GARRISON HEARST

As we lead up to the 2007 football season, fellow Dawgs, I'd like to propose a new activity. I'm going to post a weekly Dawg, and I'd love it if you responded with your best memories/knowledge/recollections of that Dawg. I'll do my best to do so, as well.

This week: GARRISON HEARST.

Here's what I have to say about Garrison Hearst...where's his Heisman? Seriously, Gino Torretta wins the Heisman and Garrison is left out in the cold? He was the best running back in college football for two straight years! Anyone remember the 1991 Tech game, where he ran the defending co-champs directly into the ground at Bobby Dodd?

Here's the other thing I have to say about Garrison Hearst: if he hadn't gotten hurt in the NFL...I mean, come on. How many other people can you name who've won Comeback Player of the Year TWICE???

Too bad he didn't stay for his senior season.....we could have used his help during that dismal 1993 season. All we had that year was Zeier and Hunter and no defense at all. On a brighter note, though, that season was the beginning of the end of The Goff regieme...Lord knows where we would have been had he gotten another 3 year extension on his contract..

I remember seeing him live vs. Georgia Southern that year. Wow. He had a talent to turn the corner on the sweeps and was gone. His numbers that year were better than Herschel's Heisman year, and he ended up 3rd in the Heisman voting behind Marshall Faulk. At the time Faulk was running against weak WAC defenses. Gino Torretta won the Heisman behind an excellent receiving corp but was throughly handled (34-13) in the National Championship game vs Alabama. It was Miami's worst lost since 1986 in which Tenn. took them to the woodshed. Hearst's final game vs Ohio State in a Citrus Bowl that was billed as the battle between star running backs (Hearst vs Smith). Hearst came out on top with 168 yards on 28 attempts with 2 TDs in a 21-14 victory over Kirk Herbstreet and the Buckeyes.

To this day I feel Hearst got boned. More importantly I haven't seen a back as good as Hearst here since.

Thinking of Garrsion Hearst takes me back to Death Valley, Clemson, S.C. 1990. As a high school sophomore, we had made our way over only to land in the middle of the Clemson student section. I remember the the freshmen Hearst and Hastings lined up with their backs facing us ready to take the opening kick-off. Unfortunately, we took a drubbing that day and lost, I believe 31-3.

Hearst is my favorite Bulldog of All-Time. I actually got to see him play in '91 against Vanderbilt. I also agree that he got shafted for the Heisman and that he deserved more recognition. I remember being 11 years old watching Garrison run, I just wish he could add a Super Bowl ring to his accomplishments.