If you are a superstitious Dawg, you had an inkling of what was going to happen in New Orleans. On New Year’s Day, Georgia played its 13th time in the Sugar Bowl.
And the immortal Larry Munson’s “Old Lady Luck” was not with the 2025 SEC Champions. The Dawgs had no answer for Trinidad Chambliss, the dart-throwing, scrambling “Houdini” quarterback of Ole Miss.
There was a flicker of hope right up to the final seconds. But again, the Red-and-Black barkers had a muzzled ride home. Grandson Henry Wilson and I were among them, all 16 hours on the train from the Big Easy to Toccoa.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
I think that I’ve been to about half of Georgia’s appearances in the Sugar Bowl. My first trip was at the end of the 1968 season. Pam and I were dating. We rode in the backseat of her dad’s tan-and-brown Oldsmobile 98.
Thanks to her family’s connections, we celebrated New Year’s Eve upstairs in Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter. And we had upfront seats for shows of legends Pete Fountain and Al Hirt. But it was a bark-less ride home. The tusks of the Arkansas Razorbacks gashed Georgia, 16-2.
Last year, grandson William NeSmith and I had another we-got-whupped train ride to Georgia, courtesy of the Fighting Irish, 23-10. But with Gunner Stockton taking the snaps, we saw encouraging prospects for the upcoming season.
And that’s why, with every clickety-clack on Amtrak’s rails, Henry and I couldn’t wait to get to New Orleans. This was my fourth time taking a grandson to a bowl game. Three more grandsons and a granddaughter are awaiting their turns. It’s all about making memories.
Here’s a snapshot:
§ Staying in the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Henry was up close to the Georgia team, coaches, administrators and alumni. Henry got to talk—one-on-one—with President Jere Morehead. Looking ahead, the sophomore hopes to major in engineering or medicine. His brother, Wyatt, is already enrolled in UGA’s College of Engineering. At the game, Henry chatted with Gov. Brian Kemp.
§ Dining at the iconic Brennan’s was one of Henry’s favorite activities. He enjoyed the “Land and Sea” entrée, but he really liked his first taste of the restaurant’s “Famous Bananas Foster.” However, the always-hungry Henry put his blue ribbon on Daisy Mae’s steak-and-eggs breakfast.
§ We took a daylight stroll down Bourbon Street. If the line hadn’t been so long at Felix’s, Henry could have slurped a dozen raw oysters on the half-shell. Pat O’Brien’s was impossible to get inside, too. I really wanted us to tap our toes to the ragtime dueling pianos. But we heard plenty of Dixieland jazz along the French Quarter’s streets.
§ Uber delivered us to the historic Garden District to visit Dr. Percy Pierre, a New Orleans native. Since Henry is interested in engineering, I wanted him to meet my 87-year-old friend, who was our nation’s first Black person to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. All eight of his great-grandparents were enslaved. Every moment with Percy is a history lesson.
§ A must for all New Orleans trips is a visit to The National World War II Museum. My dad and Pam’s fought in the Philippines. I wanted Henry to get a feel for what his great-grandfathers, along with other brave men and women, had experienced in that brutal war.
§ If I had the power to write executive orders, I would require every American high school student to spend a day exploring the museum. And after watching the movie Beyond All Boundaries, a 250-word essay—reflections of what they saw—would be mandatory. Without victories in the Pacific and in Europe, we could be speaking Japanese and/or German.
Henry and I went to New Orleans to bark for our beloved Bulldogs. The same reason William and I were there last year. Both times, we had hoped for another chance at a national championship. But back-to-back, the scoreboard of Caesars Superdome said, “Not this year.”
On the clickety-clack ride home, I said, “Henry, during the Kirby Smart Era, we’ve been blessed. But we’ve also been spoiled. The Dawg Nation expects to win every game.”
“Look at this way, Grandpa. Think about all the other memories.”
That’s right, Henry.
Ole Miss can’t strip-sack those.
“And, Grandpa, we have next season.”
That’s right, Henry.
Go, Dawgs.
Woof, woof.
dinknesmith@cninewspapers.com
