To the dismay of my father and grandfathers, and maybe some of you readers, I am not a die-hard football fan.
I do love going to football games - mostly to catch up with friends, enjoy being outside, and, while I was in college, get a much-needed break from Georgia Tech’s academic rigors.
Since becoming a Yellow Jacket in 2005, I’ve pledged my loyalty to my school’s team and been a game day enthusiast throughout the team’s years of ups and downs.
I remember attending games at which Bobby Dodd stadium was practically empty - days you would find more students in the library than in the bleachers.
Saturday’s fantastic upset against Virginia Tech, however, proved those days might finally be over.
New talent and new leadership have breathed life into the GT football team, and their achievement on the field has given faithful followers a fresh dose of school spirit.
With three seconds left in the game on Saturday, Georgia Tech fans rushed the field to congratulate the team on their outstanding win.
As the band interchangeably played “I’m a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech,” “Up with the White and Gold,” and the fourth-quarter favorite known simply as “The Budweiser Song,” students climbed the yellow goal post, intent on tearing it down.
The post swayed from side to side, as students hanging from the left and right struggled to bring down the symbol of the win.
“Ya’ll can’t stand on either side to bring it down! Everyone should get on one end! It’s simple statics of rigid bodies! We’ve all taken that course!” screamed an engineer near me, to many nods of approval.
They finally succeeded in bringing the goal post down (for the first time in six years), and the giant crowd absorbed the relic like a monstrous blob.
Though I didn’t stay to see the further destruction, according to several eye-witness reports and YouTube videos, the goal post was hacked up into pieces and distributed to the masses.
As tradition demands, the winner of the Mr. Georgia Tech competition hand-delivered a piece of the post to new GT president Bud Peterson.
“I got a piece of the post!” filled the Facebook mini-feed the next day, as students told their own stories of the epic game.
Saturday was my first homecoming game as an alumni, and I can’t think of a more perfect way to be welcomed home. Go Jackets! Keep up the good work!
Moore is the news and features writer for this paper and a proud graduate of Fayette County High and Georgia Tech.
|
