1959 Georgia Bulldogs football team

1959 Georgia Bulldogs football
SEC champion Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 14–0 vs. Missouri
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 5
Record	10–1 (7–0 SEC)
Head coach	Wally Butts (21st season)
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium

1959 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Georgia $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 3 LSU	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 2 Ole Miss #	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 10 Alabama	4	–	1	–	2			7	–	2	–	2
Auburn	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Vanderbilt	3	–	2	–	2			5	–	3	–	2
Georgia Tech	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	4	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
No. 19 Florida	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	1
Kentucky	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Tulane	0	–	5	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Mississippi State	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^# Berryman, Billingsley, Dunkel, Sagarin national champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1959 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1959 college football season. Led by 21st-year head coach Wally Butts, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 10–1 with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, and finished as SEC champion.^[1]

The Bulldogs won nine games in the regular season and lost only once, an early-season non-conference loss to South Carolina. Georgia's perfect conference record of 7–0, combined with conference losses by pre-season favorites LSU and Ole Miss, was enough to give the Bulldogs the Southeastern Conference championship. They also earned a trip to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Missouri 14–0.

The highlight of the regular season was a come-from-behind win over Auburn to clinch the championship. Trailing the Tigers 13–7 with less than 40 seconds left in the game, The Bulldogs scored on a fourth-down fourteen-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Fran Tarkenton to End Bill Herron. Kicker Durward Pennington converted the extra point and Georgia won the game by a score of 14–13.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	Alabama		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		W 17–3	40,000	[2]
September 26	Vanderbilt	No. 17	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		W 21–6	31,000	[3]
October 3	at No. 16 South Carolina*	No. 13	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)		L 14–30	27,000	[4]
October 10	Hardin–Simmons*		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		W 35–6	25,000	[5]
October 17	vs. Mississippi State		Grant Field Atlanta, GA		W 15–0	25,000	[6]
October 24	at Kentucky		McLean Stadium Lexington, KY		W 14–7	25,000	[7]
October 31	Florida State*	No. 14	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		W 42–0	30,000	[8]
November 7	vs. Florida	No. 11	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)		W 21–10	40,000	[9]
November 14	No. 8 Auburn	No. 12	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		W 14–13	50,000	[10]
November 28	at Georgia Tech	No. 6	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)		W 21–14	44,000	[11]
January 1, 1960	vs. No. 18 Missouri*	No. 5	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	CBS	W 14–0	75,280	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

Roster

• QB Fran Tarkenton, Jr.
• G Pat Dye Jr.
• HB Fred Brown Jr.
• HB/P Bobby Walden Jr.-
• K Durward Pennington Soph.
• FB Bill Godfrey Soph.
• E Jimmy Vickers
• E Aaron Box
• E Bill Herron
• QB Charley Britt Sr.
• C 'Dude' Thompson Sr.
• Fred Farah Sr.
• G Billy Roland
• HB Don Soberdash Sr. (Team Captain)

References

1. "1959 Georgia Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
2. "Georgia slams Alabama, 17–3". The Macon Telegraph & News. September 20, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Georgia rambles over Vanderbilt Commodores, 21–6". The Selma Times-Journal. September 27, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "South Carolina surprises Georgia". The Spokesman-Review. October 4, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Georgia gets victory over HSU, 35–6". San Angelo Standard-Times. October 11, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Georgia wins, 15–0". The Atlanta Journal. October 18, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Georgia downs Kentucky 14–7". The Paducah Sun. October 25, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Georgia's power game too much for FSU, 42–0". Pensacola News Journal. November 1, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia whips Florida, 21–10". Fort Lauderdale News. November 8, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Georgia upsets Auburn, 14–13". The Honolulu Advertiser. November 15, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Georgia tumbles Tech, takes Orange Bowl bid". Chattanooga Sunday Times. November 29, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Missouri moves ball better, but Georgia passes to victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 2, 1960. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "1959 Football Schedule". GeorgiaDogs.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2012.