Trippi, Bulldogs’ 1943 Rose Bowl trip; ‘And don’t come back’
Several topics are coming to mind right now as I write shortly before Santa will pick me up late Christmas Eve for my midnight ride with him.
It has been such a great thrill over the years to see some of my little friends and my little grandchildren asleep when we visited them in the years gone by. Those grandchildren and many little friends are now grown up and I have to turn my attention to my great-grandchildren and children of others.
This is a sports column characterized by opinion and with commentary. So let me get started first with words concerning the Georgia Bulldogs’ trip to the Rose Bowl.
Charlie Trippi and The Georgia Bulldogs 1943 trip to the Rose Bowl
Until recent years when the NCAA activated a National Championship College playoff format, one would not experience a Southern football team going west to California to play in the Rose Bowl.
Decades ago the various Bowl Organizations extended invitations to teams to play in their bowl games. Football in the Big 10. Some reports suggested the Rose Bowl became tired of losing to Southern teams (Please note: I have read and heard that story many times but have never heard the Rose Bowl Committee’s version. It sounds reasonable.)
Last week an aged Charlie Trippi ( He is now in his 90s) was interviewed on Atlanta TV. Trippi was a great All-American under the legendary coach Wally Butts at Georgia.
Trippi was among many other notable Bulldog players at Georgia under Butts who came from the coal country of Pennsylvania.
On a local note Jerry Deleski my own high school coach at Calhoun came south from Pennsylvania and played at Georgia before coaching three seasons at Calhoun from 1949 thru 1951.
Deleski was head coach at Cartersville for five years and then went to Old Rome High (The Hilltoppers) for one year in 1957 and finished his coaching career as the offensive line coach at a newly established East Rome High when Rome High was divided into East and West Rome in 1958.
The Bulldogs fin- ished the 1942 season with a record of 11-1 and were named the consensus national champions. Trippi played alongside the 1942 Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich. Trippi was named MVP of the 1943 Rose Bowl 9-0 victory over UCLA. Trippi is a member of both the College Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Bulldogs are going back to California to play a talented Oklahoma team. The TV interview with Trippi showed a 91-year-old man enthused and excited about his Alma Mater making the trip again. Here is a suggestion for all local Bulldog fans: Research the life and career of Charlie Trippi. The few remarks I have made doesn’t begin to tell one-tenth of the story of a great athlete and his career.
A side note of interest: As of 2017, Trippi is the oldest living member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as the oldest living No. 1 NFL draft pick.
“And Don’t Come Back”
One of the easiest and most prevalent actions of athletic performers and parents is to overestimate their own talent. It has been the practice of this writer to abstain from listing any accomplishments or describe performances of my athletic career. Today I am going to deviate from that practice and describe an incident in my high school career. The incident frequently crosses my mind and is as familiar as if it happened yesterday.
Two considerations of present activities lead to this discussion. One consideration is the extent to which parents have involved themselves into the playing status of their children. From efforts to coach their children during games to giving coaches grief about personnel and lineups, parents are a problem. I still like my slogan of “be happy or be gone.”
The other consideration is the fact our local basketball teams are cranked up and going strong. Coach Kayla Ralston’s Lady Jackets have just finished third in the Rome Christmas Tournament. Likewise, Brent Mashburn has his Sonoraville Phoenix racing to a very impressive start with a thirdplace finish in the Tournament.
I watch talented players and my mind goes back to an incident happening early in my attempt to play high school basketball. The year was 1950, the place was Calhoun High’s brand new gym and the time was right after Thanksgiving following a 20-6 defeat by Fort Valley for the Class C North Georgia Football Championship.
The first scrimmage was underway and straightway I hit headon one of Coach Deleski’s big and talented players. It hurt both of us. Within three minutes I was following a dribbling Bobby Little, our tallest player, down the court and when he maneuvered one way I went under his legs from behind (a 15-yard penalty in football for clipping in days gone by) and we squeaked down the new floor. When I looked up Coach Deleski was giving me a mean look and pointing toward the locker room door. He only said, “And don’t come back.”
I wanted to compare the consequences of that incident and my dismissal from the team to how different it would be in today’s society. I see my time is up. The comparison will be made.