkwich, and he was not a bad football player either.
Sinkwich is one of only two Heisman Trophy winners from Georgia. He won it in 1942, the same year the Bulldogs won the national championship. He led the NCAA in rushing with 1,103 yards in 1941, and he set an NCAA single-season record for total offense with 2,187 yards the following year.
Not only did Sinkwich win the Heisman, he was a two-time All-American and won the AP Male Athlete of the Year in 1942. Sinkwich was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954, his No. 21 is retired in Athens and he’s a member of the Bulldogs' Circle of Honor.
1. Herschel Walker
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It’s no surprise who the No. 1 player on this list is. No matter who you are or where you go, when anyone mentions Georgia football, Herschel Walker is the first person who comes to mind.
Walker burst onto the scene in 1980, rushing for over 1,600 yards and led the Bulldogs to their second national title. In 1981, he improved his rushing total with 1,891 yards, which is still an SEC record. And in 1982, Walker rushed for 1,752 yards and won a truckload of awards, including the Heisman.
Walker had 49 career rushing touchdowns, which was an SEC record at the time. He also holds a number of school and SEC records which have yet to be broken and was a three-time consensus All-American.
Walker was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999, and his No. 34 is retired at Sanford Stadium. Walker made such a big impact on the Bulldogs and college football that he’s considered one of the best college football players ever.
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