University of Georgia defensive tackles Jordan Davis (left) and Devonte Wyatt (right) sit in the back of a car during the UGA College Football Playoff National Championship Parade on Jan. 15. UGA alumna Kati Weller attended the UGA vs. University of Alabama national championship game on Jan. 10 and felt that the atmosphere of the game was unique, similar to that of the parade. “(The game) was so loud and it was unbelievable. People were crying, people didn’t believe it, it kind of felt like ‘Was this really the in, is it actually true? Or ‘Is this accidentally only the end of the third quarter and we have another quarter to fight?’ But it was awesome,” Weller said. “I think (the parade) is exciting for the fans who’ve cheered for a lot of years. We’ve come so close so many times and we finally have the big ticket to celebrate.” Photo by Gretchen Hinger
Following their win against the University of Alabama on Jan. 10 to gain the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship title, the University of Georgia held a parade and celebration in Athens on Jan. 15.
After a 33-18 win against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide on Jan. 10, making them the college football national champions for the first time in 41 years, the University of Georgia Bulldogs commemorated their achievement with a parade route down Lumpkin Street and a public celebration inside of Sanford Stadium on Jan. 15.
Before the festivities began, fans lined the sidewalks of Lumpkin Street until 12:30 p.m. when UGA football head coach Kirby Smart, accompanied by his family, headed up the parade standing in the back of a pick-up truck. Smart was then followed by the team’s mascot, Hairy Dawg.
Having traveled from Dunwoody, Georgia to watch the parade, UGA alumna Kelly Dwyer was greeted by the ecstatic energy in Athens.
“Just seeing all the fans around us cheering on, you see so many people with their championship gear. So many people with Georgia gear from years, decades ago,” Dwyer said. “Everyone here, young and old, cheering on the Dawgs are just so excited to see them come down the parade route.”
Similar to Dwyer, Jimmy Cocchiola, a new UGA football fan who traveled from Bethlehem, Georgia, believes the team’s supporters provide a unique atmosphere.
“This is absolutely insane. (I am) originally from South Florida, so (I am a) South Florida (University of Miami) Hurricanes fan, but I’m a full Bulldogs fan now. This is crazy, it’s fun, they play fun football. They make you join them. You get no choice, it’s beautiful,” Cocchiola said. “The people around here, it shows how much they love their teams and I enjoy watching the fans (and) how much they love this team.”
Following Hairy Dawg, the UGA football team players and their families began to make their way through the parade route. On the back of a flatbed trailer lined with hay bales, the players waved as spectators cheered them on.
Clarke Central High School junior Rachel Tate-Rucker is excited to have experienced the parade, which she feels is a potentially rare opportunity.
“(My family) said the last parade (in celebration of a UGA national title win) was a long time ago. So this is like a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Tate-Rucker said. “I feel good because I get to come here with my dad and my brother, my step-mom, my mom. So it’s cool that I get to celebrate with them.”
After bringing the team and staff through, the parade concluded, and fans started toward Sanford Stadium to watch the Dawg Walk planned for 1 p.m., a tradition where fans watch UGA football players walk into the stadium, and then the celebration inside the stadium at 2 p.m.
University of Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jordan Davis hugs UGA football head coach Kirby Smart during the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff National Championship Celebration in Sanford Stadium on Jan. 15. During the program, Smart looked back on his years with UGA in a speech, recognizing the seniors that have been with him throughout and helped the team reach their national title. “I look across this field over here at a lot of these former players that helped build this program long before I came and some while we were here. To walk in our locker room today and see four or five guys that were in that 2017 locker room. The lasting memory I have of them is tears in their eyes following one play, one second short, we wouldn’t be here today without those same men that gave so much for UGA,” Smart said. “We are Better Together. We learned that this year with this team. They took a strong leap forward into buying into the beliefs within the organization.” Photo by Gretchen Hinger
When 2 p.m. rolled around, Bulldogs fans waited in anticipation as Smart walked out onto Dooley Field with his team, breaking through the iconic Georgia Bulldogs “G” flag as former UGA running back D’Andre Swift called the Dawgs. After Smart and his players got settled around the stage, former UGA quarterback D.J. Shockley began the celebration program by introducing UGA Athletic Director Josh Brooks.
After Brooks concluded his speech, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference Greg Sankey, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and UGA President Jere Morehead all spoke, leading up to Smart. Welcomed by a standing ovation, Smart went to the podium to address over 92,000 Bulldogs fans in attendance.
“‘Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it,’ Henry David Thoreau. That embodies this team. They never embraced a success. They never acknowledged the success,” Smart said. “This program will never change from that quote, because when you start looking for success, you start acknowledging success is when you lose. This program was built on hard work and sacrifice.”
Looking back to the beginning of the season, UGA offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer spoke of the hard work the team put in leading up to this accomplishment to end off the day of celebration.
“It’s special. This moment, you know, sitting in this stadium, looking back and I think about just being here 10, 11, 12 months ago, right here, same attire basically, with cleats on, running down that way, scaling these stadium stairs. Just trying to get ready for the battles and this team,” Salyer said. “I just wanna say, Dawg Nation, look (at) what we built. I thank you all, go Dawgs, and this Georgia boy is sure happy to be here.”
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