Loran - Smith

Loran

This is overdue, and I regret having to pay tribute to a good friend belatedly. When I heard the news that my longtime friend Wayne Brantley had passed away a few weeks ago, I made plans to drive down from Athens to Vidalia for his final service. It was a busy time, and there was a lot going on, making it difficult for me to undertake the journey as I initially had planned. There are days when time constraints knuckle you under. It was the weekend before the Masters, which would be followed by the managing of an event that requires overtime responsibility.

Since then, I have spent considerable time recalling Wayne’s days in Athens, when he was a small guard (511,195 lb.), but an overachiever who performed much bigger than his stature. He had fire in the belly; he was a fierce competitor and was imbued with a deep and abiding commitment to enjoying his campus days as a student-athlete.

While he loved the game, he also knew that a degree would enhance his career when his college days were over. That meant that it was as important for him to make a good grade in the classroom as it was to create a hole in the defense for the Georgia running backs. Some athletes are good at one but not the other. Wayne experienced high marks at both. In addition, he was a good teammate, who exhibited the intangibles that became the glue that bonds a team.

He had a flair for drawing and enrolled in Industrial Arts when he entered UGA. Following graduation, he coached high school football in Greenwood, S. C., before returning to Vidalia to take over the family business.

Everywhere he went, he easily made friends. With his engaging personality and constant smile, he could have disarmed the devil if they had crossed paths. His nickname in high school was “Smiley,” which was apropos. If anybody ever deserved such a nickname, it was Wayne. His longtime friends never saw him frown.

Wayne was awarded a football scholarship by the Johnny Griffith staff in late 1961, and he became a regular at guard in 1962 with the freshman team. He was a co-regular in 1963 with the Varsity. Vince Dooley was hired in late December that year, and Wayne set about accruing more playing time with the new staff in 1964, Dooley’s first season, which turned out to be serendipitous.

The Bulldogs of ’64 won six games, also the rivalry game with Georgia Tech, and then defeated Texas Tech in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, one of the most memorable years for many Bulldog partisans. There was such harmony on the team that it spread over to the fans to the extent that longtime observers felt that Dooley’s initial squad played with such heart that the fans exhibited the greatest feeling for those ‘Dogs as any team that has played between the hedges.

It didn’t win a championship, but no team in Athens ever had greater heart. In the middle of all that upward emotion was the smiling and ebullient Wayne Brantley, the friendliest man in Toombs continued from page

County, maybe in the state of Georgia.

In 1965, the Bulldogs got off to an encouraging start. The schedule was daunting—defending national champion Alabama in Athens, Michigan at Ann Arbor, FSU in Tallahassee, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Tough conference games with Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Florida and Auburn were also part of the challenge.

After getting up on Alabama 10-0, the Bulldogs fell behind 17-10 with time becoming of the essence in the fourth quarter. The staff had in pre-season talked about what to do in an emergency and came with a flea flicker play. At this point things were dire. A big play was sorely needed.

If you know anything about Georgia football history, you likely know the rest of the story. The flea flicker, which never worked in practice, was executed to perfection. The inimitable Dan Magill chronicled the play, “Moore to Hodgson to Taylor to Glory.” Quarterback Kirby Moore threw a short pass to the button hooking Pat Hodson, who shoveled the ball to halfback Bob Taylor, who went the distance, 73 yards. Moore’s two-point conversion pass to Hodgson was good enough for an 18-17 victory.

In the aftermath, there was the celebratory photo of the team taking Dooley off the field on their shoulders to shake hands with the legendary Alabama coach, Bear Bryant. The centerpiece of the prized photograph was “Smiley” Brantley. That is one of the greatest photos in UGA football history.

Football was fun for ol’ No. 61. He didn’t mind the grind a player had to go through during the week because of the opportunity to play between the hedges on Saturday. He loved his Bulldog days and was forever a doting alumnus. He was proud of his diploma and his letter jacket because of what each represented.

When he was honored in Athens in 2015 for postgraduate achievement by the UGA Chapter of the National Football Foundation, the nation’s largest chapter, Wayne brought his family and showed them where he had lived, where he played, and where he went to class. A good time was enjoyed by all.

I don’t think UGA has recognized a former letterman who was as appreciative as Wayne was. Without question, he was a “Damn Good Dawg.”