In 1978 my father moved us to Moody AFB in Valdosta, GA where he got stationed. That fall I was in seventh grade and was working on some chores (e.g., raking pine straw and picking up pine cones, washing cars inside and out every weekend). To help pass the time on Saturdays I'd turn on the radio and listen to Larry Munson call UGA Football games. Since UGA's freshman QB Buck Belue was from Valdosta (followed by QB John Lastinger), I found it easy to root for the Dawgs as a local player (albeit rival, as I later attended Lowndes County HS) was starring for them. Since then I've been an ardent UGA fan, esp. football (living in "Titletown USA" for 7 years helped nurture my love for the sport).

During high school my dad made my older sister, myself, and younger brother [currently a Major General select in the USAF] take Air Force Junior ROTC. As a senior I had a Congressional nomination from Senator Sam Nunn and Congressman Charles Hatcher to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the USAF Preparatory School. Unfortunately, it was discovered during my flight physical that I had a hernia that required surgery and thus was medically disqualified from receiving a scholarship to any of the military academies or to a college ROTC program for one year. Given that my father was poor (he was an enlisted service member) and there was no money for me to attend college, I sucked it up and enlisted in the Air Force as a Computer Operator (which morphed into a Telecommunications Operator before I was done). After ~5.5 years on active duty, I separated and enrolled at the University of Georgia and put myself through school. After graduating in December 1995, I worked as a Chemical Lab Technician for a few months in Valdosta before being accepted to Air Force Officer Training School. After earning my commission I spent ~15 more years on active duty as a Communications and Information Officer before retiring.

As for first discovering a UGA sports message board online it was in April 1996. That is, I was hanging out in the Valdosta Municipal Library surfing the net when I stumbled upon the 'Dawgvent'. I must admit that I was instantly hooked as I found it informative and interactive on a subject I was passionate about. Unfortunately, Dawg Master (Jason) ended up selling his site a few years later to Oregon Dawg (Steve). Transitioning from a great look-and-feel of Dawg Master's website to Alliance Sports then Rivals platforms was disappointing. Once Steve split the 'Dawgvent' into a pay site and made the 'Dawgchat' a free board a couple of years later I started looking for other UGA sports websites to hang out on. For a while it was the 'Dawg Run' then on Independence Day weekend of 1999 I created my own non-profit (i.e., no subscription fee, no ads) UGA Sports website called 'Dawg Treasures'. I ran that for 7 years until I moved to a new job overseas that required I work 12+ hours per day while completing Air Command & Staff College by correspondence at night and on weekends, while married and caring for my two young boys (one of which was a newborn). Then in 2012 I became active on Dean Legge's 'Dawg Post' website (although I had been a member there since 2001).

Fwiw, I feel better about UGA's Football program now than I have since Coach Richt's second season in 2002 when the Dawgs finished 13-1 (only losing a heartbreaker to Florida in Jacksonville on a dropped TD pass and a lateral for a TD that was called back). With the way Coach Smart has been recruiting and the administration finally opening up the bank (e.g., investing in a $30.2M IPF, $63M West End Zone Construction, and a budget increase of ~$12M/yr more for Smart), I think we're going to finally win another National Championship, or two, or three...

Well, I'm looking forward to getting to know y'all. Over the years I've met dozens of UGA fans (e.g., Aldog, AllDawg, BamaDawg, CameronDawg, Cartersville Dog [RIP], cowboy, Crash10, Dawgfiend, Dawg Master, Dawgpaw, Erk, flikdiva, GaDawg, G Lady, Groo, gulfportdawg, Hacksaw Dawg, ibdawg, Jim from Duluth, Karate Dawg, Lan4Dawg, Lawrenceville Dawg, Lilburn Dawg [RIP], Moosefish, Nekkid Dawg, Old Dawg, Oregon Dawg, Rabid Dawg, the Four Horsemen) I've met on message boards at get togethers, tailgates, and games.

Formerly NavyChief#1DawgFan - been on the boards for 7-8 years, been inactive for a few.

Been stationed note West Coast for about 20 years; was AT the Rose Bowl earlier this year about 60 rows up from Sony scoring the winning TD!!

Been active duty Navy for almost 27 years- currently the Command Master Chief at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Four, the Legendary Black Knights.

Looking forward to some chats as willing on the side has slowed down due to my position in the Navy (4 classes left along with a philosophy paper for my M-Div with Azusa Pacific).

Looking forward to another Banner Year from the Dawgs!!! Gooooooo Dawgs! Sic' 'Em! Woof Woof Woof!

We used to have a cat named Opie, named after the famous TV character. Anyway, when I signed up for the original dawgvent back in the day, I just thought it would work and that's been 20 years ago.

We moved to Warner Robins in 1977. At that time the Demons were a national powerhouse and I realized pretty quick that football was played on a whole different level in Georgia. That's when I became a Bulldog fan. I used to read a forum that had a green hedge border. Posters like red clay hound and Rolo posted there. I didn't begin posting until 2009 when I retired from the military. As far as my handle? What's meaner than a stalkin dog? Not much.

First and foremost, I'm not a GT fan. I was a Thomas Co. Central Yellow Jacket back in the day. Played with and blocked for Charlie Ward when he was a youngster. The 68 is the year I was born. I became a UGA fan in 1976 when I was 8 years old and a Colquitt Co. QB named Ray Goff was running the Veer between the hedges. Been hooked ever since.

opiedawg said:

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We used to have a cat named Opie, named after the famous TV character. Anyway, when I signed up for the original dawgvent back in the day, I just thought it would work and that's been 20 years ago.

---

Opie, for old time's sake, here's what Dawgmaster's 'DawgVent' looked like 21 years ago this month in April 1997:

https://web.archive.org/web/19970416005027/http://pluto.centurionsys.com:80/uga/vent3/threads.htm

I saw Tech, Gamecock and Vandy fans posting in that archive from 97. Makes me wonder if we were more tolerant then? Don't see too many rival fans posting outside of their home base nowadays.

StalkinDawg said:

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I saw Tech, Gamecock and Vandy fans posting in that archive from 97. Makes me wonder if we were more tolerant then? Don't see too many rival fans posting outside of their home base nowadays.

---

At the time the 'DawgVent' was the only UGA sports message board so all Dawg and opponent fans (e.g., BillVol, Buzzfan, Orange and Brew, San Diego Poke, Tongue River Poke) frequented the site. For the most part they were welcomed until Tennessee fans started gloating after beating the Dogs 22-3 in Sanford Stadium in 1998. To limit the trolls, Dawgmaster [DM] used "poison" cookies on Vol accounts that kept them from posting on the forum for a few weeks (until one of them cleaned their cache, logged back in, then notified his Tennessee buddies how to fix their accounts).

Thank you so much for the memories. Hope Mike Bobo doesn't read some of those posts. I went straight to the Ghost practice report. Thankfully we're getting much better reporting than he gave us there but I love his style and enthusiasm.
Really appreciate that trip down memory lane. Loved a handle in there that I didn't remember, "One Well Hung Dawg".

With the name, I was born in Georgia and now live in Louisiana. As for a fan, April 6 1981.

1971 - When I was 8. Did not miss more than 5 home games up until I went to The Citadel 1980-84 (that answers the question on username). I remember the railroad track, trains coming through during the middle of the games, fights in the tracks and sliding down the hills during the game inside the stadium. I also remember Matt Robinson and Ray Goff sharing time at QB ... it was a true dual QB situation.

AirForceDawg said:

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opiedawg said:

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We used to have a cat named Opie, named after the famous TV character. Anyway, when I signed up for the original dawgvent back in the day, I just thought it would work and that's been 20 years ago.

---

Opie, for old time's sake, here's what Dawgmaster's 'DawgVent' looked like 21 years ago this month in April 1997:

https://web.archive.org/web/19970416005027/http://pluto.centurionsys.com:80/uga/vent3/threads.htm

---

I started a little over a year after that (May '98).

Oh, as for being a fan, since 12/19/63 when I was born. My mother grew up with Coach Butts' youngest daughter, Nancy. They remained good friends until Nancy's death about 10 years ago. Nancy was my godmother, which I guess made Coach Butts my god-grandfather. In other words, it's all I've ever known.

My username stems from being a Lincoln County Red Devil. '02 is the year I graduated. 59 was my football number.

I'm sure I'll get beat for this story I'm about to tell. jwp1983 still rags me about this from time to time. I grew up a Dawgs fan. Not a huge college fan when I was young, but I'd occasionally watch some games on TV. When I was around 13-14 (1997-98), I was lead astray by some older kids in my neighborhood who were Tennessee fans. I wanted to be cool with the older guys. Yeah, I was one of those kids that I hate nowadays. The ones who only likes the team that's winning big at the present time. I wore that hideous orange for a couple of years before I came back to my senses and hopped back on with the Dawgs in 2000. Been a die hard Dawgs fan ever since. I still throw up in my mouth a little when I think about that time in my life.

Let the thrashings commence.

DevilDawg0259 said:

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My username stems from being a Lincoln County Red Devil. '02 is the year I graduated. 59 was my football number.

I'm sure I'll get beat for this story I'm about to tell. jwp1983 still rags me about this from time to time. I grew a Dawgs fan. Not a huge college fan when I was young, but I'd occasionally watch some games on TV. When I was around 13-14 (1997-98), I was lead astray by some older kids in my neighborhood who were Tennessee fans. I wanted to be cool with the older guys. Yeah, I was one of those kids that I hate nowadays. The ones who only likes the team that's winning big at the present time. I wore that hideous orange for a couple of years before I came back to my senses and hopped back on with the Dawgs in 2000. Been a die hard Dawgs fan ever since. I still throw up in my mouth a little when I think about that time in my life.

Let the thrashings commence.

---

Go and sin no more...................

I had this handle on all the old message boards - just came up with it for an AOL board prior to the proliferation of all the old message boards. I met Dawgmaster and his wife at the UGA/UF game in Athens in 1995 and actually remember him showing me the code for the original Dawgvent back in about January, 1996 - it was originally going to be for all the SEC schools, but he paired it down to just UGA. He was real active on the old usenet boards along with some of the other old timers and he based the web version of the bulletin board off the usenet threads. It was hosted briefly on his company web site - Honeywell IIRC, then moved over to the Centurion Systems site, which I think a friend of his owned and offered to host. Ancient history but kind of cool how a lot of the original group, including Air Force Dawg, are still around 20+ years later.

AllDawg said:

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I had this handle on all the old message boards - just came up with it for an AOL board prior to the proliferation of all the old message boards. I met Dawgmaster and his wife at the UGA/UF game in Athens in 1995 and actually remember him showing me the code for the original Dawgvent back in about January, 1996 - it was originally going to be for all the SEC schools, but he paired it down to just UGA. He was real active on the old usenet boards along with some of the other old timers and he based the web version of the bulletin board off the usenet threads. It was hosted briefly on his company web site - Honeywell IIRC, then moved over to the Centurion Systems site, which I think a friend of his owned and offered to host. Ancient history but kind of cool how a lot of the original group, including Air Force Dawg, are still around 20+ years later.

---

Gary, great history re: DM's creation of the 'DawgVent' (the original UGA sports "virtual water cooler")! Thanks for sharing it w/ us.

I like to hunt trophy whitetail deer and everywhere I turn I see the number 747. However, 747 never drops on the cash 3 when I play the numbers.

I have been a Dawg fan ever since I was born in 1984.

I first signed up for Dawgpost in 2002 when I was a senior in H.S.

My handle actually predates me...

Both my parents went to UGA, and before I was born my dad wanted to name me Uga. My last name is Lee, so I would have been Uga Lee, so my mom nixed it!

ugalee said:

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My handle actually predates me...

Both my parents went to UGA, and before I was born my dad wanted to name me Uga. My last name is Lee, so I would have been Uga Lee, so my mom nixed it!

---

Fwiw, in 1978 my family moved to Valdosta, GA when my father got stationed at Moody Air Force Base. The same summer we moved there former Valdosta High School QB Buck Belue left for UGA to play football and baseball for the Dawgs. In January 1979 my half-brother was born and my parents named him "Buck Lee" (first and middle name).

I became a Dawg fan in the early 70's when my older brother went to UGA. I was probably around 10 or 11. Had been playing Peewee/ Pop Warner since I was 6. Just was natural to visit and see the "big boys" play. I played every year from the age of 6 until I graduated from High School in 1977. Dreamed of playing for the Dawgs but my mind was more into "partying" as opposed to advancing my of playing football. Wish I was smarter back in the day.
Went to a junior college after high school, and after trial and error, I was able to transfer to UGA where I eventually graduated with a Criminal Justice degree in 84'. Had the pleasure of being there through Herschel and the 1980 NC. Fun times back then for sure.

I caught on to the "Dawg Forums" back in 2003. I liked and registered to Dawg Post that year as "ghostofuga1". Thought of the username with vodka in hand, thinking about anonymity and what was the first mascot named uga at UGA. I researched an thought about "the ghost of UGA 1". It sorta fit so I just typed it in and there I was. At some point during my tenure, I was banned by Dean for something I posted about technical difficulties sites were having. Never understood, but it must of been a touchy subject at the time.

I re-invented myself as "HODawg" and got a few more good years posting here. "HODawg" was derived from my previous user name and the actual name of UGA's first uga mascot, who's name was Hal's Ol' Dean. Thus the HOD.

And there you have it in a nutshell!!

Some good handles posting in this thread. I still say jwp1983 was the funniest guy on DP.

Stalkin, I'm still not sure how to quote a post here, but you are correct. I would love to see some of the "great" posters come back. By no means to say the one's here are not "great", because they are for being diligent with keeping up and following Dawg Post.

Maybe an email to all the posters that were registered here. This may have already been done, but make sure a new link is provided. I know I had the old one bookmarked and it kept sending me to 247. Took me a while to find the site again.....

Ghostofuga1 said:

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I became a Dawg fan in the early 70's when my older brother went to UGA. I was probably around 10 or 11. Had been playing Peewee/ Pop Warner since I was 6. Just was natural to visit and see the "big boys" play. I played every year from the age of 6 until I graduated from High School in 1977. Dreamed of playing for the Dawgs but my mind was more into "partying" as opposed to advancing my of playing football. Wish I was smarter back in the day.
Went to a junior college after high school, and after trial and error, I was able to transfer to UGA where I eventually graduated with a Criminal Justice degree in 84'. Had the pleasure of being there through Herschel and the 1980 NC. Fun times back then for sure.

I caught on to the "Dawg Forums" back in 2003. I liked and registered to Dawg Post that year as "ghostofuga1". Thought of the username with vodka in hand, thinking about anonymity and what was the first mascot named uga at UGA. I researched an thought about "the ghost of UGA 1". It sorta fit so I just typed it in and there I was. At some point during my tenure, I was banned by Dean for something I posted about technical difficulties sites were having. Never understood, but it must of been a touchy subject at the time.

I re-invented myself as "HODawg" and got a few more good years posting here. "HODawg" was derived from my previous user name and the actual name of UGA's first uga mascot, who's name was Hal's Ol' Dean. Thus the HOD.

And there you have it in a nutshell!!

---

Ghostofuga1 (ne HODawg), great explanation of the origin of your former username.

StalkinDawg said:

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Some good handles posting in this thread. I still say jwp1983 was the funniest guy on DP.

---

IMO, the funniest UGA sports poster since I first logged on in April 1996 is opiedawg (he's been busting guts on UGA sports websites since 1998). Another one that is very witty is SaxonDawg who envisioned and wrote many humorous Ooga stories over the years on the original 'DawgVent' website:

http://uga.alliancesports.com/content.asp?CID=41765

Ooga's First Prophecy
Date: August 30, 2001
By: SaxonDawg

And lo, when the stars were right, and the Moon was in the Seventh House, and the big-money boosters were in the president's house, a new chieftain rose up among the People of the Dawg, and the old was cast out to outer darkness, where there is weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth and lesser-paying coaching jobs. And the name of the new chieftain was Richt the Righteous, and legendary was he among quarterbacks, and ambitious was he in world conquest, and consistent was he in Sunday School attendance. Poor of haircut was he of a sooth. But lo, he weareth a cool and happenin' hat.

And the chieftain Richt gathereth a staff, ferocious and snarling of nature so as to balance out his righteousness. And he bringeth them forth in a great Van--Van Halanger bringeth he, and Van Gorder bringeth he also. Van Halanger lurketh in the weight room, bearing a whip and a cruel laugh, and doing nasty and unspeakable things to earthly bodies through mat drills. Van Gorder lurketh on the practice field, bearing the likeness of the Tasmanian Devil and the voice of Yosemite Sam, and he too doeth cruel and unspeakable things to earthly bodies, and kicketh butts, and taketh names. And lo, the players had no place to hide.

Behold, the whip cracketh and the brass knuckles flaileth for nine months, a season of gestation, until a new thing was conceived and hatched among the People of the Dawg. And it cometh out cackling and evil and hungry laugh. The day came when it was unleashed forth upon the lowly and feeble hordes from Arkansas State, they who dwell in the vast and miserable wilderness of the Land of Clinton. And it came to pass that the weak and unmanly visitors knew not what hit them when they entered within the realm of the Holy Hedges of Sanford. For the Dawgish tribes had grown sour of the sport of flailing one another's hind quarters; and they longed greatly for new hind quarters to flail.

So it happened that, after nine months of cruel and unrelenting torture, Richt the Righteous released the snarling, growling, chop-licking, fang-grinding, butt-biting, blood-drinking, death-dealing Demon Dawg warriors and pointed them toward the marshmallowy hindquarters of the wimpish wastrels who dared to stray from the Arkansas waste. And the Green Machine struck with cruel vengeance, and the defense doled out pain. And the Shock Jocks brought forth havoc, and the defense doled out devastation. And Cory, Cory to ol' Georgia sayeth the backups, and the defense doled out gore and entrails. And several stadium ushers and Coke vendors playeth quarterback also, and certain tuba players from the Redcoats, and the beat goeth on until the wimpish wastrels cryeth for mercy.

And Richt the Righteous waded out into the field of liquid gore and interior bodily organs, and said that it was very good. And he closed in prayer and a group hug. And the People of the Dawg sighed as one, and said, "Yea--That's what I'M talkin' about." And they hosed off the blood-splatter, snarled one deep, guttural snarl, and crouched in wait for Lord Holtz of Hokum, the 9,000-year-old witch doctor and motivational guru. And they dreamed of new depths of pain to be unleashed upon the world on the seventh day. And then they rested--for about twenty seconds until Van Gorder findeth them and flaileth some more. Amen.

***

Fwiw, I used to archive SaxonDawg's Ooga stories on my UGA sports website 'Dawg Treasures' from 1999-2006, then passed them onto ToonDawg (Amy) who now stores them on her 'The Anti-Orange Page':

http://www.theantiorangepage.com/category/the-hunkering-hermit/

Ghostofuga1 said:

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Stalkin, I'm still not sure how to quote a post here, but you are correct. I would love to see some of the "great" posters come back. By no means to say the one's here are not "great", because they are for being diligent with keeping up and following Dawg Post.

Maybe an email to all the posters that were registered here. This may have already been done, but make sure a new link is provided. I know I had the old one bookmarked and it kept sending me to 247. Took me a while to find the site again.....

---

Ghostofuga1 (ne HODawg),

To quote a post select the gray quotation mark (") at the bottom left corner of a post.

Btw, who are some of the "great" posters you'd like to see here in addition to the >200 subscribers that are already present?

1cooldawg, 12thmandawgfan, 407Dawg, 1949dawg, 1980dawg, 1988dawg, aaronfullen, ahurst344, AlDog, AirForceDawg, AllDawg, allanhixon, Alphablue1, Alpharettadog, Andrew (ne Drew81), apmdawg, aspendawg, AtlantaDawg, BCC5723, BeachyDawg, begger, bhdawg, BigBandMan, bigbuckhunter747, Bigcalidawg, Bigdawg007, BlackBaker, blackmountaindawg, Bo (ne 88Fox), Bo4uga1963, BoDawg, Brazilian Dawg, BrewDawg, buck80, Buckdawger, Bulldawg1 (ne iceviper1), Caldwellanthonyderek, cantonk9, CatFromBama, Caymandawg, Ccso1981, Cddawgs, Champ, champ1210, ChappyDawg, Chipolahound, ChuckWagon, CitadelDawg84, CincyDawg94, claxtondawg, CMDawg, ColonialDawg (ne twharrell), CrazyDawg420, Critdawg, croatiadawg (ne adairdawg), CummingDawg22, CWSD, dabfa2269, Daggerdog35, Darindawg, Dartslingindawg, Dawg44, dawg2727, dawgcharlotte, DawgDMD, DawgFactor21, DawgFanInMo, DawgInFlowerMoundTx (ne DawgInFloMo), DawgFreak, DawginITOps, dawgman97, dawgs, Dawgsout, DaytonaDawg, dbragg7, DeleonDawg, Deltaman, DevilDawg0259, Dirteater Dawg, DixieDawg02, Dooley, Doredog, djsdawg, drgrouper, dynamicbigboy, ELDawgy, etienne18, EverestDawg, eyedog, EZ1DAWG, FireBrand, flemmingislanddawg, Fletcher Page, friendofbob (ne StoneyaDGD), G-Dawg, gablue1, GAinLA, gasdawg73, Ghostofuga1 (ne HODawg), GirdersRBending, GoodDawg4733, gregbluefanclub, Greeny, gsnowdawg, gunter2011 Haney, heels1283, HeathNClark, hmwood, hogwhaloup, HomeGrown82, hopalongy, hpdog, HunkerDownDawgs, INLETDAWG, jacket68, jbranch, jcarp11, jcdawg, jmitchell49, jpzd33, jssanders7, JudgeLarryDawg, jward21, jwp1983, KLC 71, Klesko12, Kmccc, kmkinnear, korleone05, ladyQdawg, LakeOconeeDawg, Lawdawg, lifedawg, llib34, Loso11 (ne shay11), lowcountrydawg17, Lowiq, LuvsDawgs, mac25, marcandtammy, marcdawg1, Marshall2014, mcpalmer, MitchDawg, mjwiggs, mmixon, mobiledawg, Monkdawg, mrpage, NavyCMC_SicEm, Newnan Dawg, Nostradawgus, Oldboy71, opiedawg, Pastorphil13, PaulWesterdawg, PGJ (ne pgjackson), Phoebedoh, PineMtnDawg90, PKPBulldawg, pups4cat1 (ne GaytirdHater), PurpleBrave, Qflo11dog, rawdawg, RedDawg, REDdawg12, ronlamar, rossvilledog, RyanJordan, sandersvilledawg, SeaDawg, Shelt320, sicemdawgs77, sirdawg27, sjg38, snuffy19, Spacetanker Dawg (ne flreeves), ssidedawg, StalkinDawg, StevieBuckets, swampydawg, tdperk, Teddybulldawg, thedogfather, thevillageidiot, TopDawg, TwistedDawg (ne cool4me99), Tyree02, UGA94, Ugacrazy, Ugadawg30, ugadukefan, UgaFann, ugakirk, ugalee, Ugapitcrew, UGASinceBirth, UticaDawg, VADawg, viperoy, vonster, Wallace3037, Walvegasdog, waverly, wborodawg, willbeezy, yearofthedawg, and Zoesdawg69

FYI, below is the email that Dean Legge sent to all registered posters from the previous 'Dawg Post' website:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dawg Post <noreply@f5sports.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 19, 2018 at 10:17 AM
Subject: Dawg Post has a brand new home and we hope you'll rejoin us

We're excited to announce that we have a new home at DawgPost.com! We've moved from Scout and are on a brand new platform, but it's the same staff you've come to trust, with over two decades of experience covering UGA: Dean Legge, Matt DeBary and Dylan Webber. We've all made the move, and hope you'll rejoin us and give our new platform a try.

To make the transition as easy as possible, we are offering a 1 month trial for just $1:

We're confident that after a month, you'll enjoy the content, community and new platform enough to stick around.

Thanks ahead of time for supporting this site and being a part of our community. GO DAWGS!

AirForceDawg said:

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StalkinDawg said:

---

Some good handles posting in this thread. I still say jwp1983 was the funniest guy on DP.

---

IMO, the funniest UGA sports poster since I first logged on in April 1996 is opiedawg (he's been busting guts on UGA sports websites since 1998). Another one that is very witty is SaxonDawg who envisioned and wrote many humorous Ooga stories over the years on the original 'DawgVent' website:

http://uga.alliancesports.com/content.asp?CID=41765

Ooga's First Prophecy
Date: August 30, 2001
By: SaxonDawg

And lo, when the stars were right, and the Moon was in the Seventh House, and the big-money boosters were in the president's house, a new chieftain rose up among the People of the Dawg, and the old was cast out to outer darkness, where there is weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth and lesser-paying coaching jobs. And the name of the new chieftain was Richt the Righteous, and legendary was he among quarterbacks, and ambitious was he in world conquest, and consistent was he in Sunday School attendance. Poor of haircut was he of a sooth. But lo, he weareth a cool and happenin' hat.

And the chieftain Richt gathereth a staff, ferocious and snarling of nature so as to balance out his righteousness. And he bringeth them forth in a great Van--Van Halanger bringeth he, and Van Gorder bringeth he also. Van Halanger lurketh in the weight room, bearing a whip and a cruel laugh, and doing nasty and unspeakable things to earthly bodies through mat drills. Van Gorder lurketh on the practice field, bearing the likeness of the Tasmanian Devil and the voice of Yosemite Sam, and he too doeth cruel and unspeakable things to earthly bodies, and kicketh butts, and taketh names. And lo, the players had no place to hide.

Behold, the whip cracketh and the brass knuckles flaileth for nine months, a season of gestation, until a new thing was conceived and hatched among the People of the Dawg. And it cometh out cackling and evil and hungry laugh. The day came when it was unleashed forth upon the lowly and feeble hordes from Arkansas State, they who dwell in the vast and miserable wilderness of the Land of Clinton. And it came to pass that the weak and unmanly visitors knew not what hit them when they entered within the realm of the Holy Hedges of Sanford. For the Dawgish tribes had grown sour of the sport of flailing one another's hind quarters; and they longed greatly for new hind quarters to flail.

So it happened that, after nine months of cruel and unrelenting torture, Richt the Righteous released the snarling, growling, chop-licking, fang-grinding, butt-biting, blood-drinking, death-dealing Demon Dawg warriors and pointed them toward the marshmallowy hindquarters of the wimpish wastrels who dared to stray from the Arkansas waste. And the Green Machine struck with cruel vengeance, and the defense doled out pain. And the Shock Jocks brought forth havoc, and the defense doled out devastation. And Cory, Cory to ol' Georgia sayeth the backups, and the defense doled out gore and entrails. And several stadium ushers and Coke vendors playeth quarterback also, and certain tuba players from the Redcoats, and the beat goeth on until the wimpish wastrels cryeth for mercy.

And Richt the Righteous waded out into the field of liquid gore and interior bodily organs, and said that it was very good. And he closed in prayer and a group hug. And the People of the Dawg sighed as one, and said, "Yea--That's what I'M talkin' about." And they hosed off the blood-splatter, snarled one deep, guttural snarl, and crouched in wait for Lord Holtz of Hokum, the 9,000-year-old witch doctor and motivational guru. And they dreamed of new depths of pain to be unleashed upon the world on the seventh day. And then they rested--for about twenty seconds until Van Gorder findeth them and flaileth some more. Amen.

***

Fwiw, I used to archive SaxonDawg's Ooga stories on my UGA sports website 'Dawg Treasures' from 1999-2006, then passed them onto ToonDawg (Amy) who now stores them on her 'The Anti-Orange Page':

http://www.theantiorangepage.com/category/the-hunkering-hermit/

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My favorite SaxonDawg post is the 'Seven Notes On A Trumpet' story about a GT fan going to a game.

jacket68 said:

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AirForceDawg said:

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StalkinDawg said:

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SaxonDawg who envisioned and wrote many humorous Ooga stories over the years on the original 'DawgVent' website:

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Fwiw, I used to archive SaxonDawg's Ooga stories on my UGA sports website 'Dawg Treasures' from 1999-2006, then passed them onto ToonDawg (Amy) who now stores them on her 'The Anti-Orange Page':

http://www.theantiorangepage.com/category/the-hunkering-hermit/

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My favorite SaxonDawg post is the 'Seven Notes On A Trumpet' story about a GT fan going to a game.

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jacket68,

SaxonDawg wrote 'Four Notes on a Trumpet: the Tech Experience' as a parody of ibdawg's 'Seven Notes on a Trumpet'. As a comparison, here they are:

'Four Notes on a Trumpet: the Tech Experience'
by SaxonDawg
on 12 June 2000

You wake up in the top bunk with that feeling in the pit of your stomach. That pounding feeling, that giddy, nauseous rush that can mean only one thing. You rush to the potty and take care of business. The feeling goes away. But something about tinkling--the colors, the sounds--makes you remember: Yellow Jacket football today!

You put on your best yellow sweater and yellow knee-socks, though you always call them "gold." Then, moving to the dresser, you specially polish your thick glasses, adding one final flourish--fresh tape wrapped around the bridge. Speaking of bridges, your braces are also polished to a fine sheen, new zits are popped, and you're lookin' good! You're lookin' JACKET.

Heart pounding, you race up the steps from your parents' basement. Mumsy and Pops are reading mail from the old home country in New Jersey, the place they hope to return someday. You slip out the door quietly and pedal your bike through the crisp autumn air. And there it is--the MARTA station. It won't be long now!

You climb onto a southbound train, and your eyes scan the car--yes! There, sitting next to the transvestite--a man wearing yellow! You make your way over and wave your pom poms at him, and he says, "$#%^ off, %$$^&!" And now you feel it more strongly than ever--the essence of being a Tech fan. You dance away, then slide around safely under the seats until the stop at North Avenue, giggling as you elude the grasp of your tormentor and his switchblade.

You disembark at North Avenue, deftly dodging a few homeless men, and take a deep breath of downtown Atlanta air--Tech air! Now you see swarms of other Jackets--two of them, three of them. It's no wonder the stadium must be expanded. You pause on the bridge over the Connector to indulge in a Tech tradition: spitting on cars passing underneath. It's a traffic jam of red vehicles heading north, and you nail an RV. Tee hee!

Then you're on campus, a block from the stadium. You take in the grand pageantry that is game day. It's the gray, smoggy sky; the deep blue of the police siren; the giggling of the frat boys enjoying an impromptu tickle pile in the grass. It's the sound of gunfire. It's the beautiful women with their thick makeup, standing on the street corners and bantering with the passing cars. It's the voice of Kim King, talking and talking and talking in his one-note melodic range. It's the giant rubber bee, making flatulent sounds as the air oozes out. It's the giant head coach, ditto. Offensive coordinator, ditto. It's pushing over wheelchairs and shouting obscenities during another school's alma mater. Tee hee! Above all, it's four notes on a trumpet. You hear them now, playing the hallowed music, the sacred music, the Hymn of the Bee. There it is now, and you lift your voice to join in, tears fogging your thick glasses. The whole stadium sings solemnly:

"When you say Bud..."

Those four notes on a trumpet, your call to Jackethood, setting your yellow heart aflutter. Deep down you know this is the year--the year you beat Wake Forest. The year you road-trip to Shreveport for the holidays. The year your body reaches puberty. This sacred moment cannot last. Someday, Bill Gates willing, you will be in New Jersey. In Michigan. In North Dakota. Someday you will have a basement of your own. But in your heart, you'll never be anything other than another drop in the endless river of yellow!

" . . . You've said it all!" Tee, hee.

***

'Seven Notes on a Trumpet'
by ibdawg
on 30 August 1997

It's Saturday. All week long you've waited. What started out on Monday as a tight feeling in the pit of your stomach, is now a 10,000-pound gorilla tap dancing on your spleen.


You've done your best to concentrate and do your job this week. You made an honest effort to put "all this" on the back burner and focus on "the important things", but to no avail. The images just kept coming: bright fall sunshine and crisp autumn air painting The Classic City in Hellenic splendor. The aroma of a thousand tailgate feasts wafting through the air, and everywhere, everything -- Red and Black.

You've gone from sports page to magazine, to news show, to internet site, and in every conversation in every office, diner, hallway and cubicle you entered this week, you have tried to reassure yourself of the outcome of this week's contest. But in your heart of hearts you know there's only one way to settle it: Dawgs gotta tee it up and play.

And now it's Saturday. As you contemplate the day ahead, an image of The Hedges flashes in your mind; green grass, crisp white lines, sunshine ricocheting off the instruments of the Redcoats, and 80,000 - plus fans volleying "GEORGIA - BULLDAWGS" back and forth across the stadium, rattling you all the way to the soles of you feet. You swing out of bed, heart pounding. Grab a cuppa Joe and a quick shower as you prepare for the pilgrimage to A-town. You slam in a tape of the Redcoat Band and crank up the stereo. "Hail" bounces off the walls while you don your lucky shirt (socks, hat, pants, whatever) as you perform the pre-game ritual.

The phone rings -- Yes, you're up. Yes, you have the tickets. "No, my cooler's full, we'll have to take yours, too. I'll stop and get some ice on the way." Gather up the tailgate supplies and load the car. Why does it take so damn long for everyone else to get ready? You check and recheck the supplies - - table, chairs, food. No need to check the drinks, no way those'll get left behind! Cigars? Check. Binoculars? Check. Camera? Blanket? Check. Dawg flags secured to the car and ready to fly - - all packed up and ready. Finally! Time to go. You reassure yourself for the millionth time that the tickets are in your pocket and you "saddle up."

Headed to The Classic City. Dawg-patch, USA. Larry and Scott and Loran on the pre-game show, telling you how good these guys are gonna be (yeah, like you need something else to worry about!). Loren threads in a history lesson, and hey! -- an interview with one of the Dawgs from way back when. Always wondered what happened to him. Corporate exec in N'awlins. Who'd of ever guessed? You smile as you remember a moment of glory for him in a past game. On the radio, James Brown is hammering out, "Dooley's Junkyard Dawgs" and as your friends get in the car, you all sing along.

En route, cars pass by you by: they're singing too, and barking as they pass. It's a rolling party and the gang's all there! You sense the excitement as it grows, mile by mile. Traffic slows to a crawl somewhere near the Clarke County line. It is a long, happy, red and black serpent winding its way toward Sanford Stadium. Dawg flags and bumper stickers. "Boiled P-nuts just ahead". White shoe polish on windshields proclaiming the magnificence of the Dawg Nation, and snatches of Larry pleading from the speakers of passing cars and trucks: "He's at the 40, the 35, the 30, run Lindsey, run!" And your heart races, your gut tightens -- you just can't wait to be there.
Now on final approach, you turn down Lumpkin (Milledge, Baxter, . . . ) homing in on THE tailgate spot. Other friends are already there and as you get out of the car, it hits you! Carnival atmosphere. Red. Black. "How 'bout them Dawgs!" "They Hell ain't they?" The fragrance of charcoal heating up and barbecue on the grill. Opposing fans drifting by, good-natured ribbing, and "Hey, y'all eat some of this, we got plenty". Introductions all around, and then serious discussion and comparison of the teams. Who's hurt? How fast is that wide receiver? That O-line looked awesome last week. Y'all gonna keep that coach around next year?"

Drinks with old friends and new ones. Stories about games gone by. "Man, they've added a lot to the campus since the last time I was here!" and "I don't think they grew 'em like that when I was in school!" Have another drink. Have some more barbecue. And another drink. Or two. And finally, pack it all up, it's time to go! Man, you really didn't need that extra barbecue, that 10,000 pound gorilla is kicking to get out right now!

You merge into the red and black sea that is moving inexorably toward Sanford, the Temple of the Dawg. The sun is as bright as you imagined it would be. Not too hot, not too cold. 'A crisp, fall day' as Larry might describe it. Red and Black everywhere. Sequined coats and polyester pants. Hats. Shorts. Boots. Faces painted with renderings of Uga and "Dawgs". "Buy a program?" "You bet." And, "Oh man, I gotta have that tee-shirt." Barking Dawgs everywhere as you're more or less towed towards the stadium by the throng of the Dawg Nation.

But underneath the bridge, near the Tate Student Center, the crowd stops. And there stands the band in all its splendor, Redcoats blazing like fire. Sequins from the Flag Corps' costumes glittering like diamonds. Notes and rifts fill the air as they mill around, warming up, waiting impatiently for the spectacle to begin. They pose for photos with family and friends. Kisses and hugs all around. Someone says, "There's Uga!" and everyone tries to get a look and a photo. "Hey Mr. Seiler." "Hey Coach!" Kids running around at your knees with stacks of drink cups; stadium urchins already beginning their collection of souvenirs from a day in Dawgpatch.

And suddenly, the moment freezes in your mind as you notice that somewhere close to the middle of the band, beneath the crowd assembled on the bridge, one lone trumpet swings skyward:

The atmosphere is instantly charged with about a gazillion volts, and the crowd waits expectantly. You KNOW what's coming and still, you can't control your reaction. Goosebumps rise on your arms. The hair on your neck stands straight up and a lump forms in your throat. Your eyes well up. All those memories of all those years and all those Dawgs suddenly converge in your mind like colliding freight trains, and your chest feels like it's gonna explode. And then come the seven notes...

Seven plaintive notes, rendered slowly, proudly, reverently into the heavens. "Mine eyes have seen the glory..."

And Dawgs all around you, and above you begin to answer back. Just one or two at first, but it continues to grow until it seems you're surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves, getting progressively louder and wilder, until the bridge itself threatens to collapse from the clamor! And then the rest of the band joins in, and suddenly the whole damn world is ablaze with the fire that burns in the breast of the Dawg Nation.

GLORY!

Not "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Not the fight song of some backwoods pretender in Alabama.

Glory, the battle hymn of the Dawg Nation! Glory, Glory to Ol' Georgia.

The uproar grows and the crowd melds and begins to move in unison, the fans, the band, all one ... Suddenly it's not a crowd anymore. It has become something else entirely. You can't describe it, but you know its composition. It is Theron Sapp and Mike Castronis; Buck Belue and Lewis Grizzard; Craig Hertwig and Cowboy Parish and Preston Ridlehuber. Larry, and "Loran, whatta ya got?" Ray the quarterback and Ray the coach. Squab Jones and his infamous "Squab Juice" It's Sam Mrvos and Jake Scott. Hell, it's Herschel Walker the Goalline Stalker, and Vince Dooley and Joel Eaves, with a little bit of Wally Butts and Erk Russell thrown in. It's "He's got a man open -- he's gonna throw a long bomb! and "Look at the sugar falling from the sky!" It's "Robert Edwards tight-ropin' down in the corner, and he got in there!" And it's Jim Donnan being carried off the field on the shoulders of his Dawgs. It's every friend you ever sat with through a game on a Saturday in Athens, Georgia. And now, what moments ago was merely a crowd has transformed into an indomitable entity; a juggernaut of energy and pride that flows into the stadium like smoke from a battery of double-barreled cannon.

It's game time. And so we press -- into the Temple of the Dawg, we enter:

A huge machine in Red and Black.

DevilDawg0259 said:

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My username stems from being a Lincoln County Red Devil. '02 is the year I graduated. 59 was my football number.

I'm sure I'll get beat for this story I'm about to tell. jwp1983 still rags me about this from time to time. I grew up a Dawgs fan. Not a huge college fan when I was young, but I'd occasionally watch some games on TV. When I was around 13-14 (1997-98), I was lead astray by some older kids in my neighborhood who were Tennessee fans. I wanted to be cool with the older guys. Yeah, I was one of those kids that I hate nowadays. The ones who only likes the team that's winning big at the present time. I wore that hideous orange for a couple of years before I came back to my senses and hopped back on with the Dawgs in 2000. Been a die hard Dawgs fan ever since. I still throw up in my mouth a little when I think about that time in my life.

Let the thrashings commence.

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Such a damn embarrassment back then. I sat in your Tennessee loving living room and watched the hobnail boot. What a time to be alive.

jwp1983 - initials and year i was born.

UtahGetMe2 - This was a name i grabbed around 2009 or 2010 when several of us rebranded (SmokeEater57 > RumRunnerDoogie (or something), Dave changed his name to something else....might've been bonedrowneddave at that point). Anyway...UtahGetMe2 is just a line said by Gary Busey from Point Break. It was in a rush to figure out a new name, and that was the first thing that came to mind.

Yeah where is Domeboundbraves?

StalkinDawg said:

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Yeah where is Domeboundbraves?

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If you're referring to BoneDrowndedDave, then I seem to recall that he changed his username to HBTD last year. If that's the case, then he hasn't made it over here under either of those usernames (or perhaps he did but is lurking and has yet to post).

AirForceDawg said:

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StalkinDawg said:

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Yeah where is Domeboundbraves?

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If you're referring to BoneDrowndedDave, then I seem to recall that he changed his username to HBTD last year. If that's the case, then he hasn't made it over here under either of those usernames (or perhaps he did but is lurking and has yet to post).

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HBTD I think is Atlskin...I may be wrong

StalkinDawg said:

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HBTD I think is Atlskin...I may be wrong

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StalkinDawg, you're correct:

HBTD / SKIN
https://scout.com/college/georgia/Board/.../HBTD-SKIN-105433567

Only in name. wave . And as to the 33k I'm not quite sure what that's about unless this new site is including posts on my Skins board. And that would be over like 15 yrs. confused. Woof! Woof! And oh btw, HBTD = AtlSkin