Football
FLASHBACK: DAVID TREADWELL KICKS BACK-TO-BACK GAME-WINNING FIELD GOALS TO BEAT UGA IN 1986-87
- 2021-09-06 10:25:17
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It's no secret that the series between Clemson and Georgia is one-sided. Georgia has a 42-18-4 record over the Tigers. This weekend's monster showdown in Charlotte will add to this series that dates back to 1897 and the fourth-ever opponent for the Tigers. It wasn't until the 1980's, however, that the series was at the height of competition between the two schools that is separated by 70 miles.
1980 and 1981, the border rivalry between Georgia and Clemson reached the pinnacle of college football, with each beating the other en route to the national championship in the respective seasons. The series has had its blowouts and its heartbreak, but for Clemson fans, nothing was sweeter than 1986 when David Treadwell 46 yard field goal as time expired in Athens upset the favored Bulldogs, and he would repeat the feat in 1987, again kicking the game-winner in Death Valley.
It's not like Clemson didn't have its fair share of heartbreak from the Bulldogs before retribution was served that afternoon in Athens. 1982 saw Georgia score a late touchdown on Labor Day night in Athens to upset the Tigers, and two years later, Kevin Butler hit a 60-yard field goal in Athens to beat the Tigers. In between those two games, there was a 16-16 tie.
The Tigers and the Bulldogs played annually between 1980 and 1990, with each winning 5 games and the one tie. Even though Georgia has the edge in the overall win-loss record, make no mistake that this 11-year stretch is when the series officially became a rivalry, and many Clemson fans feel like it even surpassed the rivalry with the Gamecocks because of the competitiveness and stakes of the games against the Bulldogs.
As for David Treadwell, it wouldn't be the last time he broke an opposing team's heart. He went on to a great career in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl his rookie season in 1989 as a Denver Bronco and had several game-winners, including beating the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs, on his patented last-second field goal kicks.
Could we see another game-winner this weekend in Charlotte? If it does come down to a last-second field goal attempt by Groza Award candidate BT Potter, you can be rest assured that Clemson fans will reminisce, and flashbacks of David Treadwell will be dancing in many fans' heads.
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