Auburn variety 29-21 in the wildest offensive show seen on Grant Field since the 1954 LSU game which Tech won 30-20. A Grant Field record crowd of 53,091 saw the Jackets get the first break of the game on the third play from scrimmage when Johnny Gresham made a diving interception of a Jimmy Sidle pass on the Auburn 21. Alternating Mendheim and Auer, Lothridge took Tech in to score on five plays and added the point to make it, 7-0, with just four minutes elapsed. The Tigers roared right back with a 80yard drive of their own which tied the score. As the quarter ended, the Tigers were on their way again with a 76-yard drive which closed out, 44 seconds after the second period began on a three-yard pass play from Sidle to fullback Larry Rawson. The point made it, 7-14, Auburn. Lothridge suffered the rare indignity of being tackled for a safety following an Auburn out-of-bounds punt at the Tech five some five minutes later as he avoided one man in the end zone but was brought down by another just inside the line. Auburn led, 7-16. Tech then put together its first long drive of the day the next time they got their hands
EDITORIAL—THE TED DAVIS CASE in the Tech-Alabama game in Birmingham, there occurred the so-called Graning-Holt incident in which an Alabama player damaged a Tech player in the heat of battle. In our editorial pages, we took notice of the incident and deplored it with very strong prose. In this year's Auburn-Tech game, the shoe suddenly came up on the other foot. And in this case, we deplore such conduct just as strenuously. Ted Davis, a friend of ours and an exceptionally talented and determined football player, kicked Auburn halfback David Rawson in the face during the fourth quarter of action during the game eventually won by Auburn. The officials saw this one and Davis was ejected from the game and Tech was penalized 15 yards. A review of the film convinced Tech coaches that one of their best football players was guilty of the infraction. On Monday morning in his own painful but honest prose, Ted Davis summed the thing up — "I have had two nights and a day to think about what I did in the football game with Auburn Saturday. I have decided that I should face up to what I did wrong and make this public statement. "In a moment of anger Saturday afternoon I kicked at an Auburn football player and for that violation of the rules I was put out of the game. I read this morning where the Auburn doctor said my kick did not for sure result in the subsequent hospitalization of that player, that his injury could have resulted from hard tackles he received in the game, but that in no way lessens my guilt. "I know that it means little to say now that I am sorry it happened, but no words can express how truly sorry I am. "I know that what I have done was not only wrong on TWO YEARS AGO
OCTOBER 1963
on the ball and went 80 yards in 14 plays with young Terry Haddock going in from the five on a run that cost Tech his services for the rest of the game. Ray Mendheim, who had the greatest day a Jacket fullback had produced since the era of Glenn Turner, picked up 26 of the yards on plunges in which he usually carried a couple of Auburn men with him. Tech went out at the half with only a 14-16 deficit. Tech finally went ahead again, 21-16, halfway through the third period. Mendheim again did most of the running in the 46-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard pass play from Lothridge to Dick Emerson. But the lead again only lasted through another Aaburn drive that went from the kickoff to a score in a little over five minutes. As the fourth period began, Tech was trailing, 21-23. Early in the final period, Lothridge fumbled and Auburn claimed if at the Tech 41, and the Tigers added a field goal after being halted at the Tech 24 to make it 21-26. Woodall, the Auburn kicking specialist encored the play eight minutes later after a Tech gamble on fourth down had failed and the Tigers drove to the Tech six before they were forced to kick the points that made the final score 21-29.
the football field, but also it violated every standard that Coach Dodd sets for his football players. To save him the embarrassment of kicking me off the football squad I would like to leave it of my own accord as I know that I do not deserve to be on it now. "I am sorry that I have disgraced Georgia Tech as well as my teammates and the coaching staff. I hope that they will forgive me. "And most of all, of course I hope that David Rawson will try to forgive this terrible thing I did in anger. "I pray that God will help me to control my emotions in the future." Coach Dodd, after hearing of Ted's public statement, accepted the resignation with these words: "All of us at one time or another do things that we are ashamed of, but few of us have the misfortune to make our mistakes with 53,000 people looking on. Although, of course, I cannot condone what Ted did in the football game Saturday and like all of us at Georgia Tech I am most sorry it happened, I am proud of Ted this morning that he had the courage to face his mistake publicly." Davis, a senior Industrial Engineering student with a 2.6 overall point average (3.3 last quarter) will remain in school on scholarship to graduate with his class in June. The reaction from the Auburn team and coaching staff to the incident was well-mannered as expected. The apology was accepted although the Auburn folks pointed out that the incident was closed as far as they were concerned. The difference between the two seemingly similar incidents should be obvious in the actions of the principals after the fact. Ted Davis felt that he had to take this step in order to atone for his mistake. The fact that he did is more to his credit than any of his achievements as an athlete. 21