Bobby Dodd Robert Lee Dodd ( November 11 , 1908 – June 21 , 1988 ) was an American college football coach at Georgia Tech . He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and coach , something that only three people have accomplished . Bobby Dodd was born in Galax , Virginia . From there , he moved to Kingsport , Tennessee and excelled at several sports at Dobyns - Bennett High School . After playing quarterback at the University of Tennessee , he served as an assistant coach under Bill Alexander at Georgia Tech beginning in 1931 . Alexander made the hire while Dodd was still a student at Tennessee . Dodd succeeded Alexander in 1945 as the third head coach at the Institute . He retired from coaching after the 1966 season , compiling a 165 – 64 – 8 record . He also served as Athletic Director from 1950 until 1976 . All told , Dodd spent 45 years at Tech in various capacities . Bobby Dodd died in June 1988 at the age of 79 in Atlanta , Georgia . Player . Bobby Dodd was a quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1928 to 1930 , playing under legendary coach Robert Neyland . Dodd wanted to play for Georgia Tech but was not offered a scholarship . Ironically , he would later go on to coach the Yellow Jackets . In the games that Dodd started at UT , the Vols held a record of 27 – 1 – 2 . Dodd was a difference in one famous game . During his sophomore year , in his first game of The Third Saturday in October rivalry against Alabama played in Tuscaloosa , " Dodd threw a touchdown pass in that game to tie Alabama , 13 – 13 . Then he punted out of bounds inside the Alabama 1 - yard line and Tennessee got a safety on the next play to win , 15 – 13 " . Another instance in Dodd ' s career foreshadowed the creativity he would use in his coaching career . " Against Florida in 1930 he got his teammates in a huddle and told them about a play he had used in high school ( Dobyns - Bennett ) . When the ball was snapped , it was placed on the ground unattended . The players ran in one direction . Then the center returned , picked up the ball , and waltzed to the winning touchdown . " This play would later come to be popularly known as the " fumblerooski " , after Nebraska famously used it in the 1984 Orange Bowl versus Miami . Tennessee fans even developed a catch phrase for Dodd during his time there : " In Dodd we trust " . During his time at UT , Dodd twice earned All - Southern team honors . Dodd led Tennessee to back - to - back unbeaten seasons with identical 9 - 0 - 1 records his sophomore and junior years . During Dodd ' s era , the Vols went 33 games without a loss until an 18 - 6 setback against Alabama in 1930 , which ranks as the longest unbeaten streak in UT history . After the loss , Dodd and his teammates helped kick off a 28 - game unbeaten streak that ranks as the second longest . In his senior year " The Dodger " again showed his versatility in a 13 - 0 win against Vanderbilt . Dodd finished with 14 punts for a 42 - yard average , had nine carries for 39 yards , was 7 - of - 12 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted two passes . During that game , Dodd gained 212 all - purpose yards , collecting all but 14 of Tennessee ' s team total of 226 . The Vols finished the 1930 season with 9 - 1 record , and Dodd earned multiple honors for his dominance on the gridiron . Dodd was named to Grantland Rice ' s All American team in 1930 , making him the 2nd granted that honor at Tennessee ( following Gene McEver ) . In 1959 , Dodd was named to the University of Tennessee ' s Hall of Fame and to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player . He was elected in the same year as teammate Herman Hickman . Coach . Dodd took over the Georgia Tech football program following Coach Alexander ' s retirement in 1944 . Dodd ' s coaching philosophy revolved around player treatment and character development . He did not believe in intense physical practices but rather precise and well executed practices . Dodd ' s philosophy translated to winning ; he set the record for career wins at Tech at 165 career coaching wins , including a 31 - game winning streak from 1951 – 1953 . He also managed to capture two Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) championships ( 1951 and 1952 ) and the 1952 National Title , which concluded a perfect 12 – 0 season and Sugar Bowl conquest of Ole Miss . Under Dodd ' s leadership , Tech played in 13 major bowls , winning 9 , including six in a row from 1952 to 1956 . Bobby Dodd compiled a 165 – 64 – 8 record as head coach at Georgia Tech . Football was Dodd ' s lifelong passion , but at Tech he was just as obsessed with the notion that his players should get an education as he was with teaching them how to play football . Other coaches and sportswriters of his era were united in their puzzlement that anyone could coach with such a light hand and still win so many games . However , Coach Dodd knew that his " Books First " reputation caused parents to favor Georgia Tech over his competition . Georgia Tech often played teams that were physically superior but Bobby Dodd would still find a way win . The experts called it " Dodd ' s luck , " but his success actually came from an understanding of motivational psychology , football strategy , and innovative game - planning . Georgia Tech football was Atlanta ' s one major sports franchise during this time frame . To hold a ticket to watch the Yellow Jackets play was highly valued and was difficult to obtain . During the games , Bobby Dodd sat in a folding chair at a card table on the side line , rarely standing or showing interest in the game . Dodd took his seat and left the pacing to his assistants . When a crisis arose , Dodd would decide which plays to be run and the designated players to run them . Dodd sometimes made unusual substitutions , as on a Saturday in Athens when Georgia Tech was about to be upset . Dodd sent in a small halfback who had been frequently injured during his career , who then broke to the right faking a run , stopped , threw a pass for a touchdown and returned to the bench . What Dodd brought to Grant Field was a kind of unbruising football other coaches couldn ' t understand : runty halfbacks ; lightweight linemen ; rarely a classic quarterback . Once free substitution became possible , no one made more use of it than Dodd . Georgia Tech had an intense rivalry with University of Alabama which ended during Bobby Dodd ' s tenure as head football coach . Until that time , the matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Yellow Jackets was a fall football classic . The two teams have met on the gridiron a total of 52 times with Georgia Tech coming away victorious in 21 of those matchups with 3 additional tied games . Bobby Dodd ' s football teams won 7 out of 17 games played against the University of Alabama . The contests were annual events until Georgia Tech withdrew from the SEC . Dodd also understood the deep - seated rivalry with the University of Georgia . His teams won 8 games in a row over the Bulldogs from 1946 – 1954 outscoring the Bulldogs 176 – 39 during the winning streak . This 8 – game winning streak is still the longest winning streak for either side in the series . Dodd would finish his career with a 12 – 9 record against the Bulldogs . In 1967 , Dodd passed the head coach position to his favorite coordinator , Bud Carson . Dodd simply retained his athletic director position , which he had acquired in 1950 from William Alexander . He stepped down as athletic director in 1976 and was followed in the position by Doug Weaver . In 1983 , he expressed interest in running a United States Football League team if Atlanta were awarded one , but the league folded before Atlanta received a team . Integration . During Bobby Dodd ' s tenure , Georgia Tech played against several integrated football teams while the South was resisting integration . Georgia Tech played against Notre Dame in 1953 with Wayne Edmonds starting at offensive tackle and defensive end for the Irish . Edmonds was the first black player to win a monogram at Notre Dame . Georgia Tech lost to Notre Dame by score 27 - 14 . Georgia Tech also participated in the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South . The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets , and the 11th ranked Pitt Panthers . There was controversy over whether Bobby Grier from Pitt should be allowed to play because he was black , and whether Georgia Tech should even play at all due to Georgia governor Marvin Griffin ' s opposition to integration . Ultimately , Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is regarded as the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South . Georgia Tech won the 1956 Sugar Bowl by score 7 - 0 . Bobby Dodd oversaw the integration of Georgia Tech football team as Athletic Director . Eddie McAshan was the first African American football player to start for Georgia Tech . Bud Carson started McAshan in 1970 at quarterback as a sophomore and McAshan would go on to set several career records for Georgia Tech ( which have since been broken by Shawn Jones and Joe Hamilton ) . McAshan ' s first career start was on September 12 , 1970 against South Carolina . His start marked the first time that an African American had ever started at quarterback for a major Southeastern university and McAshan did not disappoint . He rallied Tech with a fourth quarter deficit , defeating the Gamecocks 23 - 20 with two late touchdown drives . McAshan threw for 32 touchdowns during his college football career , and Georgia Tech had 22 - 13 - 1 record during that time frame . Georgia Tech ' s withdrawal from SEC . Dodd ' s tenure included Georgia Tech ' s withdrawal from the Southeastern Conference . The initial spark for Dodd ' s withdrawal was a historic feud with Alabama Crimson Tide Coach Bear Bryant . The feud began when Tech was playing the Tide at Legion Field in Birmingham in 1961 . After a Tech punt , Alabama fair - caught the ball . Chick Graning of Tech was playing coverage and relaxed after the signal for the fair catch . Darwin Holt of Alabama continued play and smashed his elbow into Graning ' s face causing severe fracturing in his face , a broken nose , and blood - filled sinuses . Graning was knocked unconscious and suffered a severe concussion , the result of which left him unable to play football ever again . Dodd sent Bryant a letter asking Bryant to suspend Holt after game film indicated Holt had intentionally injured Graning . Bryant never suspended Holt . The lack of discipline infuriated Dodd and sparked Dodd ' s interest in withdrawing from the SEC . Another issue of concern for Dodd was Alabama ' s and other SEC schools ' over - recruitment of players . Universities would recruit more players than available space on their rosters . During the summer the teams in question would cut the players well after signing day . This practice prevented the cut players from being able to play for other colleges during the following football season . Dodd appealed the SEC administration to punish the " tryout camps " of his fellow SEC members but the SEC did not . Finally , Dodd withdrew Georgia Tech from the SEC in 1963 . Tech would remain an independent like Notre Dame and Penn State ( at the time ) during the final four years of Dodd ' s coaching tenure . Bobby Dodd insisted the only reason he left the SEC was due to the 140 Rule , which stated a college program could only have 140 football and basketball players on scholarship at any one time . The teams were allowed to sign up to 45 players a year , but could not exceed the 140 Rule . Dodd would not allow any of the football players choosing Tech to be dismissed from Tech , because they were not good players . Dodd said , " it is not the recruits fault for not making the squad , it was the coaches fault for misjudging their talents " . If a recruit came to Tech , he would stay on a football scholarship until he graduated . Dodd would sign about 30 - 32 players a year to meet the guidelines , but the other schools in the SEC were offering 45 scholarships a year . Players not good enough to fall under the 140 Rule had their scholarships withdrawn before the end of each year by the other schools . Dodd insisted the recruiting of athletes by this method amounted to nothing more than a tryout for a scholarship . Dodd thought this practice was unfair and he would not withdraw scholarships from his players . He wanted the SEC to limit the amount of scholarships to about 32 per year , which would keep the other schools from offering 45 scholarships , picking the best , and withdrawing scholarships from the rest . A vote was to be taken by the presidents of the colleges on the issue , and Dodd made it clear that Tech would have to leave the SEC unless the rule was changed . The presidents were split six for Dodd ’ s position and six against . Bear had promised Dodd he would get his president to vote for Dodd ’ s position , which would have changed the rule . When the meeting was held , the Alabama president voted against Dodd ’ s position and the 140 Rule was upheld . Tech ’ s president immediately walked to the podium and announced Tech was withdrawing from the SEC . Legacy . While Bobby Dodd was a determined competitor , he cared deeply for those who played for him . Unlike some other coaches , he did not believe in winning at any costs ; he truly believed that the most important aspect of college football was the college football player . As a testament to the character of Bobby Dodd , each year a Division I college coach whose team excels on the field , in the classroom , and in the community is awarded the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award , presented by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1959 and as a coach in 1993 . In 1988 , Georgia Tech named its stadium Bobby Dodd Stadium in honor of the legendary coach . On Friday September 14 , 2012 , Georgia Tech provided another honor for the former coach by unveiling the Bobby Dodd statue in Callaway Plaza on the Georgia Tech campus . In attendance for the unveiling included members of the 1952 National Championship squad , the school president , athletic director , current head football coach , Paul Johnson , and Bobby Dodd ' s son and daughter . Coach Dodd has also received honors not related to football . The Bobby Dodd Institute is an organization that helps people with disabilities ; it is named in honor of Coach Dodd for his assistance to the disabled .