continued from page Tony Ortiz. ….

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Tony Ortiz. Magill recruited Ortiz to Athens in the late sixties. Ortiz was considered a rare talent during that era. He, like most everybody else, was enraptured with Magill’s legend, coaching ability and reputation.

There was only one problem. Getting up and going to class was never on his agenda. Magill was given to waking him up and taking him to the buildings which housed the classes he was expected to take. Magill later said when recounting Ortiz’s time on campus, “When I dropped him off at the front door, he immediately went out the back door.”

One of the most significant recruiting stories ever to take place in the annals of the University of Georgia became a byproduct of the legacy of Tony Ortiz.

While he had no interest in classroom function, Tony returned home to Puerto Rico where he became Manuel’s coach. When he became familiar with Manuel’s potential as a junior tennis player, he began to work with him and became his promoter. He knew that Manny was a gifted athlete and began telling him about Magill and the University of Georgia.

One day Magill opened a letter from his old friend who extolled the virtues of a “great prospect” for UGA tennis. There were prolific facts and poignant recommendations which confirmed that Manuel Diaz was a prized recruiting prospect, but the last line of the letter made Magill immediately focus on recruiting his old friend’s mentee.

“Manny Diaz,” Tony wrote, “is as good a boy as I was ‘sorry.’” Magill said, “I knew from that recommendation, I had to recruit Manuel post haste.” You know the rest of the story.