The 1979 University of Georgia football team struggled to a 6-5 season and was swept by the Atlantic Coast Conference trio of Clemson, Virginia and Wake Forest.
Several months later, Georgia signed running back Herschel Walker from Johnson County High School, and his impact was immediate. Walker spearheaded Vince Dooley's Bulldogs over the next three seasons to an 18-0 record in Southeastern Conference contests and to a 32-1 record in regular-season games, with the lone loss coming to 1981 national champion Clemson.
Walker led Georgia to the 1980 national title and won the '82 Heisman Trophy, and his collegiate average of 159.4 yards per game dwarfs that of the SEC's next-highest rusher - Emmitt Smith, who averaged 126.7 at Florida from 1987-89.
An SEC legend as soon as he left Athens for the USFL in the spring of 1983 (where he played three seasons for the New Jersey Generals before the league folded and he was drafted by the NFL's Dallas Cowboys), Walker was a guest Friday on "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: Georgia has enjoyed a lot of success under Mark Richt, but does it surprise you that the Bulldogs have not won an SEC title since 2005?
A: "I am surprised by that, but at the same time I can understand it. There is so much talent in the SEC today, and with Alabama being the force that it is and some of the other schools that have gotten better, I know how tough it is. When I played, it wasn't as tough, but today it's tough. There are a lot of great athletes out there.
"I am glad to see that Georgia is still considered one of the powerhouse teams in college football."
Q: Do you have a favorite Georgia tailback since you left?
A: "There have been a couple of them, and there is no doubt right now that Nick Chubb is exciting to watch. He is one of those throwback running backs who can carry the ball 25 times a game and then come back the next week and do the very same thing. I'm happy to see him there, but I think people are forgetting about Keith Marshall. Even though (Todd) Gurley left, they've still got Marshall, and they've got Sony Michel.
"This is a great time for Georgia running backs. For years, USC was known as Running Back U in college football, but I don't think there's a doubt in anyone's mind that Georgia has changed that outlook."
Q: What was your best year at Georgia?
A: "I think it was my freshman year because I learned so much. It has nothing to do with winning the national championship. It has to do with having a coach like Vince Dooley. He taught this team how to stay together and play together and that we could accomplish great things. Because of that teaching, we carried it over the entire time I was there and beat a lot of people.
"We played a lot of teams that were bigger, better and faster than we were, but we stayed together as a team, and I've carried that philosophy into business."
Q: How do look back at your NFL career, and do you pull for a pro team the way you still pull for Georgia?
A: "I'm still living in Dallas, and there is no doubt that I pull for the Cowboys when they're playing. I will pull for Atlanta, even though I had no ties with Atlanta other than me being from Georgia. I like to pull for players. I tell everyone that I played in a lot of states in the NFL just in case I run for office. I had a great time in Minnesota. Philadelphia is a city where you go to and work. You don't go there to talk. New York has a lot of good people, and it's a city very serious about business.
"I don't regret anything about my NFL career, because I think the bad points I experienced made me a better person. I've been blessed. I've had my downs, but my ups have been better than my downs."
Q: You were hard to stop on the field and more recently as an MMA fighter. What would you say if Ronda Rousey challenged you in the ring?
A: "If she challenged me, it wouldn't take that long for me to put her down, but I would never do that because my mama always told me that I'm not supposed to fight a woman. It was sad that Ronda challenged Floyd (Mayweather), because I don't think Floyd gets enough credit as a champion. He may not knock people out, but he's the champion and will be the champion until someone knocks him off.
"There have been so many fighters who have stepped in that ring with Floyd, and Floyd has made them look bad, but Floyd gets blamed for making them look bad. The objective to fighting is winning, and he's been winning and Ronda has been winning. They are both great at what they do, but I wouldn't even go to that fight. If she steps into the ring against a man like that, it would be a little different."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.