Welcome to G.O.A.T. Week at Saturday Down South. Join us as we go deep with some of the “Greatest of All-Time” from SEC football history, including Bear Bryant, Herschel, the best starting lineup, the Head Ball Coach and more.
If you spent any time on social media in the past few years, you’ve probably gotten into an argument about a certain subject.
Who’s the G.O.A.T.?
LeBron James or Michael Jordan? Nick Saban or Bear Bryant? Cake or ice cream?
These never-ending debates of the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all-time) seem to consume the social media landscape in ways that few things can.
So we here at SDS decided that we would devote an entire week to the SEC’s G.O.A.T.s. The series starts Monday morning, fittingly with Bryant. Our goal wasn’t just be to sit around a table and debate which players, coaches and teams deserved G.O.A.T. status. That wouldn’t be very interesting to you, the reader.
Instead, we took it up a notch. Why not write about some of the G.O.A.T.s in SEC history with a modern perspective on their greatness?
After all, countless pieces have been written about our subjects over the years. That’s why they’re G.O.A.T.s. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve read a piece or perhaps even a book about Bryant or Saban. Maybe you’ve read everything that’s ever been written about Herschel Walker.
Our goal was to provide some new perspective on these subjects you know as the all-time faces of the SEC. Whether it’s a story you never heard or someone you’ve never heard from, we dug into angles that perhaps even the diehards never knew about.
It’s so easy to look ahead at things like future schedules and recruiting, but sometimes we need to look back. I know personally, it was a blast to take a step back in time to compile these stories. It’s not every day that I spend a half hour on the phone with Vince Dooley or Tommy Tuberville.
For you, the reader, every day this week will be a chance to step back in time. We’ll take you back to when the Bear ruled college football. You weren’t alive for that? You’ll get a chance to look back at how Steve Spurrier brought fun to the SEC. Not alive for that, either? Well, we revisited how Saban laid the foundation for his decade of dominance at Alabama.
If you weren’t alive for that and you’re reading this, congratulations. You’re one smart kid.
Fortunately for you, we’ve got some longer reads in the works. Make sure you carve out some time in the day to read these pieces. We’ve been working on them for weeks, and trust me, they’ll be worth your time.
If you’d rather just comment on our story links on Twitter/Facebook with a fire take about who should’ve been the G.O.A.T., I won’t stop you from doing that (just share the story with all of your followers first).
In all seriousness, though, G.O.A.T. Week is about far more than debating SEC legends (though we did select an all-time All-SEC starting lineup). This is about recognizing the greatness that made this conference what it is today. The greats like Herschel and the Bear are timeless. But there’s always a new story to tell or a new feat to appreciate.
We’ll have a combination of old videos and photos with graphics, as well. We’ll even have a special G.O.A.T. Week edition of the SDS Podcast that you should totally subscribe to right now (shameless plug). We’ll have additional columns on how and why certain SEC legends earned G.O.A.T. status and others did not.
Whether you have prior knowledge or interest about the subject, let me encourage you one last time to consume all things G.O.A.T. Week. There are worse things to do in the beginning of June than read great stories about SEC legends, right?
Well, I think that just about covers it. Oh, and one last thing.
Welcome to G.O.A.T. Week.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
