About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2022)
PAGE 9A Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534; fax (706) 265-3276; or email to editor@dawsonnews.com. DawsonOpinion WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and others. Signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writers and artists, and they may not reflect our views. Russell belongs in College Football Hall of Fame Erk Russell should be in the College Football Hall of Fame. Period. End of story. But since I still have quite a bit of space to fill here, let me tell you why he should be and why he is not. For those of you who recently arrived in our fair state, Erskine “Erk” Russell was the head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles football team in Statesboro; the man who resuscitated the program after a 40-year hia tus. Georgia Southern had fielded a football team until World War II whereupon it was suspended and lay dormant until 1981. That is when Russell arrived. Between 1981 and 1989, the Eagles won three NCAA Division 1-AA national cham pionships and finished second once. In addi tion, Georgia Southern became the first 15-0 team of the 20th century. Prior to restarting football at GSU, Erk Russell was the legendary defensive coordi nator at the University of Georgia for 17 years, including the 1980 national champi onship team. Russell helped popularize the now-familiar phrase, “Junkyard Dawgs.” “There isn’t anything meaner than a junk yard dog,” he once said. “They aren’t good for nothing except for being mean and ornery. That’s what we want our defense to be.” And they were. And so was Erk Russell. He was famous for head-butting his helmet- ed players on the sideline to fire them up and leaving himself with a bloody forehead. Many thought Russell would succeed Vince Dooley as head football when Dooley retired, but the job went to Ray Goff instead. We all know how that turned out. Erk Russell was a master motivator, always looking for ways to inspire his play ers. At Georgia Southern, he renamed a tiny stream that ran through the practice grounds “Beautiful Eagle Creek.” He would have players scoop the supposedly magical waters from the creek in a jar and pour the contents onto the opponent’s field at away games as a motivational tactic. In the early days of the program, the team was transported to and from games in two yellow school buses that the Bulloch County school system sold the Georgia Southern Athletic Department for $1 each. Long after the school could afford charter buses, Russell insisted the team stick with the yel low school buses as a way of staying con nected to their humble beginnings as a col lege football startup. Today, the players still ride yellow school buses to home games. Russell, who died in 2006 at the age of 80, was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 (He was a four-sport letterman at Auburn University) and was named Georgia Coach of the Decade by USA Today in 1989. So, why isn’t he in the College Football Hall of Fame? According to the rules of those who make the selections, he doesn’t qualify. Coaches must have coached 100 games and had at least a .600 winning per centage. Erk Russell coached 106 games and had a winning percentage of 78.3. But the rales also state that candidates must have been a head coach for 10 years. Therein lies the rub. Russell coached only eight seasons at Georgia Southern. And for a mere 730 days, one of the greatest coaches, motivators and miracle workers to ever grace the game of football is denied his rightful place in the College Football Hall of Fame. Incidentally, one of this year’s inductees, Billy Jack Murphy who coached at Memphis from 1958 to 1971, had a winning percent age of 67% and never won a national cham pionship. The roadblock seems to be Steve Hatchett, CEO of the National Football Foundation. Erk Russell’s inclusion would require a waiver. Georgia Southern University presi dent Kyle Marrero and athletic director Jared Benko sent Hatchett a letter on Aug. 5 for mally requesting a waiver on the 10-year requirement. To date, no response. Gov. Brian Kemp has contacted Hatchett, as well. “Georgia is proud that the College Football Hall of Fame calls the Peach State home, and we ask you in the spirit of Coach Russell’s motto — “Just one more time” — you honor him with this distinction,” Kemp wrote. Stitt no response from Hatchett. Let’s all be positive and think that Hatchett and the National Football Foundation will do the right thing and grant a most-deserved waiver for Erk Russell to join the College Football Hall of Fame. If not, that crowd will clearly be the loser because Coach Erskine “Erk” Russell is and always will be the epit ome of a winner. You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dick- yarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139; online at dickyarbrough.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb. Transparency is foundational to a government of the people, by the people, for the people. SSSKSKSSSi* —— !85 follows. "■""'"““T*. Aflo an initial levict jocunwo's with ©2022CREATORS.COM WWW.TOMSTIGLICH.COM The magic of yet A new word has risen through the ranks to become my Number 1. besting even my long-term favorite of no. Yet. A three letter word, so simple and full of such promise. I had never recognized the power this word held until I started coaching full time. Working towards a goal - any goal - can be a process and there’s always that time in between the starting point and the finish line where it feels like it may never happen. We can start to feel discouraged and like giving up. But then we can be reminded of all the other times it took a while to reach a destination and how that three letter word helped us stay patient. “Are we there?” “Not yet,” we’re told, “but soon.” We’ve all asked this on numerous car rides, and hearing the word yet let us know that it was coming. Even with the word not in front of it, we feel that peace that it is coming — it’s just within reach. I started thinking of all the things that have been slow to materialize in my life, despite my grit and determination to make them happen. Discouragement can be both frustrat ing and overwhelming at times, and can make even someone who strives to be optimistic feel defeated. Yet has become a source of comfort. Just because I don’t see it happening, doesn’t mean it won’t. Growing up, there were a lot of things that just felt like they took forever. Christmas was one of them, if not the main one. I’d start at the beginning of the school year, bugging the adults in my house how much longer it would be until Christmas. “You’ve got to wait,” Granny would tell me. “How long?” “Not long.” A few days would go by and I’d ask again. “Is it Christmas?” “Not yet.” I just had to be patient. I needed to wait. After Christmas came, I wanted to know when school would be out for summer, and once it was summer, I wanted to know when I’d go back. I was always told “not yet.” “You’re always trying to rash things up,” Granny commented one day when I asked how much longer until the yet would occur. “It just feels like it takes so long and all you tell me is not yet,” I replied for lornly. She nodded, putting her needle through a quilt square. “It does take a long time sometimes,” she said quietly. “But sometimes know ing those things are coming helps the time pass. You know there’s something to look forward to. You’ve just got to get through the waiting part.” “But that’s the hardest part,” I said, on the same wavelength as Tom Petty. She nodded again. “I know. You ain’t SUDIE CROUCH Columnist telling me nothing new. But just think about how much you will appreciate those moments when you do get there.” This was hard for a young child to understand. As an adult, it can be hard, because as I wait, I am anticipating all kinds of things now - there can be anxi ety over whether or not it will go as I had hoped or be as special as I had expected. And worrying I am somehow messing things up before I even reach them. “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?” I asked. Granny turned the pieces of fabric over as she worked with a knot in her thread. It was giving her the opportunity to think of an answer and probably reflect on what she did as well. “Depends,” she said. “You can either get ready for whatever it is or you can just keep doing what you normally do. Since you’s asking about Christmas, I reckon you’d better be nicer and behave more.” As we wait in that magical timeframe of yet, we have those options. We can do as Granny said and get ready to reach our goals, achieve those things we’re working towards, or even prepare for whatever it is we’re waiting for or trying to do. Or we can always just let time pass by normally, and go about our daily lives the best we can, even though we’re anxiously waiting for the yet to arrive. One thing’s for certain though. When we finally get what we were waiting for in those moments between the beginning and the ‘yet’, we’ll find out it was all worth it. Sudie Crouch is an award winning humor columnist and author of "The Dahlman Files: ATony Dahlman Paranormal Mystery." DR. ANDERSON Do your part to make COVID go away By Dr. Larry Anderson Anderson Family Medicine This is beginning to sound like a worn out record. Flu cases are stay ing at the same level. Monkeypox continues to rise. COVID cases continue to rise. 50% of Dawsonites have had at least one vac cine. 46% are considered fully vaccinated. Not sure why I expect to see differ ent results each week. Hope springs eternal. Do your part to make this go away. We have Ukraine refu gees in our community. More are coming. It is not just about leaving your country, but splitting up your family. If you have 3 or more children under the age of 18 or a child with special medical needs, then one adult male can come with you. Not necessarily Dad but could be a child 18 or older. Families are sepa rated but at least they are alive. Two quotes come to mind. One is to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: “Ukraine, it’s your country if you can keep it.” The other is from Thomas Jefferson: “The tree of lib erty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”. They are fighting for their country and for their lives and their families. They deserve our prayers and support. More to come later. LETTERTOTHE EDITOR Not Again, please I am an old guy who is a conserva tive. I think change should be slow and careful. Generally over my life I have voted Republican. No matter what happens, I do not think I can ever bring myself to vote for a Democrat again. They are caught up in the wokism stuff and have lost their minds. The Democrats have about wrecked our country in a short time. But I do not want Donald Trump in the White House again. “Please Lord do not let Donald Tramp run for the presidency again. Make him a senior advisor to the party,” is my daily prayer. If he runs, I am afraid the Democrats might win again with someone as sorry as Biden. I do not want those crazy new age Democrats to remain in power. There will be no country left. I find myself in agreement with Trump on almost all national policy matters but I do not think he is a good leader. He cannot stand criticism even if it is true. He fights with everyone, even the people who are loyal helpers. Good leaders know when to shut up. He does not. A lot of my friends are his devoted supporters. If he runs, they will get on the bandwagon. There are a lot of Republicans like me who do not want him and his drama back in the White House. That will split the party and insure that the Progressive Democrats will hold and maybe even win again. The country needs younger and more able conservative leadership, and we do not need any more crazy progressive wokens. Gary Pichon Marble Hill Letter policy The Dawson County News wel comes your opinions on issues of public concern. Letters must be signed and include full address and a daytime and evening phone number for verification. Names and hometowns of letter writers will be included for publication without exception.Telephone num bers will not be published. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited or con densed.The same writer or group may only submit one letter per month for consideration. We do not publish poetry or blanket letters and generally do not publish letters concerning con sumer complaints. Unsigned or incorrectly identified letters will be withheld. Mail letters to the Dawson County News, RO. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534, hand deliver to 30 Shoal Creek Road, fax to (706) 265-3276 or e-mail to edi tor® dawsonnews.com.
