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Damn Good Dogs! The Real Story of Uga, the University of Georgia’s Bulldog Mascots

Damn Good Dogs

Damn Good Dogs!: The Real Story of Uga, the University of Georgia’s Bulldog Mascots by Sonny Seiler and Kent Hannon is now available from the University of Georgia Press.

This new edition has 80+ new pages and contains sections on Uga VI, Uga VII, Uga VIII, and Russ. The books should be widely available through most booksellers in the state, as well as online retailers.

About the book

The name Uga is synonymous with the Georgia Bulldogs, a perennial powerhouse among the top college football teams in the country. These English bulldogs are so revered that when they die, they are buried in a mausoleum at Sanford Stadium. But Uga is also a family pet, and Damn Good Dogs! gives readers a rare glimpse into the personal history of these nationally acclaimed mascots.

Filled with colorful anecdotes—such as Uga V’s famous lunge at an Auburn player, his appearance in several Hollywood films, and Sports Illustrated’s decision to put him on the cover of its 1997 college sports issue—Damn Good Dogs! provides the backstory to more than fifty years of collegiate sports history.

Wherever Georgia plays football, its famous mascot is there. At home games he stays cool in an air-conditioned doghouse or sits perched atop a bag of ice. When Herschel Walker won the Heisman Trophy in 1982, Uga IV became the only four-legged attendee at the Heisman banquet. And that—believe it or not—is just a small part of the history of the Georgia mascots.

Lavishly illustrated with more than 500 photos and images of memorabilia from the Seilers’ private collection, this edition features more than 80 new pages of material on Uga VI, Uga VII, Uga VIII, and Russ, the super sub—including an Uga VIII photo album that is sure to be a fan favorite.

Sonny Seiler is an attorney in Savannah. He is the owner of the English bull­dogs who have served as the University of Georgia’s mascot since 1956. He was the victorious attorney in the murder trial made famous in the best-selling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. He later appeared with Uga V in Clint Eastwood’s film version of that book. Kent Hannon is editor of Terry Magazine at UGA’s Terry College of Business. He has been a staff writer at Sports Illustrated, a bureau chief for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and editor of Georgia Magazine.

The following events are free and open to the public:

Saturday, Sept. 3, 10:00 a.m. – Decatur, GA
Decatur Book Festival talk and signing at the Decatur Presbyterian Church.

Friday, Sept. 9, 11:00-1:00 p.m. – Macon, GA
Signing at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

Saturday, Sept. 10, 12:00-1:00 p.m. – Athens, GA
Signing at the University of Georgia Bookstore

Tuesday, Oct. 25, time TBD – Savannah, GA
Signing at E. Shaver Books

Friday, Nov. 4, 3:00-5:00 p.m., Athens, GA
Signing at the Georgia Center in the Pecan Tree Gallery

Friday, Nov. 18, time TBD – Athens, GA
Signing at the University of Georgia Bookstore for UGA Alumni Night

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