University of Georgia - Athletics

Athletics

The University of Georgia varsity athletic teams participate in the NCAA's Division I-A as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Since the 1997–1998 season, UGA has seven top ten rankings in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup, a numerical ranking based on the success of universities in all varsity sports. The University has won national championships in football, women's gymnastics, women's equestrian (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010), baseball, tennis (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), and women's swimming and diving. The Gym Dogs, the University's women's gymnastics team, have a NCAA-leading 10 national championships in gymnastics, including five consecutive championships from 2005 to 2009.

The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with the nearby Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, major rivalries have grown since, including the rivalry with the Florida Gators, the Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, referred to as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" in reference to the first football game played between the two teams in 1892 and the more than one hundred meetings since. In 2011, Huffington Post named the rivalry one of college football's top 10 rivalries.

The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including wrestling, men's and women's soccer, crew, ultimate frisbee, Rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey. Georgia's men's soccer team received a bid to play in the NIRSA Club National Championship for the first time in 2007. Several Varsity sports are duplicated with non-varsity teams, such as women's tennis. Georgia's men's lacrosse team has won the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference three times, in 1998, 2007, and 2008, and received an automatic bid to the MCLA national tournament; while the women's team earned an at-large bid to the WDIA National Tournament in 2007.

Most recently, many have acclaimed UGA's athletic program for implementing a program that fines student-athletes for unexcused absences in class. And, for the first time in school history, more than 50% of student-athlete GPAs were over 3.0. In addition, many other universities are looking to UGA's plan as a model.. As of 2012, UGA's football athlete graduation rate has continued to increase. Roughly 81%, slightly higher than the national average, according to the NCAA. The graduation success rate nationally for football was 70 percent, and for men’s basketball was 74 percent.

Although they are not an athletic team, UGA's majorette line and feature twirlers has won numerous national titles making them the most award collegiate majorette line in America. Feature twirlers have included: Ashley Clark, Amanda Vance, Karrissa Wimberley (a 37-time world champion baton twirler), and many more. Currently the position belongs to Nicole Jensen and seen as a huge symbol for the university.

Glory, Glory (fight song) is the rally song for the Georgia Bulldogs. Glory, Glory is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and was sung at football games as early as the 1890s. The fight song was arranged after the Union marching song in its current form by Hugh Hodgson in 1915. Although generally thought to be the school's fight song, the official fight song is "Hail to Georgia".

The fight song is played by the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band after touchdowns, field goals, and extra points scored by the football team.