Georgia long snapper Trent Frix (69) laughs during the College Football Playoff national championship media day at Philips Arena on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 in Atlanta, Ga.ATLANTA - Since freshman running back Herschel Walker powered Georgia to its lone Associated Press national championship in 1980, there have been three occasions in which the Bulldogs have come incredibly close.
In all three instances, there has been a Frix on the roster.
Trent Frix, the senior long snapper out of Calhoun High School, has an opportunity to take one more step than his father Monday night when the Bulldogs face Alabama in the championship game of the College Football Playoff in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mitch Frix was a senior snapper on Georgia's 1982 team, which went 11-0 and was ranked No. 1 before losing 27-23 to No. 2 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
Trent's brother Ty Frix was two steps short of a national title as a senior snapper in 2012, when the No. 3 Bulldogs dropped a 32-28 thriller to No. 2 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game. The Crimson Tide went on to wax No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS title game.
"My dad and my brother have definitely enjoyed coming to all the games this season, but we're really just trying to treat this as the next game," Trent said Saturday. "We're trying not to make it a bigger deal than it already is. It is pretty cool, though, that me, my dad and my brother have all been through this same kind of thing.
"It's a cool thing to have in the family."
Frix's father lettered for the Bulldogs in 1981 and 1982, but his final game remains a sore subject.
"He doesn't like to talk about it that much," Frix said with a smile. "He's mentioned it a few times, but not much."
After graduating in 2012 from Calhoun, where he helped the Yellow Jackets to Georgia Class AA state titles in football and baseball, Frix spent a year at the Air Force Academy prep school. From a school lobby, he watched as Aaron Murray guided the Bulldogs down the field in the final seconds of the 2012 SEC title game, only to have time expire with Georgia at Alabama's 5-yard line.
That wasn't Ty Frix's final game - the Bulldogs rebounded to down Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl to complete a 12-2 season - but the Atlanta memory remains far more vivid compared to what followed in Orlando, Fla.
"That was a tough game," Trent Frix said. "We were coming back but finished a few yards short. It was tough to watch. You wish you just had a few more seconds."
The youngest Frix began his Georgia career in 2013 and played in six games, handling long-snapping duties against the likes of Clemson, LSU and Tennessee. The 6-foot, 215-pounder dislocated his shoulder in 2014, which resulted in a redshirt year.
Frix played in 10 games in 2015, 12 games last season and all 14 this season, handling the snaps for punter Cameron Nizialek and kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.
"It's awesome to see him in this game," Nizialek said. "His dad played for a national championship, so this is really special for him. I couldn't be happier for him. He's done an unbelievable job all season, and I expect nothing less in this game.
"You couldn't ask for a better snapper. He puts it right where you want it."
Frix already has a degree in risk management and will worry about life after football starting Tuesday. His final game could result in the national crown his father and older brother came so close to winning, and it can be argued that his journey has been the most unique.
After all, his father's 1982 team had won the SEC championship the year before, and his brother's 2012 team had won the SEC East the year before. Since Trent Frix has been at Georgia, the Bulldogs have played in two TaxSlayer Bowls, a Belk Bowl and a Liberty Bowl.
They also played in last Monday's Rose Bowl and have a colossal contest set for Monday night.
"It's crazy," Frix said. "My dad told me the other night that right now it's just a game, but this is something you're going to remember the rest of your life.
"I could never have imagined it winding up like this. It's a dream come true."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.