Bishop Media Sports Network
Hall Of Fame
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The city of Jacksonville announced on Tuesday that Bill Goldberg, the former University of Georgia defensive tackle who helped the Bulldogs win three of four games against the Gators, will be among the 2024 inductees into the game’s Hall of Fame.
Goldberg will be inducted with Florida cornerback Fred Weary, a Mandarin High graduate, former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Mike Peterson, and UGA cornerback Mike Fischer of Jacksonville, a Bolles graduate.
Goldberg was a two-time All-SEC player and lettered four years for the Dawgs from 1986-1989. He’s still ninth in Georgia history with 348 tackles.
But when injuries curtailed his NFL career after stops with the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, Goldberg dropped his first name and became one of the dominant professional wrestlers with a career of more than two decades that culminated with his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
Using moves such as “The Spear” and “The Jackhammer,” Goldberg was a five-time world champion in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and at one point was reputed to have gone on a 173-0 streak.
He wrestled competitively off and on from 1997-2018 and also has dabbled in mixed martial arts and acting. He appeared in Adam Sandler’s remake of “The Longest Yard” and was a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Fisher, who began his college career at Furman, transferred to Georgia as a walk-on and earned a scholarship in 1978. He played on three Georgia teams that went 3-0 against the Gators from 1978-1980 and had an interception against the Gators in the 1979 and two in 1980.
Fred Weary played for the Gators from 1994-1997 and was on three winning teams against Georgia, including the two games that were played on the campuses in 1994-1995 when UF won by combined scores of 104-31.
Weary had 15 career interceptions to lead Florida, six in his senior season. He was first-team All-SEC.
Weary played six years in the NFL, for New Orleans, Atlanta and the St. Louis Rams. He had seven interceptions as a pro.
Mike Peterson, a Gainesville native who played high school football at Alachua Santa Fe, stayed home to play for the Gators and was on three teams that beat the Bulldogs in four years from 1995-1998. Peterson had 249 tackles in four seasons and also was first-team All-SEC.
Weary and Peterson both started for the Gators’ first national championship team under Steve Spurrier in 1996.
Peterson played in the NFL for 14 years, with Indianapolis, the Jaguars and Atlanta. He had 883 tackles and 19 interceptions. He is currently on the Florida coaching staff.
Frederica Academy Knights Coach’s Show w Brandon Derrick October 16 2024
The History
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia-Florida rivalry is one of the oldest and most exciting matchups in all of college football.
Every year, when the University of Georgia Bulldogs are scheduled to face off against the University of Florida Gators, it’s a game both fanbases circle on their calendars.
The two teams have been meeting for over a century, and while Georgia claims the rivalry started in 1904, Florida doesn’t count that game.
That’s because the 1904 Florida team wasn’t from the university as we know it today—it was from a predecessor school, Florida Agricultural College. The official start, according to both schools, was in 1915 when Georgia shut out Florida 37-0.
The game has almost always been played in Jacksonville, Florida, since the 1930s, and it’s become a huge part of the River City’s culture.
Jacksonville was originally picked as a neutral site because it’s between the two schools, and before Interstate 95, it was easier to get to with the modes of transportation available at the time.
Now, it’s an annual event that draws thousands of fans to the city, with plenty of tailgating and partying that turns the weekend into a big celebration. The game itself brings in millions of dollars to Jacksonville’s economy, making it a win for the city as well.
What makes this rivalry unique is that there isn’t a traditional trophy like in other famous matchups. Instead, the winning team takes home a staff made from a tree in the Okefenokee Swamp, which is on the Georgia-Florida border. Right now, that staff is in Georgia’s possession.
Over the years, the game has seen some wild moments. It’s even earned the nickname “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” because of how rowdy the tailgates and celebrations can get.
Fans have been known to party hard, and in the past, things got a little too crazy. In the 1980s, after some alcohol-fueled incidents, including fans tearing down goalposts, Jacksonville had to crack down on the party atmosphere to keep things under control.
They even stopped using the “Cocktail Party” nickname officially, but the fun hasn’t really gone away.
On the field, Georgia dominated the early years, winning most of the games up until the 1950s. Florida didn’t start to gain ground until the ’50s, and the rivalry really heated up when Steve Spurrier became Florida’s head coach in 1990.
Under Spurrier and his successors, Florida went on a tear, winning most of the games in the ’90s and early 2000s. In the last 15 years, though Georgia has won the last three years in a row, the two teams have been more evenly matched.
This game often plays a big role in determining who comes out on top in the SEC East.
Both Georgia and Florida have historically been strong contenders in their division of the conference, so the winner has commonly had a better shot at making it to the SEC Championship.
The rivalry isn’t just a big deal for the teams and their fans; it’s huge for Jacksonville.
The city goes all out to make the weekend special, and it’s a major boost to the local economy.
The game has been played at EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, since the old Gator Bowl stadium was torn down in the ’90s.
EverBank offers a modern, NFL-style experience for the thousands of fans who pack it every year.
Despite occasional talk about moving the game to the teams’ home stadiums, it has remained in Jacksonville.
Both schools seem happy to keep it that way, but planned renovations to EverBank Stadium starting in 2026 will force a relocation for at least a couple of years, before a hopeful return to Jacksonville in 2028.
The city offers a big payout to the teams, and the fans love the neutral site tradition.
In the end, Georgia-Florida isn’t just a football game—it’s a massive event that people from all over look forward to every year.
Whether you’re a diehard fan or just there for the tailgate, it’s a rivalry that holds a special place in college football.
Memorable Cocktail Games
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia-Florida game is one of the best rivalries in college football. Let’s look back over the years at some of the best performances from this rivalry game.
1997 #14 Georgia 37 #6 Florida 17: The defending national champion Gators were on a seven-game win streak against UGA.
The Bulldogs were 20-point underdogs because of this. The Gators had won 52-14, 52-17 and 47-7 the previous three years against the Bulldogs.
Robert Edwards rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns. He seems to be a forgotten about player but he led Georgia to a major win.
1995 #3 Florida 52 Georgia 17: This was Florida’s only trip to Athens since the game was permanently moved to Jacksonville in 1933. This was the first season for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars and the city had to make renovations to the Gator Bowl. The series was moved to a home-and-home series in 1994 and 1995.
Quarterback Danny Wuerffel threw for 242 yards and 5 touchdowns in just under three quarters. Backup QB Eric Kresser tossed two more touchdowns in the 4th quarter, with the last one with 1:10 left in the game.
“You could always tell there was a little extra pep in [Spurrier’s] step when it was Georgia week,” wide receiver Chris Doering said. “It was cool being one of the few teams that ever got the chance to play Georgia in Jacksonville, Gainesville and then going up there in ‘95.”
1980 #2 Georgia 26 #20 Florida 21: Freshman tailback Herschel Walker rushed for 238 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. He’s actually an afterthought when people look back at this game though because of how it ended.
UGA trailed 21-20 when they took over the ball at their 8-yard line with 1:35 left in the game. They lost one yard on first down and threw an incomplete pass on second down.
On third-and-eleven QB Buck Belue completed a pass to flanker Lindsay Scott near the UGA 25-yard line. Scott seemed to be surrounded by Gators but he cut towards the Georgia bench and ran down the sideline for a 93-yard touchdown.
2002 Florida 20 #5 Georgia 13: It’s tough to view a Gator win as an upset during this time period because they had won 11 of the last 12 meetings before this.
UF had first year head coach Ron Zook and they were struggling, coming into this game 5-3. Georgia, on the other hand was 8-0 under Mark Richt in his second season.
The Florida defense did not allow a single third down conversion on the day, the Bulldogs were 0-for-13.
Florida QB Rex Grossman completed 36 of his 46 pass attempts for 339 yards, two scores and two interceptions.
2007 #20 Georgia 42 #9 Florida 30: Florida won the national championship the year before. Head coach Urban Meyer was doing a great job bringing talent to Gainesville, which included quarterback Tim Tebow. He would become the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy in 2007 but he was not the star of this game.
Bulldog running back Knowshon Moreno rushed for 188 yards and 3 TD’s. QB Matt Stafford passed for 217 yards, 3 scores and 1 interception.
The coolest thing about this game was after Moreno scored a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The entire Georgia team ran into the end zone to celebrate.
It would later be known as the ‘Gator Stomp’ and it is one of the best images in college football history.
In Or Out?
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Misinformation, lies, rumors, conspiracy; goodness knows we’ve heard those words all too often the last decade or so, especially the last few weeks.
People try to figure out if what they’re seeing or reading is really true or not. In the end, let’s be honest, most people end up gravitating to the words, opinions and stories that only tell them what they want to hear anyway. They stake their public stances that come from the person, leader or coach that they already claim.
It doesn’t matter if their coveted leader says, “Cats are now the ones really in control of interest rates” or ”I heard that people in California are now going to have to all raise their own cows, because all dairy and beef products have suddenly become nuclear-reactive to the interior steel of grocery store trucks.”
Ahhhhh, and you thought I was talking about politics? The truth of the matter is, the same can be said for sports journalists and prognosticators. Anyone who props up their team is a genius and those that dare negate them are just morons.
Well, some of you will think I’m an idiot after reading this today. Here’s my stake on what the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will look like.
Coming into this season I thought, like many, this would be the most intriguing college football season ever.
We got expanded conferences. Now, we have The Red River Rivalry showcasing the SEC? We got old school Rose Bowl matchups all season like the Penn St – USC game.
Look, I get it. NIL and the transfer portal have forever changed the game. And like I thought, it looks like the portal is doing more damage than anything.
Here’s a reminder of what the field of 12 will consist of.
The obvious is this, a combination of five conference champs and seven at-larges get in.
Here’s where the misnomer comes in. Most folks think the highest ranked non-Power 4 conference champ is in. That’s not quite true, although it may work out that way.
Actually, the champs of the 5 highest ranked conferences are in. The next 7 highest-ranked teams get at-large bids.
Let’s go.
The easiest thing is, the Power 4 conferences will assuredly be the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12, in no particular order.
Let’s start there, the current top 5 conferences.
SEC Champ will be UGA. Okay, okay. Some like to call me a homer, but sorry. When I’m at the tailgate, I speak my heart for sure. But when I’m on the job, it’s about business.
Texas will lose to UGA next week and on the road at either Texas A&M or Arkansas.
UGA runs the rest of their slate, while Bama loses at LSU.
That leaves the sneaky Bayou Bengals running my slate clean. UGA beats LSU in the conference championship.
Big Ten Champ will be Ohio St. Yes, they lost to Oregon but will take down the Ducks in a Big Ten conference title rematch game.
The ACC will be Miami once they beat Clemson in the ACC title game. In this season’s College Football Preview, I predicted the Canes to be a dark-horse playoff team, so I’m sticking with them.
The Big 12 will perch the Iowa State Cyclones under the sneakiest, best Head Coach in college football, Matt Campbell.
Next up is a tough one. I think Boise St is definitely the best team outside these top 4 conferences but remember the guideline – “top 5 conferences.”
There is no “top ranked team outside the Power 4” like most think. That said, part of the conference rankings are quantified by the human playoff committee.
I think Conference USA easily tops the Mountain West with Army, Navy and Tulane besting the Mountain West’s top 3 of Boise, San Jose and UNLV.
In the end, I think the committee will hoist Boise, as they rank the Mountain West over the AAC.
Last, we got the next highest-ranked teams. Simple, here’s who I see as the at-larges: Texas, Alabama, Oregon, Indiana, Tennessee, Penn St, LSU.
Happy hunting everyone.
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show w Travis Roland October 15 2024
Where’s The Game?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” has become a staple in college football and the sports world for the game, the atmosphere, and the pageantry around one of (if not the single) best rivalries in College Football. Each year half of EverBank Stadium, Home to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars is filled with red and black while half is filled with blue and orange.
Since 1933, all but two Georgia/Florida (or Florida/Georgia depending on which side you sit) matchups have taken place in Jacksonville. But the question raises…Why Jacksonville?
The only matchups since 1933 that haven’t taken place in Jacksonville were in 1994 & 1995 because the Gator Bowl had been demolished, and the (then) Jacksonville Municipal Stadium construction was still in progress as the ‘94 meeting moved to Gainesville & ’95 called Athens home.
1933 wasn’t the first time the two met in Jacksonville, as a matter of fact just the second all-time meeting came in Duval County in 1915.
Leading into the 1933 season, administrators from both schools had talked about moving the game to a neutral site, but where?
Florida Historian Norm Carlson said in an interview with Florida Football that transportation was the reason…
“They moved that game to Jacksonville in 1933 because fans of both schools could easily get there by train,” said Carlson in a 2016 interview. “It turned out right. The game was sold out the first year and from then on that was held in Jacksonville.”
That’s one reason, but if you ask ten historians, you may get ten different answers. So why else has this 80-year tradition stood?
You have to remember back in the early 1900s college football stadiums weren’t the cathedrals they are today, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for rivalry games across the country to be held at a neutral site to allow for a larger crowd.
Georgia historian Loran Smith said in a 2023 interview with 11Alive in Atlanta, “ “Georgia had a rickety old baseball field which served as the football field. We played Georgia Tech in Atlanta every year for a number of years.”
There have been many conversations about moving this game over the years, but administrators from both sides still see the value of playing in the bigger city.
Jacksonville wasn’t the only neutral site for this game. The first ever meeting between the two took place in Macon while also seeing stops in Tampa (1919) and Savannah (1928 & 1930). Athens has hosted the game five times while Gainesville has only seen this matchup inside the city limits twice (1931 & 1994).
In recent years there has been some questions surrounding the Jaguars rebuilding EverBank Stadium and what would happen to this game, but all parties have an agreed to extend the option in the current contract and keep the game in Jacksonville until at least 2025.
While Georgia is still trying to prove it’s at the elite level in the game, and Florida is trying to get their program right, you can throw it all out the window. The World’s Largest Cocktail Party will be rocking in Duval County!
Jason Bishop Show October 10 2024
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show October 8 2024
MCA Buccaneers Coach’s Show October 8 2024
