 "Photo: Georgia State Sports Communications")
On June 12, 2008, the entire Georgia State football program consisted of one man, a makeshift office and a desk. The man behind the desk was Head Coach Bill Curry, and his task was to create a full-fledged NCAA Division I football program from scratch.
On Sep. 2, 2010, Curry will get to showcase the results of over two years’ worth of hard work. Georgia State, as well as the landscape of college football, will never be the same. Perhaps no other undertaking in the school’s 97-year history has had as profound of an impact as football will have on Georgia State.
As incoming freshmen get ready to begin their first semester, they will experience a school vastly different from the one known to all other students and alumni of Georgia State.
For decades, Georgia State celebrated its homecoming in the spring. There were no Saturday tailgates or trips to visiting stadiums. There was no talk of football recruits, depth charts or pre-season polls. All of that is about to change.
Curry was quoted as saying “Football is the greatest team sport ever played,” in the 2010 Panther Athletic Club brochure. “That team concept resonates through everything we do here at Georgia State.” Curry has managed to put together a full coaching staff and two impressive recruiting classes.
The team concept that Curry has been a proponent of throughout his career is visible within the Georgia State community.
Multiple departments are diligently working together with one goal in mind: to successfully introduce Georgia State University to the world of college football.
Roughly 85 football players are slated to report in August for summer practices. Georgia State’s first-ever marching band is being formed and a new fight song has already been composed. New athletics logos have been created and unveiled, and even the Georgia Dome has been tested out during the school’s first-ever spring scrimmage. Georgia State has never been so busy during this time of the year, and the impact of starting a brand new football program is being felt not only on campus, but throughout the enitre state.
“I’m excited that we’re going to have another great college football franchise in Georgia,” said state Sen. Jeff Chapman. “I applaud the university and the students for taking this step.”
“With the leadership of three-time Super Bowl participant and nationally recognized coach Bill Curry, the rest of the excellent coaching staff, and the talent of the team members that have been assembled, I look forward to a successful season for the Panthers,” Chapman added.
Chapman seems to be just one of many Georgia politicians who are excited about the prospect of Georgia State football.
“I am thrilled that Georgia State is launching a football program this year,” said former Gov. Roy Barnes. “Georgians love their college football, and now Georgia State gets to be a part of that tradition.”
“The program is already generating lots of interest and excitement in the community, and I think it will bring only good things to Georgia State in the future,” Barnes added.
As a former governor of a state that has been hit hard by the economic recession, Barnes’ excitement with Georgia State football is understandable. With over 100,000 alumni living in the Metro Atlanta area, the Georgia State football program could provide a helpful boost to Georgia’s economy.
“The economic impact will revitalize the area and the tax revenue will definitely help all Georgians,” said Rep. Carl Camon.
Georgia State football will provide an immediate increase to Georgia Dome’s revenue, which is slated to host seven home games for the Panthers this fall, at roughly 60,000 dollars per game.
With a world-class facility like the Dome, and Bill Curry, the former Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year, Georgia State is pushing hard to become a serious player in the competitive realm of college football, particularly in the state of Georgia.
“The Georgia State football team will be another great addition to famous teams like the Georgia Bulldogs, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the long list of successful sports teams in our state,” said Camon, who believes Georgia State can achieve the national prominence of its instate rivals.
Whether Georgia State football reaches the recognition enjoyed by UGA and Georgia Tech remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the aspirations of the Georgia State athletics department have never been higher, and the enthusiasm for Panther sports has never been greater.
With less than three months away from the inaugural season, Georgia State continues to put together the remaining pieces as it inches closer to one of the most historic events in the school’s history.
As Coach Curry said in his opening remarks at the “Countdown to Touchdown” press conference last year, “This thing is not a metaphor. This thing is real.”
Perhaps the Georgia State athletics slogan for the football campaign says it even better: Saturdays will never be the same.
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