Bobby Dodd had an extremely successful career as a collegiate football coach, most notably with Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA. To this day, he remains the winningest football coach in post-season bowl games of any coach active or retired with at least ten appearances. Few know though, that Bobby Dodd was born in Galax on November 11, 1908, and lived in Galax for a time before moving to Kingsport, TN. He starred at the University of Tennessee as a quarterback, and is a member of the college football's Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.

His recounting of his days in Galax can be found here ( takes you to a PDF file)

From The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame

Bobby Dodd's Georgia Tech football squad won nine out of an impressive thirteen bowl appearances, three of which were Sugar Bowl victories. Dodd's winning teams accomplished several firsts as postseason juggernauts; they were the first team to win three consecutive major bowls, the first to win six bowl games in succession, and the first to win three Sugar Bowl encounters. His 1952 team went undefeated and was ranked number two in the nation.

Dodd, a native of Galax, Virginia, attended the University of Tennessee where he was recognized as a star athlete. He won nine varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track.

Upon graduation in 1931, Dodd pursued a position at Georgia Tech as an assistant football coach under Bill Alexander. He spent 14 years in that position before succeeding Alexander in 1945. Dodd was the head coach at Georgia Tech until 1966. During his 22-year coaching career, Dodd's teams won 165 games, lost 64 and tied eight. He was one of the early staunch believers in the two-platoon system and was one of the most successful advocates of the split-T offense and its "belly" series. Dodd was promoted to Athletic Director in 1950 and retired from the position in 1974.

Dodd was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 1951, and has been named to the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame both as a player and a coach. He is also a member of the National Foundation Hall of Fame as a player, and was given a Citation of Honor by the Football Writers Association for his long and honorable career in college athletics and his contribution to football.

Georgia Tech renamed the main road of the school in Dodd's honor, and the Grant Field Stadium was renamed Bobby Dodd at Grant Field. The dedications were given shortly after his death in 1988.

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