October 19, 2025
Jol’s Countdown to Bickoff: No. 19 Clint Castleberry

Jol’s Countdown to Bickoff: No. 19 Clint Castleberry

Clint Castleberry

The countdown to kick -off is officially used up, because the season opening matchup of Georgia Tech on August 29 on August 29 is less than 100 days away.

Until that time, Jol counts it on a daily basis with the player of one coats who wore the corresponding number of remaining days until Teen Leer meets in Boulder.

With the now 19 days to the kick -off in Boulder, the focus of today is on the legendary Nr. 19 Clint Castleberry, a young man who did incredible things on the field during his a season that played for the coats and followed by tackling the call to serve his country and eventually make the ultimate sacrifice.

Castleberry, wiens nummer 19 het enige permanente gepensioneerde nummer in de programmageschiedenis van Georgia Tech Football is, kwam naar de flats na een indrukwekkende middelbare school atletiekcarrière in de voormalige jongenshoog in Atlanta, waar hij een all-state selectie was in voetbal, honkbal en basketbal en zijn team leidde naar een toestand van een staatstitel op het rooster in 1941.

With the Second World War, which limited university football grilles throughout the country, the NCAA changed an earlier rule that did not allow that first -year student at Varsity level, which opened the door for Castleberry’s some season at Tech. It turned out to be historical to say the least.

Castleberry mainly played halfback, enchanting opposing defenses with his speed and skills, but also spent time to special teams and was also inserted in crucial situations in the defense. He helped Tech to a 13-6 in Notre Dame in the second game of the season, so that a 14-year-old losing series broke to the Irish. Castleberry and the jackets even rolled to a 9-0 record to start the season with victories over Auburn, Notre Dame, Chattanooga, Davidson, Navy, Duke, Kentucky, Alabama and Florida.

The jackets, led by head coach William Alexander in his 23rd season, would eventually fall to rival Georgia and then lose a close battle to Texas in the Cotton Bowl 14-7 to complete the season 9-2, but still number 5 arranged in the Final Associated Press (AP) poll.

For Castleberry, the individual awards rolled in, because he was the first underclass ever to be called the first team All-SEC and he finished third in the Heisman Trophy-Voting, the highest finish of a first-year student to Adrian Peterson finished second in 2004.

After the 1942 season, Castleberry withdrew from Georgia Tech and immediately took service with the army of the army. After he was followed by the flying training, “he earned his wings” in 1944, the rank of second lieutenant acquired and was sent to the Mediterranean to serve.

At the beginning of November 1944, Castleberry’s plane ‘Dream Girl’, a B-26, and another plane received the allocation of making stocks on troops in Dakar, Senegal. Both aircraft disappeared and were never seen again. After a six -day search that resulted in no findings, Castleberry and the rest of the crew on board the two aircraft were declared dead.

Castleberry’s plan was to resolve again at Georgia Tech and his academic and athletic career after his service to his country, but the man who was once called ‘Jackrabbit’ by a newspaper article after a match never got that chance.

You will still find the name Clint Castleberry around Bobby Dodd Stadium as a tribute to what he did as a jacket, but more importantly what he did for the US, he was admitted to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1956, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1956 and the Georgia High School22.

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