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Jeff Dantzler is a well-known figure in Georgia Bulldog nation, and definitely no stranger to UGA fans in the Milledgeville area.
Dantzler, a 30-year member of the Bulldog broadcast team, will be making his ninth-consecutive annual visit to Milledgeville on Tuesday, Aug. 29 to entertain local University of Georgia alumni and fans with observations on the upcoming football season, which kicks off the following Saturday between the hedges in Athens.
The event will be at Duke’s Lounge and Dawg House on Sinclair Marina Road. Milledgeville-area alumni chapter president Larry Edwards is optimistic fans will want to hear from Dantzler again this year.
“We have averaged about 100 folks per year,” Edwards said last week. “I anticipate a very good turnout.”
Dantzler began his career with the university athletic department as a freshman in 1991 and two years later began announcing Lady Dogs basketball games. He hosts radio pre-game and post-game shows as well as a Sunday morning brunch recap during the football season and also is a member of the baseball broadcast team.
Discussing the current state of Georgia Bulldog football last week, Dantzler could not hide his elation.
“There’s a lot of excitement. To win the national championship (two years ago) was the biggest thing ever,” he declared. “Then, last year, I thought was the most enjoyable in Georgia history. It was a victory ride. Then, to go out there and go 15-0 to follow it up like we did, it was absolutely incredible.
“We’ve all said, we’ve all felt, the potential was there,” Dantzler continued. “Now, we’ve got the best coach (Kirby Smart) and these Georgia boys, so it’s like a dream come through. And, I think we’ll have the chance to challenge for it again this year.”
Among the teams, the ‘Dogs topped in the undefeated 2022 season were the Tennessee Volunteers, briefly ranked number one before getting beaten handily by Georgia, 27-13. Dantzler acknowledges the Nov. 18 game this year in Neyland Stadium will be tough, but there are others to watch, too, he said.
“I think South Carolina will be a challenge. Then, there’s that trip to Auburn,” he warned. “You just don’t know this day and age, with the (transfer) portal and the team chemistry … There are just a lot of X factors now. You just don’t know.” Some football pundits have said the 2023 schedule for Georgia is easier than most, starting with UT Martin, Ball State, and UAB as three of the first four opponents, along with South Carolina, all four at home. Dantzler, however, warns of complacency.
“We know this,” he said with conviction, “you better be ready to play. On any given Saturday, anything can happen. We’ve all seen it, both the good and bad.
“In Kirby’s first year, we almost lost to Nichols State,” he recalled. “I’m sure he’ll remind the team of that the first couple of games.”
Dantzler’s routine at Duke usually features a discussion of the likely starting line-up, position by position, as well as those players expected to compete for playing time, followed by observations on the team’s schedule and opponents, and a general, tentative prediction on the team’s possible success.
There will be one well-known player not on this year’s roster, but highly likely to be mentioned that night: Stetson Bennett.
“Stetson goes down as one of the great stories in Georgia football,” Dantzler said. “He was an incredible quarterback at Georgia. When you think of being the MVP of four college football playoff games and an SEC championship game, the way he was able to engineer the comebacks against Alabama and Ohio State, it is a story for the ages. Like everyone, I am a huge Stetson Bennett fan, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if, once again, he defied the odds and had an outstanding [NFL] career.”
Dantzler does not hide the fact that Milledgeville and the Bulldog fans here hold a special place in his heart.
“I love this club so much. It means so much to me,” Dantzler said. “It is to me, what I would consider the quintessential, like old-school Georgia football club, like what coach (Dan) Magill envisioned when he came up with them back in the 1950s. It’s always forward-looking, always great excitement and anticipation.
“To me,” he concluded, “the Milledgeville Bulldog Club just personifies everything that is great about Georgia football.”
Edwards encourages ‘Dogs fans to pre-register at his email address, edw005@aol.com. The event with Dantzler will start at 5 p.m., with a cost of $10 per person.