A 1963 Saturday Evening Post story alleged that University of Georgia Athletics Director Wally Butts gave Alabama coach Bear Bryant inside information that led to a huge Crimson Tide victory in 1962 over the then mediocre Dawgs.
Butts and Bryant sued the popular Post, winning a libel judgment, Bryant's second against the magazine.
One of the most contentious sagas in Southern college football has long been surrounded by misinformation and myths.
Seth Emerson, the University of Georgia's beat writer for the Athletic, examined court records and media articles from the time to give a comprehensive recounting of the controversy, clearing up falsehoods.
Butts, called the grandfather of the West Coast offense by the San Francisco 49ers' legendary coach Bill Walsh, led the Dawgs to a national championship in 1942 and four SEC titles before suffering several losing seasons in the 1950s. Butts was moved to the athletics director position and replaced as coach by 32-year-old Johnny Griffith before the 1962 season.
Emerson's story details how an insurance executive named George Burnett somehow overheard a telephone conversation between Butts and Bryant on Sept. 13, 1962, before the Georgia-Alabama game.
According to Burnett, Butts told Bryant about the Dawgs' plays and offensive strategy. Butts while AD had been critical of Griffith's coaching.
Defending national champion Alabama, led by sophomore quarterback Joe Namath, defeated UGA 35-0, not surprising following the Dawgs' 3-7 finish the year before. Alabama finished 9-1 that season, while Georgia struggled to a 3-4-3 finish.
Burnett took his allegations to UGA and Southeastern Conference officials, leading to investigations and Butts' retirement.
One happy outcome for Georgia fans was that the case led to the firing of Griffith and the arrival of the young Vince Dooley as head coach. Dooley during a long career revived Georgia's football fortunes. Emerson notes that when Dooley took the job, Butts took flowers to his wife, Barbara, and welcomed her to Athens.
The Saturday Evening Post heard of the investigations and seeking to boost circulation with "sophisticated muckraking" assigned the story to veteran sportswriter Frank Graham Jr. Over the objections of Post sports editor Roger Kahn, of "Boys of Summer" fame, the magazine rushed the article into print on March 18, 1963.
Butts and Bryant's suit was tried in a lengthy trial in which a jury awarded Butts $60,000 in general damages and $3 million in punitive damages. After the judgment was extensively reduced by a federal judge, Butts appealed, taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court.
Bryant had previously sued the Saturday Evening Post over a story by Atlanta Journal sports columnist Furman Bisher alleging that Bryant trained his team to play dirty and cause injuries to opponents. The Post settled with Bryant for $320,000 for both cases.
One of the myths that Emerson dispels is that the Bryant-Butts judgments caused the Saturday Evening Post's downfall. Emerson cites the magazine's mismanagement and circulation loss from the public's switch to television.
Emerson's comprehensive article gives a fascinating look back at a long vanished era of Southern football.
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