By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Happy Holidays everyone, as we approach 2020, let’s take a sleigh ride down memory lane. 2020 happens to be a huge anniversary year for the University of Georgia.

It is the 40th Anniversary of the Bulldogs last national championship. The 40th Anniversary is the Rudy Anniversary. Wow-it has been that long!

Let’s take a look at the 1980 Georgia Bulldog season. We will look at three key games that led to the National Championship.

Georgia opened the season in Knoxville, this was the Herschel Walker’s coming out party.

After falling behind 15-0, Herschel put the Bulldogs on his back. The key play was a simple pitch play, Walker took the pitch and proceeded to run over Bill Bates on his way to the end zone.

November 8th, according to most, is the most memorable football play in Georgia football history.  “Run, Lindsay, Run” as the Bulldogs beat the Gators 26-21.

January 1, 1981, The Bulldogs jumped on Herschel Walker’s back to capture the National Championship. I remember the players carrying Vince Dooley off the field on their shoulders, Georgia fans storming the field and the smiling face of Herschel.

Players like Buck Belue, Lindsay Scott, Amp Arnold, Eddie “Meat Cleaver” Weaver, Tim Crowe Scott Woemer, Freddie Gilbert and many others made the 1980 season a once in a lifetime championship run for the Georgia Bulldogs.

It’s nice to sit back and reminisce about the glory days of Georgia football. That memory has remained once in a lifetime, at least after 40 seasons.

Yes, Georgia has come close a couple times to capturing another National Championship. The most recent was January 8, 2018.

Georgia played Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship game in Atlanta; this game was an instant classic. The Bulldogs dominated the first three quarters of the game and led 20-10 entering the final period.

Alabama forced overtime by scoring 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Georgia’s offense stalled on their overtime possession and Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 51-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 23-20 lead.

On the first play of overtime, Jonathan Ledbetter and Devin Bellamy sacked freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for a 16-yard loss. The Georgia fans were celebrating.

On the next play, Tagovailoa found freshman DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown.  Alabama captured yet another National Championship.

The victory was an Alabama triumph as much as it was a Georgia collapse.

Let’s take a stroll down that 40 year  memory lane: Star Wars V; The Empire Strikes Back was the box office smash, Dallas and “who shot JR” was TV’s most popular program, Kenny Rogers “Lady” and Blondie “Call Me” were chart toppers, Jimmy Carter was President and the chants of USA, USA and “do you believe in miracles” rang through home in America as the USA Olympic Hockey team won the gold medal.

Kirby Smart has raised the bar for Georgia and it doesn’t surprise me that Georgia should push for the playoffs every season.

Vince Dooley, Herschel Walker, Buck Belue and company, let’s get together and Celebrate Your 40th Anniversary!