By Dallas Bordon
“Are you ready for some football?” is the question country music legend Hank Williams Junior asks in his song leading up to Monday night football. It’s only mid-June and I’m ready for the start of college football. At this time of the year some of my friends that wear the red and black of Georgia ask this one question to me; “Why do you like Clemson when you live in Georgia?” That one question is usually followed with a long stint of heckling and torment for me while I try to support my Tigers proudly.
OPINION: Wearing the orange and purple in a red and black town
The countdown has started. Many of the local radio stations are counting down the days until kickoff of Georgia football. The quietness of summer in the Bulldogs’ sports world is fading and talk of football is starting. All countdowns and hoopla from the stations and many Bulldog backers help warn me of the danger of wearing orange and purple in a red and black town.
Allow me to rewind many years so I can better answer the question at the top of the article. I was born in Greenwood and lived in South Carolina until the age of 13. My dad, who is now a retired minister, filled a vacancy at a church in Augusta so we packed and left the great state in 1979. While living in Greenwood, sandwiched almost between Columbia and Clemson, my friends and I would strike up neighborhood football games in our parents’ front yards. Each kid sported garnet and black of the Gamecocks or the orange, white and purple of Clemson. As for me, I was orange and white from head to toe. The winners of our neighborhood war kept the bragging rights until our next meeting when we’d do it all over again. Each of us knew all the details about Gamecock and Tiger football; the coaching staffs, players’ names and where they were from, the recruits coming in, etc… We lived college football and our world revolved around Saturday afternoons when we would pile around a radio or TV to listen to our teams play. To date, I am the same faithful fan of Clemson as I was back then. The only difference now is that I’m too old to play neighborhood football.
Upon arriving in Georgia, I was quickly greeted by the Bulldog backers that were quick to offer their opinion on Clemson and anything orange. Some of those opinions came in the form of a gesture using a certain finger. I suddenly felt like I was on the frontline of a war and my buddies were nowhere around. Even my family turned on me. My own daughter turned on me and claimed rights to the red and black. My brother, who was a big Gamecock fan, now has cashed in his garnet of the Gamecocks for the red of the Bulldogs (traders? I think so). Now my niece will attend Georgia this fall and has even earned a spot on the Georgettes dance team.
First thing I noticed upon moving here is that orange sticks out a lot when standing alone. I no longer had my buddies to back me up when talking trash to the opposing fans. Even now, despite finding a few fellow Tigers in Georgia, I find myself in the bull’s-eye of the target. Yes, I admit I bring it on myself, but I am a Tiger fan and always proud of it win or lose. I am sticking true to my home state team, unlike my family. Now I have found a relationship of new bashing buddies.
Those who wear the red and black, fly their Georgia car flags year round and yes even those who paint a Bulldog on the top of their head. Included are new friends who also claim that the SEC is the toughest conference in college football. As bad as I hate to admit it however, that last claim to fame is probably true. I’ll have to eat my pride and admit that the SEC is a very tough conference-in football anyway.
Now, after living in Georgia nearly 32 years, I still remain true to my Tigers. As a result of my new friends in Bulldog attire who give me such a hard time, wearing the orange and purple means more to me now than when I was just simply a Gamecock basher. I no longer find Clemson’s instate rival of USC that much of a rival to me anymore. It’s now Clemson versus Georgia, me versus my friends in red and black. Those new friends are the same ones who can’t wait to greet me after a Clemson loss, but will avoid me after a Georgia loss. The bashing rivalry has intensified for me since moving to Georgia. I’ve had my house rolled in Bulldog paper, my car tag taken off and replaced upside down, and even the removal of my Clemson flag from my house only later to find it in a “Bulldog” sanitation rollcart. The enjoyment of the neighborhood rivalry war has gone from my buddies knocking each other’s brains out in our front yard games to my living among the Dawgs. Now when I visit South Carolina the love/hate war between Clemson and USC isn’t the same. I truly believe that Georgia fans hate orange much more than their fellow SEC fans that wear the garnet and black. Despite the football rivalry of Georgia and Clemson coming to a halt in 2003, the love/hate relationship lives on.
Each of us has our own expectations this time every year. For Clemson fans, our expectations range from hoping Dabo Swinney will be the next Danny Ford, hoping we can find a kicker who can actually kick a field goal or just simply expecting our team to win a primetime nationally televised game. As for the Bulldawg nation, you have your own hopes and expectations such as expecting a new running back to be the next Hershel Walker, expectation of finally beating Florida, and also expectations of playing in a BCS Bowl game.
The fall of 2013 will mark the first football meeting between the Dawgs and Tigers in 10 years. I vividly remember the last two meetings of this neighborhood war ten years ago. I remember watching as Fred Gibson made the “hush” gesture to the Clemson fans after catching a pass for a touchdown aiding Georgia to a 30-0 win. I can remember a year prior here in Athens when Clemson had a chance to take a lead late on a 30-yard field goal, an attempt that sailed wide left, placing us on the losing end of a 31-28 score. Most of us loyal fans, Clemson or Georgia, can recall the mid 80s when Clemson’s David Treadwell beat Georgia with last-second field goals in back-to-back years. Then there was the one memory that I had just soon forget. Clemson visited Athens ranked number three in the nation in 1984 only to lose on a 60-yard Kevin Butler field goal in the closing seconds. I’m thinking that impossible kick was payback only for a time when Georgia turned the ball over nine times in route to a 13-3 Tiger win in 1981 in the Valley. That game paved the way to Clemson’s national championship. Not to be lost in that game was Hershel’s two lost fumbles in what was his only regular season loss as a Bulldog.
All of those memories of the neighborhood rival between Georgia and Clemson make these meetings such rival games. The rival renews in 2013. There is one thing that’s certain win or lose for the Tigers, I’ll be reminded one way or the other of what it’s like to wear orange and purple in a red and black town. The love/hate war will continue long after. So if you see me at any UGA sports events in the future, you can almost bet that I’m not there barking.
Dallas Bordon is the former sports editor for The Comer News/Danielsville Monitor.
Allow me to rewind many years so I can better answer the question at the top of the article. I was born in Greenwood and lived in South Carolina until the age of 13. My dad, who is now a retired minister, filled a vacancy at a church in Augusta so we packed and left the great state in 1979. While living in Greenwood, sandwiched almost between Columbia and Clemson, my friends and I would strike up neighborhood football games in our parents’ front yards. Each kid sported garnet and black of the Gamecocks or the orange, white and purple of Clemson. As for me, I was orange and white from head to toe. The winners of our neighborhood war kept the bragging rights until our next meeting when we’d do it all over again. Each of us knew all the details about Gamecock and Tiger football; the coaching staffs, players’ names and where they were from, the recruits coming in, etc… We lived college football and our world revolved around Saturday afternoons when we would pile around a radio or TV to listen to our teams play. To date, I am the same faithful fan of Clemson as I was back then. The only difference now is that I’m too old to play neighborhood football.
Upon arriving in Georgia, I was quickly greeted by the Bulldog backers that were quick to offer their opinion on Clemson and anything orange. Some of those opinions came in the form of a gesture using a certain finger. I suddenly felt like I was on the frontline of a war and my buddies were nowhere around. Even my family turned on me. My own daughter turned on me and claimed rights to the red and black. My brother, who was a big Gamecock fan, now has cashed in his garnet of the Gamecocks for the red of the Bulldogs (traders? I think so). Now my niece will attend Georgia this fall and has even earned a spot on the Georgettes dance team.
First thing I noticed upon moving here is that orange sticks out a lot when standing alone. I no longer had my buddies to back me up when talking trash to the opposing fans. Even now, despite finding a few fellow Tigers in Georgia, I find myself in the bull’s-eye of the target. Yes, I admit I bring it on myself, but I am a Tiger fan and always proud of it win or lose. I am sticking true to my home state team, unlike my family. Now I have found a relationship of new bashing buddies.
Those who wear the red and black, fly their Georgia car flags year round and yes even those who paint a Bulldog on the top of their head. Included are new friends who also claim that the SEC is the toughest conference in college football. As bad as I hate to admit it however, that last claim to fame is probably true. I’ll have to eat my pride and admit that the SEC is a very tough conference-in football anyway.
Now, after living in Georgia nearly 32 years, I still remain true to my Tigers. As a result of my new friends in Bulldog attire who give me such a hard time, wearing the orange and purple means more to me now than when I was just simply a Gamecock basher. I no longer find Clemson’s instate rival of USC that much of a rival to me anymore. It’s now Clemson versus Georgia, me versus my friends in red and black. Those new friends are the same ones who can’t wait to greet me after a Clemson loss, but will avoid me after a Georgia loss. The bashing rivalry has intensified for me since moving to Georgia. I’ve had my house rolled in Bulldog paper, my car tag taken off and replaced upside down, and even the removal of my Clemson flag from my house only later to find it in a “Bulldog” sanitation rollcart. The enjoyment of the neighborhood rivalry war has gone from my buddies knocking each other’s brains out in our front yard games to my living among the Dawgs. Now when I visit South Carolina the love/hate war between Clemson and USC isn’t the same. I truly believe that Georgia fans hate orange much more than their fellow SEC fans that wear the garnet and black. Despite the football rivalry of Georgia and Clemson coming to a halt in 2003, the love/hate relationship lives on.
Each of us has our own expectations this time every year. For Clemson fans, our expectations range from hoping Dabo Swinney will be the next Danny Ford, hoping we can find a kicker who can actually kick a field goal or just simply expecting our team to win a primetime nationally televised game. As for the Bulldawg nation, you have your own hopes and expectations such as expecting a new running back to be the next Hershel Walker, expectation of finally beating Florida, and also expectations of playing in a BCS Bowl game.
The fall of 2013 will mark the first football meeting between the Dawgs and Tigers in 10 years. I vividly remember the last two meetings of this neighborhood war ten years ago. I remember watching as Fred Gibson made the “hush” gesture to the Clemson fans after catching a pass for a touchdown aiding Georgia to a 30-0 win. I can remember a year prior here in Athens when Clemson had a chance to take a lead late on a 30-yard field goal, an attempt that sailed wide left, placing us on the losing end of a 31-28 score. Most of us loyal fans, Clemson or Georgia, can recall the mid 80s when Clemson’s David Treadwell beat Georgia with last-second field goals in back-to-back years. Then there was the one memory that I had just soon forget. Clemson visited Athens ranked number three in the nation in 1984 only to lose on a 60-yard Kevin Butler field goal in the closing seconds. I’m thinking that impossible kick was payback only for a time when Georgia turned the ball over nine times in route to a 13-3 Tiger win in 1981 in the Valley. That game paved the way to Clemson’s national championship. Not to be lost in that game was Hershel’s two lost fumbles in what was his only regular season loss as a Bulldog.
All of those memories of the neighborhood rival between Georgia and Clemson make these meetings such rival games. The rival renews in 2013. There is one thing that’s certain win or lose for the Tigers, I’ll be reminded one way or the other of what it’s like to wear orange and purple in a red and black town. The love/hate war will continue long after. So if you see me at any UGA sports events in the future, you can almost bet that I’m not there barking.
Dallas Bordon is the former sports editor for The Comer News/Danielsville Monitor.
Go Devils.