On This Date in Sports November 29, 1980: Walker: Freshman Legend
Herschel Walker of Georgia sets a new freshman rushing record, running for 205 yards on 25 carries to top the record held by Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh. Walker scores three touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat rival Georgia Tech 38-20 in Athens. With the win, Georgia finishes the regular season 11-0 on the way to a National Championship. Herschel Walker’s 1,616 yards would be the freshman rushing record for 15 years before Ron Dayne of Wisconsin topped it. Walker would finish third in Heisman voting and was the first true freshman named All-American.
It was a dream season for Georgia and a nightmare for Georgia Tech; still, the end-of-the-year meeting meant everything to both teams. For #1 Georgia, a win meant they would play for the National Championship in the Sugar Bowl, holding an 11-0 record for coach Vince Dooley. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, would salvage their worst season in nearly 50 years, as they entered the game at 1-8-1 under first-year coach Bill Curry.
Georgia was coming off a lackluster 6-5 season in 1979 but had landed the big prize by recruiting Herschel Walker. Walker, born in Augusta, Georgia, on March 3, 1962, signed a letter of intent on Easter and resurrected the football program. In the season's first game, Hershel Walker came off the bench as the Bulldogs rallied to beat Tennessee 16-15. In his home debut a week later, Walker rushed for 145 yards and began to gain the nation’s attention. The debate was about a freshman winning the Heisman. Herschel Walker was the best player in the nation. Still, most voters were decidedly against a freshman winning the highest individual honor in college football, as Walker finished third behind George Rogers of South Carolina and Hugh Green of Pittsburgh.
For Georgia Tech, it was a rebuilding year. The Yellow Jackets fired Pepper Rodgers after the 1979 season, in which they posted a 4-6 record. Under new coach Bill Curry, the Rambling Wreck was just a giant wreck, holding a 1-8-1 record entering their final game. Two weeks earlier, they pulled a stunner, tying Notre Dame 3-3, knocking the Irish out of the number one ranking. Once again, Georgia Tech had a shot at knocking someone out of the top spot as they faced archrival Georgia in the annual game called Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
Georgia was the last unbeaten team in College Football. Herschel Walker had all the headlines as Georgia Tech hoped to play spoiler in the 75th meeting between the two teams from the Peach State. The Bulldogs took the early lead with a touchdown run from Walker, while Ronnie Stewart caught a touchdown from Buck Belue. When Georgia Tech got on the scoreboard, they rankled the ire of UGA by dragging Scott Woerner into their celebration. This would draw a penalty, and help set Georgia up for a quick answer as Woerner returned the kickoff to Tech's 23. Herschel Walker did the rest as the Dawgs pulled away.
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Georgia would win the game 38-20 and defeated Notre Dame 17-10 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to claim the National Championship. It was the second National Championship in school history, the other coming in 1942. Herschel Walker would finish second in Heisman voting in 1981 behind Marcus Allen of USC. In 1982, Walker finally won the Heisman, completing one of the greatest college football careers.