From the editor : vance leavy Ahhh … that time of year has finally arrived … kickoff is Saturday. We here at Bulldawg Illustrated are thrilled to again be your companion as we navigate the 2012 season. However this season is pretty special for our publication as it marks our 10th football campaign. Wow, where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday when I came back from the 2003 Final Four with a Kansas Jayhawk publication in my hand as my inspiration for what would become Bulldawg Illustrated. What that publication was doing for Kansas basketball could just as easily be done for Georgia football. However at Cheri’s insistence our publication could not just cover sports, it would have to include the social side of the Bulldog Nation. Thankfully, I did as most smart men do and listened to my better half. And because of that, we began not only covering the UGA players on the field, but all the incredible fans in the stands and beyond as well. I just did some fun, quick mathematics to discover we have published over 150 issues. And at an average of 75 fan photos per issue, we have included over 12,000 shots of Bulldog fans doing what they love the most … following the Dawgs. Now, isn’t that pretty special? Along the way, we’ve obviously met a ton of incredible people, but there are a few moments that stick out the most. If you are familiar with BI, then you know Jack Davis’ art certainly has gone a long way to putting us on the map. I got to know Jack from my days as the Golden Isles Bulldawg Club president in the late 90s. Never did I imagine that not only would Jack contribute to our first issue, but he would continue to create new art year after year. In fact, the 2012 Bulldog blasting across this cover came in at 7:30 a.m. this past Monday. How cool! Then there was the time when Cheri and I darted off to Savannah (early fall 2004, I think) to get our first vistit with the one and only Sonny Seiler. Not only were we there to interview Sonny about his upcoming book, we were there to dress Uga in Marti Gras garb for the upcoming LSU issue. With that deep southern charm, Sonny had Cheri at hello. And from that moment on, we’ve had many more special times with the incredible family that continues to make Georgia’s mascot the most famous in the world. Then there was the year Steve Spurrier returned to Athens leading the Gamecocks. Our BI cover extraordinaire, Boyd Martin, hit the nail on the head when he came up with the headline, “Return of the Sith.” Holly Rowe of ESPN thought the cover was so clever that while holding it in her hand mentioned it to the national television audience just before kickoff. Wow. Let me thank everyone who has ever contributed to our 10 years, particularly our sports
guru and great friend Jeff Dantzler, who has been there every step of the way. It’s a labor of love that still requires a commitment to making deadlines and doing it the right way. Thankfully, we’ve had a host of people that were up to the challenge. Our subject matter has certainly done their part. From the players to the coaches to the fans, the last 10 years have been pretty damn stellar. We would have done a good job either way but having a top-notch team for most of the years certainly made those 16 hour Sundays a lot more doable. Finally to our advertisers and readers, we salute you. You are the ones that have made this decade of having an absolute blast a reality. Thank you so much. Now let’s talk about 2012, which starts Saturday when the Buffalo Bulls arrive in Sanford Stadium for a 12:20 p.m. kick. As JD points out on page 4, the Bulldogs have had better openers, but that’s ok because while the competition is sure to be lesser than what will come a week later in Missouri, the Bulldog Nation will at least begin to know what this 2012 team is all about this season. Touting the motto, “Our Team, Our Time, No Regrets,” I’m hoping these Bulldog seniors/leaders can navigate the season the way they did pre-season practice. There was a steady calm, team-wide, where the focus was about getting better each and every practice. Sure, this team is loaded with superstars, but I think it says a lot when Coach Grantham talks about how Jarvis Jones has improved over the last few weeks because he knows every offense in the land has been working on new ways to contain him. The same can be said for Aaron Murray, who while ultra productive over the last two seasons knows a rise in his completion percentage and taking better care of the football is paramount towards his team’s goal of playing for the national championship. Enough of the talk, I say bring it on … I think we have done our part at BI with this issue. There’s plenty of game coverage for the football fanatics (pages 4, 6, 11 and 18). There’s the return of columnists like Loran Smith (page 15) and Rob Sherrell (page 20). Murray Poole spotlights (page 5) another key member of the athletic association, Jere Morehead. And the social side of being a Bulldog can be found with picture pages from Cindy and Mark Fox’s Suits and Sneakers Gala (pages 8-10) and shots captured from Picture Day (page 17) a few weeks ago. Cheri spotlights two of Athens’ top chefs (pages 12-13) for all the Bulldog foodies out there. Yes, we Bulldogs love our football, but good eats are definitely a priority as well. And if you’re looking for something fun to do the Friday night before the game, don’t miss Murray’s story (page 16) on David Richt making his Athens musical debut. Don’t you know mama and papa are proud? That will do it for me. We look forward to seeing you on the gridiron. A magical season starts with being 1-0. Let’s take care of business and move on to the next one. Go Dawgs!
Buffalo Cha Cha Cha Publishing Inc. Editor Vance Leavy Editorial & Ad Director Cheri Leavy Sports Guru Jeff Dantzler Sales Caroline Kinney, Holly Stanfill Sports Murray Poole Travis Ragsdale Layout/Design Cheri Leavy, Vance Leavy Cover Design Boyd Martin Photography Becky Reynolds, Rob Saye Columnists Carlton DeVooght Al Hickson Rob Sherrell Loran Smith Chad White Student Editor Travis Ragsdale Interns Katherine Parke Pierce Persons Annie Trice Delivery Hatton Abernathy, Martin Cameron Jake Davis, Will Hayes, Frank Sinkwich IV, Champ Vance
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