UGA alum: Hosting Georgia-Florida in Jacksonville a great college football tradition

I read Chris Corr’s guest column in the early morning hours of Oct. 15. The day before, the University of Georgia and the University of Florida won their respective SEC football games. Both teams then went into a bye week before their annual meeting in Jacksonville.

As a Jacksonville native and University of Georgia graduate, this event (and the weeks leading up to it), are my favorite time of the year. Reading Dr. Corr’s column left me wondering why the importance of history, tradition, fanfare and sentimentality in college football are being pushed aside for financial considerations.

Born and raised in Jacksonville, I went to college in Athens, Ga. This was no accident. You could say I was born with the University of Georgia in my blood. My maternal grandfather is a UGA graduate. My mother and her siblings are UGA graduates. My father was a UGA graduate. I have multiple first cousins that are UGA graduates. My sister also graduated from UGA and married a "double Dawg," as my brother-in-law has an undergraduate and law degree from UGA.

My parents moved to Jacksonville in 1974 after graduating from UGA. As children my sister and I often spent Friday evenings and early Saturday mornings in the back of a station wagon being driven up to Athens for home games. But once a year the festivities came to us. My family has been hosting a tailgate for the game every year since at least 1974, before I was born.

I made my way back to Florida after college to attend graduate school and law school in Jacksonville. I have been practicing law back in Jacksonville for over 13 years. Because I grew up here, went to school in Georgia and have forged a professional life back in Jacksonville, I have a large personal and professional circle that includes fans and graduates of both schools.

The Georgia-Florida game is the one time every year we bring everyone together to reminisce, share a beverage, eat some barbecue and celebrate the relationships and friendships built because of (and in spite of) our love for our alma maters. This year will be the 48th time we host the tailgate; we only missed a couple years for the birth of my nephew and my wedding. The significance of this gathering has nothing to do with money, status or which team is better.

It is a joyful gathering of Dawgs and Gators (and some occasional ‘Noles) where old friends and family catch up and new friends are made. Watching this year after year as a child and now an adult taught me the importance of setting aside differences, bringing people together and celebrating the simple things in life.

Most importantly this instilled in me the importance of nurturing relationships, even with people we only see once a year in a parking lot. These are valuable lessons and invaluable memories.

My father was president of the Georgia Bulldog Club of Jacksonville during a time when we almost always lost to Florida. When Georgia beat Florida in 1989, the year he was president, he received a framed copy of the front page of The Florida Times-Union commemorating the win. I have that newspaper hanging in my house now. I still see some of his old friends occasionally and there is always a story to share from those times.

The memories built around this game are cemented in the minds and hearts of all of us.

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My father died in 2010 after a short battle with cancer. During his illness he still went to Athens for home games, and we made sure he was able to have one last Georgia-Florida tailgate. I don’t remember whether we won that year. His funeral was attended by a large contingent from the Georgia Bulldog Club of Jacksonville, who all wore red and black.

Even some of my father’s closest Gators friends made an exception for the day and wore red and black. Vince Dooley called my mother to extend his condolences. Obviously, the University of Georgia is important to my family and me.

My family is not the only one with stories like this. When Georgia fans hear the solo trumpeter playing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and when Florida fans sing “We Are the Boys from Old Florida,” they are reminded of some of the most important memories and people in their lives. When we gather in the parking lots surrounding EverBank Stadium, a gathering that now includes newer generations, we get to spend time with people from all stages of our lives.

In doing so, we help carry on a Jacksonville tradition that has existed for 90 years.

Dr. Corr’s description of this gathering as a “grotesque” environment, and his suggestion of moving it in the name of financial benefit to both schools, misses the point. You can’t put a price on history or a value on the loss of tradition.

The city of Jacksonville, the University of Georgia and the University of Florida have all played important roles in the lives of countless Jacksonville residents, including me. Marriages, friendships, and professional relationships have been formed through connections made during the Georgia-Florida game festivities.

This annual gathering is more than just a football game and its importance to Jacksonville about more than just the financial impact the game has on the city. In the coming years when decisions are made about keeping this game in Jacksonville, I hope the people involved think beyond just dollars and cents.

We’d love to host Dr. Corr and his family at our tailgate to show that it is far from grotesque, that the children have just as much fun as the adults and to help you understand why the Georgia-Florida game should stay in Jacksonville.

Go Dawgs.

Stephanie Sussman, Jacksonville

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hosting Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville is a priceless tradition