By JOE LITSCH
Paul Dietzel makes no bones about it. His South Carolina football team wanted to play in the 1973 Peach Bowl.
“We had a few designs on the Peach Bowl,” Dietzel said, opening the keynote address to the Atlanta Touchdown Club’s 35th Annual Jamboree. “We were very anxious to come.”
South Carolina didn’t get the bid. Georgia did, but Dietzel didn’t let the opportunity to express his feelings to the members of the Peach Bowl committee among the crowd of some 500.
“We like it down here, and I’d like to tell the Peach Bowl that it had one of the finest bowl games I’ve ever seen. And, I’d like to tell Vince (Dooley, Georgia coach), that he did an excellent job.”
Then, Dietzel began his “address to the young men in the crowd” about football, “the greatest profession in the world,” and advised the young football players in the crowd that “there is no way to always succeed.”
Dietzel’s speech followed the annual presentation of awards to the outstanding high school and college backs and linemen of the year.
It was a clean sweep of the college awards for Southeastern Conference champion Alabama. Quarterback Gary Rutledge was presented the H. J. Stegeman Trophy by Georgia Coach Vince Dooley. The trophy honors Stegeman, former Georgia coach and athletic director.
Buddy Brown, an offensive guard for the Crimson Tide, received the W. A. Alexander Trophy from Pepper Rodgers, new Georgia Tech head coach, in memory of the former Tech coach.
Anthony Flanagan, Southwest-Atlanta High quarterback, was awarded the Back of the Year Trophy, and later was presented a special award by his coach, Ted Sparks, who received the Coach of the Year award.
There was a tie for Lineman of the Year between North Springs’ Ralph Bullard and Towers’ David Barron. Both players have signed grants-in-aid with Tennessee.
The gathering for the annual Jamboree, now headquartered at the Hyatt-Regency House, was one of the most impressive in years. Seven major colleges from throughout the South were represented by either a head coach or an assistant.
There were Bear Underwood, Southern Mississippi head coach; Paul Davis, Auburn assistant; Jimmy Sharpe, Alabama assistant coach; Frank Howard, retired Clemson head coach; Art Baker, Furman head coach; Rodgers of Tech; and Dooley of Georgia.
There were also numerous head prep coaches present including all five Coach of the Year winners – Corky Kell of Wheeler in AAA, Jim Rakestraw of Druid Hills in AA, Ted Missildine of Briarwood in A, Cecil Morris of Duluth in B; and Ted Spa
