The sports programs at Georgia Tech are nowadays known as the Yellow Jackets, but it was not always that way. Older periodicals and references see the school called the Engineers, the Golden Tornadoes, and more. None of these were officially accepted by the school however, but the newspaper writers kept on using them all the same. In 1905 Head Football Coach John Heisman, put in a formal request for the Yellow Jackets name and there you have it. One of the most famous gridiron coaching legends gave the Georgia School of Technology its very recognizable sports nickname.
Another name that is brought up in reference to the Ramblin' Wreck moniker. This identity came from an old song sung around campus. The melody and lyrics were inspired by an old folk ballad called, “The Sons of the Gamboliers.” The name Ramblin’ Wreck gained widespread acceptance in the 1920s, when Tech graduates began building makeshift mechanical buggies to improve a poor transportation system in South America. Soon thereafter, students would use representative autos painted up in support of the team, parked near the sidelines of football contests and the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech hit full swing.
The Georgia Tech football program was founded in 1892, and it has a long and storied history. The Yellow Jackets have won four national championships (1917, 1928, 1952, and 1990), and they have also won conference championships in four different conferences: the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the Southern Conference (SoCon), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Georgia Tech has been led by some of the most successful coaches in college football history, including John Heisman, William Alexander, Bobby Dodd, and Bobby Ross. Heisman, Alexander, and Dodd are all members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Here are some of the great players that wore the colors of Georgia Tech:
- Dorsey Levens the fifth round draft pick running back of the Green Bay Packers.
- Marco Coleman first round pick Line backer of the Miami Dolphins who also played with the San Diego Chargers.
- Bill Curry Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts center, who did fairly well as a head coach too.
- Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys WR Drew Hill
- Linebacker Maxie Baughan of the Philadelphia Eagles, LA Rams, and Washington Redskins.
- Line backer Pat Swilling of the New Orleans Saints
- Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions the WR they called Megatron
- Early football RB legend Joe Guyon
- Billy Shaw the excellent guard of the Buffalo Bills
