RETROBEAST: DAVID GREENE, #14 QUARTERBACK (2001-2004)

When I first had the idea to do a special series of posts focusing on my favorite University of Georgia football players from the past, there were a handful of names that immediately came to mind. This blast from the past will focus on one those players. I just hope this entry can reach the level of excellence that this favored DAWG is known for…..

RETROBEAST: DAVID GREENE, #14 QUARTERBACK (2001-2004)



David Greene is easily one of my all-time favorite DAWGS. I loved everything about Greene…his number, that he’s a lefty, his calm demeanor, his fiery competitiveness, his leadership, his toughness…everything. As important as all of those things were, I particularly enjoyed that although Greene may not have been the best overall athlete on the field (and would admit as much), he fully understood the nuances of the game and mastered their execution. Watching Greene play quarterback at Georgia was like watching a maestro conduct his orchestra. At times, it was truly a thing of beauty.

Greene, the magician



More than anything else, Greene’s legacy at Georgia is that he was a winner. During his time in Athens, Greene led his teams to 42 wins making him the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I history. In 2009, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy passed Greene's win total to set the new NCAA mark for the most wins by a starting quarterback with 45.

Among those 42 wins were four consecutive victories over bitter, in-state rival Georgia Tech. One of my favorite memories of Greene comes from his final meeting with the Jackets in Athens in 2004. During what was a sloppy game in a rain soaked Sanford Stadium, Greene displayed the toughness and a will to win that defined his time as the DAWGS signal caller. Greene injured his thumb after hitting it on a helmet on a pass attempt and would leave the game for an extended period of time. DJ Shockley would play in Greene’s absence. Shockley would struggle to move to the team and ball security was an issue on seemingly every play. While Greene was out of the game, Georgia Tech would even manage to take the lead. You could clearly see it on the sidelines (and television replays would confirm) that Greene could see the game slipping away and was anxious to get back in the game. Moments later, with the thumb on his throwing hand heavily bandaged and with what we would find out later was a broken thumb (cracked tip), Greene returned to the field. Greene would play through the pain and the elements and lead the DAWGS to a fantastic victory over the Jackets with a force of will that has earned him a special place of honor in the mind of this member of the DAWG Nation.



As fantastic as that win was for Greene and the DAWGS, the game that sent shockwaves throughout the SEC and announced with authority that he, Mark Richt and the DAWGS were for real was the victory at Tennessee in 2001. On that October afternoon in Knoxville…where a redshirt freshman quarterback and an unproven head coach proved their mettle in the crucible of Neyland Stadium…Greene and Larry Munson became forever linked by a series of events in game that has come to be known by just two words…Hobnail Boot.

P-44 Haynes



After what the DAWG Nation witnessed in Knoxville in 2001, there was a strong belief that anything was possible for Richt’s DAWGS with Greene running the show. In 2002, with Georgia trailing the Tigers, those hopes were realized on the plains of Auburn when Greene found Micheal Johnson in the back of the end zone on 4th and 15 for the touchdown that would give the DAWGS a comeback win, their first SEC East Championship and a spot in the SEC Championship game where Georgia would defeat Arkansas and claim its first SEC Championship in twenty years.

70-X-Takeoff





You can check out the recap from the game HERE.

To the victor go the spoils.

When you’re as successful as Greene was during his time at Georgia, others tend to take notice. Greene was honored as SEC Freshman of the Year in 2001, SEC Championship Game MVP in 2002, Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2003 and 2004 and was a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist in 2004.

For more information on Greene you can check him out on Wikipedia.

David Greene was a favorite of this DAWG fan, a winner on the field and a total class act. He set the standard for all that it means to be a football player at Georgia under head coach Mark Richt. During his time in Athens, Greene forged a legacy that will forever be remembered as a turning point in the program’s history and a golden era by those of us in the DAWG Nation.

Glory, Glory.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS IV

Coming into spring practice 2010, the widely held opinion was that Georgia’s most intriguing storyline would be how the DAWGS adjust to their new defensive coordinator, coaching staff and scheme OR how the competition at quarterback would play out. ‘Round these parts we believe in bone-rattling, will-breaking slap-yo-mamma and make you like it DEFENSE. Up to this point we have spent much more time talking about defensive line stunts and blitzing linebackers than who will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity to throw the ball to AJ Green or hand it off to Washaun Ealey and Caleb King. However, there is no denying the importance of the QB competition and we are just as interested in who ends up taking snaps in Athens the next few years as any other DAWG fan out there. The right to lead a team must be earned and between the lines…on the proving grounds…is the one and only place to stake a claim to the starting spot as the DAWGS top signal caller.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS IV: QUARTERBACK

The coaching staff has thrown the competition to be Georgia’s starting quarterback open and it is a three-man race between Logan Gray (Jr), Zach Mettenberger (RFr) and Aaron Murray (RFr). Well, it was.

Mettenberger was arrested recently for underage consumption/possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of possessing fake identification. Although there were times since the end of the 2009 season that I thought I was the only one in the DAWGosphere that gave Mettenberger any chance at all to compete with a real chance of earning playing time in the fall, it seems he has ended that talk all on his own. Given his physical skill set, I believe Mett may be the best pro prospect of the bunch down the line. However, given Coach Richt’s history of dealing with incidents like this one, a suspension is almost definitely in Mett’s future and the only question is how many games it will be. While I still expect Mett to become a fine football player possibly win the starting job outright in years to come, I believe any impending suspension will effectively eliminate Mett from consideration for the starting nod for the DAWGS to open the 2010 season.

That leaves Gray and Murray to battle it out.

I’ll admit that when Gray originally signed with Georgia I was excited at the prospect of the DAWGS having another QB with some mobility that would have a couple of seasons to learn the system before taking over as the starter, possibly much like DJ Shockley had done for the DAWGS a few years ago. Although he is a fine athlete, I don’t think I would put Gray in the same category as Shockley. To this point, we haven’t seen anything from Gray that would make those of us in the DAWG Nation clamor for him to be anointed the starter. Then again, Gray has not really had a chance to show what he can do when given a full opportunity to run the show. It is very possible that given the chance, Gray will step up and earn the right to lead the DAWGS this fall.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Murray seems to have it all…fantastic prep record (including returning from a broken leg to lead his team to a state championship as a senior), mobility, a better-than-average arm and reports are that he is a tireless student of the game. His toughness and work ethic alone are enough to garner my respect. Murray seems to have that unquantifiable quality known as “it” that makes a player special and it appears he is the odds-on favorite to earn the starting job in the season opener, even without having played a down at the collegiate level.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Much like the offensive line situation, quarterback play could prove to be the primary hindrance to an otherwise efficient Georgia offensive attack. If the DAWGS can determine at least a solid front-runner for the starting job during the spring, the more likely a starter can be installed in fall camp and the quicker the offense can find its rhythm once the season starts. In my opinion, this situation calls for decisive action from Coach Mike Bobo and Coach Mark Richt. Although there aren’t as many moving parts as the offensive line scenario, it is hard to argue that there is a more important position on an offense than quarterback. Everyone can say the right things about “doing what’s best for the team” and talk about how “each guy brings something special and different to the huddle” but an offense needs that leader…that one leader…to look to when the game is on the line. The sooner that leader steps to the front of the line and is identified by the coaching staff the better.

I have long held that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one and I am always uneasy when I hear a coach say that he is open to any kind of quarterback rotation. Coach Richt is on record as saying that he is open to a rotation if necessary, but that he will name a starter if someone steps forward and earns the job outright. I really don’t think that will happen. This competition will head into fall camp. Best case scenario, the coaching staff will see enough in the spring to get a good idea about where the competition stands heading into the fall. From there, we will have to hope that the oppressive heat of a Georgia August will temper the mettle of the competitors and that the DAWGS coaching staff can then shape a leader of men that will be charged with leading the Silver Britches to victory “between the hedges” as well as bearing the weight of the crown of a nation longing to embrace him…the DAWG Nation.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGBEASTS OF THE FUTURE…IF YOU WANT US, THE DAWG NATION WANTS YOU!

I am a very fortunate man. I am married to a phenomenal woman in Wifey, I grew up in a home with two loving and very supportive parents, a great younger brother that I have a wonderful relationship with to this day and I have more real friends than most could hope for. I am a very fortunate man. I know it and I consistently take advantage of any opportunity to list, for anyone that will listen, all of the varied reasons why. Among those many blessings, I count the fact that I was born in the South and have lived the duration of my life in the great state of Georgia right up there among the best of them. I know where home is. These facts played no small role in my choice to attend the finest school in the land, the University of Georgia. I am proud of my home state and I am proud of my school…in every way.

I tell you that to tell you this.

When I think about the unofficial national holiday for those of us that live and breathe college football, national signing day, I cannot help but think of the process that each young man goes through in choosing the school he will play for, represent and call home for the next three to five years. This process is different for every player, but no less angst-riddled.

When it comes to the University of Georgia, I am invested in this annual process too and for more reasons than just the wins and losses that may or may not result from any player choosing to become a DAWG. Like I said above, these players will become representatives of UGA whether they like it or not. For those of us that truly love the University of Georgia for reasons more than what happens on Saturdays in the fall, that is no small thing. This is just one more reason I am proud to have a person like Mark Richt leading our program. I trust that he will bring quality young people into the program and that he will help develop them into even better young men both on and off the field that we in the DAWG Nation can be proud of.

As Signing Day 2010 approaches I have the same hope that I have every year…that these young men are at peace with their decisions and that they truly WANT to be at the University of Georgia. To me, this is absolutely the most important factor in this entire process.

I want players to come to UGA that WANT to be Georgia Bulldogs. Players that WANT to wear that G on the side of their helmets and play “between the hedges.” I want players that have a genuine dislike for the color orange, that can’t stand the Techies and that truly HATE Florida.

Don’t be misled DAWG fans, unlike Bigfoot, these players actually do exist. The first example that pops into my mind is this weeks RETROBEAST, Greg Blue. I can remember listening to Blue, an Atlanta native, during a radio interview back in 2001 after his commitment to be a part of Coach Richt’s first recruiting class. Blue talked about his utter disdain for the Techies and how he COULD NOT WAIT to play against them saying that he wanted to “knock somebody’s head off.” Need another example?? How about DJ Shockley? Shockley was an all-world recruit and another Atlanta native that could have played anywhere in the country. Shockley chose to come to play for Coach Richt and the University of Georgia. Despite having to sit behind David Green for four years, Shockley stayed at Georgia and ignored those calling for him to transfer to another school so he could play sooner. Shockley stayed because he believed in Coach Richt, because he loved the University of Georgia and because he simply wanted to be a DAWG. When his moment in the sun finally came, DJ took full advantage leading the 2005 DAWGS to their last SEC Championship. How ‘bout another? Nation, I present for your viewing pleasure…AJ Green. Green was another 5-star recruit that had his choice of schools when signing day rolled around in 2008, but despite the fact that he was not a Georgia native and the best efforts of the national power houses (including Urban Meyer and the HATED Gators), Green was all DAWG.

It is happening with the 2010 class too. Georgia safety Jakar Hamilton, a JUCO transfer who enrolled at UGA earlier this month, had this to say in a telephone interview with UGASports:

"Man, I can't wait to get there…I don't think a player should commit just for a coach, they should commit for what the school has to offer. Georgia is ranked No. 1 in the APR, and is one of the top academic schools in the SEC; to me it's the total package. Plus, I get to play for a good, Christian coach like Coach Richt; it's everything I ever wanted."

Hamilton was later quoted in the AJC talking about the physicality with which he plays the game that will soon be on display in Athens:

“I’m one of those players who just don’t care. I’ll throw my whole body even if I have to break something to do it. . . . If I have to catch a concussion, I’ll do it.”

In the end, Hamilton chose the DAWGS over Alabama, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Auburn.

I LOVE IT!

Then, just yesterday, news broke that the DAWGS picked up their first commitment for 2011…Tucker athlete Chris Sanders.

Sanders told UGASports.com that he has always wanted to be a Bulldog and that he just could not ignore the pull of the home state school. Sanders chose the Bulldogs over West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Duke and he believed Alabama was on the verge of offering as well.

Saturday, the ball just kept rolling for the DAWGS as news came that Georgia picked up their second commitment for the class of 2011…Griffin safety Corey Moore. Moore says that he “grew up a DAWG fan” and simply loves Georgia.

Nation, this is exactly what I’m talking about. I want players at the University of Georgia that WANT to be at the University of Georgia and nowhere else. In my mind there is something different about this kind of player, one that believes he is part of something and that he is playing for something greater than self. You couple that type of commitment with the type of commitment that Coach Richt has made to guarantee the development of these young men and his program and I believe you have a recipe for a great deal of sustained success. Glory, Glory!!!