Tech will unveil a statue honoring legendary coach Bobby Dodd today, Friday September 14, outside of Bobby Dodd Stadium in Calloway Plaza.
The unveiling falls on the same weekend of the 60th anniversary of Tech’s 1952 national championship, and Tech will be honoring the 1951 and 1952 teams at the Virginia game Saturday.
“He meant so much to all of his players over the course of their careers, in both sports and business. Coach Dodd recognized much earlier than we did that getting an education from Georgia Tech was the important reason we were there,” said Taz Anderson, who played football at Tech from 1957-60, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com.
A few years ago, the “Dodd’s Boys” group was formed to coordinate reunions and functions before games for Tech. The group came up with the idea for the statue, sought approval from the Institute and athletic department, and found a design team to carry out the idea.
The final product stands 54 inches tall on a five-foot pedestal and will be unveiled during a ceremony attended by Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Director of Athletics, Dan Radakovich, the project contributors and the family of Coach Dodd.
Dodd became the head football coach in 1945 after serving as an assistant coach beginning in 1931. He is the school’s all-time leader in wins with 165 victories. Under Dodd, Tech won 31 straight games from 1951-1953, including the perfect 12-0 1952 season that ended with Tech’s third national title. In Dodd’s 22-year career, he led the Jackets to 13 bowl games, winning nine of them, and coached 21 first-team All-Americans.
Following his stint as head coach, Dodd served as director of athletics from 1967 to 1976. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his success as a coach at Tech, and as a player at Tennessee. Dodd passed away at the age of 79 on June 21, 1988.