If this is the story on June 29th…
… I can’t wait to feel what lies in store for us at around 2:00 PM on September 1st.
The two hottest experiences I suffered through at football games were at a South Carolina game more than a couple of decades ago, when I had to seek cover because of the heat, and the 2003 game at Clemson, which featured the Tigers’ center throwing up on the field and the concessions running out of ice before the end of the first half. Good times. Facing something on that level for Buffalo? Let’s just say that whoever shows up for the opener is dedicated.
And somebody better make sure the ice machines are working all day.
Get The Picture 
I can’t decide if the 2003 Clemson or the 2008 Georgia Southern game was more hellishly miserable. Both were two of the most excruciating experiences I’ve ever had, and I have spent time in South Georgia fields and Third World jungles.
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’03 Clemson was not bad where we were. We went to the top of the stadium and stood the entire game in the walkway that goes behind the seats. Sure it was hot, there was a decent breeze coming off the lake up there. Now down in the enclosed endzone had to be ridiculous.
I’ll maintain the hottest I have ever been at a football game was 2000/2008 S. Carolina and 2002 Alabama.
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2003 Clemson was bad, but Bryant Denny in 2002 was the hottest I’ve ever been at a game.
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2008 was the last year my wife was physically capable of attending games in the stadium and I remember that Georgia Southern game. In the second half, most of the cheering was for the clouds drifting down Baxter Street in the hope each one would provide a few minutes of shade and a temperature drop of a couple of degrees. To coin a cliche, that game is burned into my memory.
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Before I got shipped off to Chicago, my two hottest game experiences were ’02 in Tuscaloosa and ’03 at Clemson. Tuscaloosa was the worst however and by a good distance. Brutal.
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I was at wedding that day in Hawkinsville, just below Macon. It was miserable hot, even outside in the shade and at the evening reception. And I remember the day … October 5th.
Who woulda thunk it …
~~~
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The 2008 Ga. Southern game. Absolutely no breeze. Fans were passing out and even vomiting in the isles. We all left at half time. Field temp was close to 120 degrees. Pure misery!
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I’ll second that Tuscaloosa ’02 vote.
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That Clemson game marks the only time I ever walked out of a stadium with an unopened bottle of liquor. By the time I wanted a drink, they had nothing cold left to mix it with. Also in the running: that 2002 Alabama game Chicago mentioned. There were senior citizens clad in sticky houndstooth just sitting against the walls in the shaded concrete concourses, praying for death’s cool embrace.
But the worst was a South Carolina game back in the early 90’s. I was in high school and it was my first time in the student section. All I remember is that it was hot as hell the first half, it rained throughout halftime and then the sun came back out just as hot as before. Sanford Stadium was like a sauna. That, and a South Carolina punt hit one of our guys in the head, and they recovered the ball. I’d say it was hell, but it was more like Vicksburg or St. Louis.
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“There were senior citizens clad in sticky houndstooth just sitting against the walls in the shaded concrete concourses, praying for death’s cool embrace.”
That was as funny as it was vivid.
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I remember the 1998 opener being ridiculously hot, and walking back down Lumpkin to my friend’s house, I got a case of the hiccups so bad I nearly passed out on the side of the road. And all we got for our troubles was a win over Kent State.
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Ron Courson will be busy if that happens. We can check the temp of an object externally without contact. Wonder if that works on flesh and if it reflects internal temp as well. Anyone know? Did you know that you can stop sweating? It can happen if you have certain pathologies such as diabetes and alcoholism. Not being able to cool down exascerbates overheating. Ice machines and towels will work. I can picture the stands already: towels on heads looking like we are at a soccer game in Bumafuc, Egypt.
Pure player misery for certain.
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I went over to Columbia, SC (guess we’ve got to specify now) in 2006 for the USCe game. I remember it feeling like somebody in space was holding a magnifying glass up and pointing it right at me the entire game. Plus, there was nowhere to get any water during the game past the 1st quarter, as they “ran out” and that stadium has no fountains. It was hell.
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Wasn’t 2006 at night (18-0)? I remember it being the usual Columbia weather, but nothing out of the ordinary.
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yeah…06 was at night. ’08 on the other hand was BRUTAL.
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I’ve been to a lot of Dawg games over the past 25 years or so, but none were as miserable as my experience in Columbia in (I believe) 1998. Saying that Columbia is hot in late August/early Sept is like saying the pope is Catholic, but that damn asphalt combined with no trees or shade made for a toxic combination when you add alcohol. As we all sat in the parking lot, I remember the 6 to 8 of us suddenly looking at each other and saying, this really is hotter than hell. We were too stupid to think to pack water so we just drank beer for hydration. Literally, drinking beer like it was a cup of ice water after you’ve mowed the lawn. I sweated the brew out faster than I could drink it. Fucking crazy. Anyway, we won the game and I remembered thinking that this was Georgia’s year. Then TN came to town and blew that shit out of the water. But that’s another story for another time.
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I’ve been to most every game that’s been mentioned on this thread and I think it would have to be Clemson in 2003, without a doubt. Awful. Just awful.
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Two hottest games I’ve attended – that ’03 Clemson game you mentioned and ANY game in Columbia, SC – the place where I swear they cut down all the trees for more pavement.
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The ’08 Georgia Southern game was the hottest day i’ve experienced in my life. Including this weekend’s record breaking temps.
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Wow, not impressed by y’all. Was at Clemson 03 and Tuscaloosa 02, I don’t remember either of them being very bad. I even sat in the enclosed end zone at Clemson in 03.
If you want real heat though, go to a noon game at FSU in early September. No UGA I’ve ever been to compares.
I can say that it took me an hour to regain feeling in my feet after the 04 Tech game – guess I should have worn socks.
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The game in Columbia you’re referring to was probably 1988. I was there and it was the hottest game I can remember. The Dawgs wore red pants that day and lost to Todd Ellis & co.
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That sounds right. I remember the loss being the capper on the day. It was so hot, I quit drinking beer during pregame tailgate because I was that worried about dehydration.
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The hottest game I have attended was the 1995 South Carolina game. It was just brutal! That was the game Brice Hunter lost his helmet and kept chugging along. It is also a year after I moved to Georgia from NY and I couldn’t believe how hot it was. I was looking directly into the sun from the north student section.
Tuscaloosa, in 2002, ranks as the second hottest. Once again, looking directly at the sun.
I don’t recall the 2003 Clemson game being that bad. It doesn’t stand out to me as much as the other two games. Those were ovens.
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I was at the Bama ’02 game and don’t recall it being so bad. I must’ve gotten lucky with a shaded seat or something. But the hottest I’ve ever been was a Bama game (maybe ’95?) ‘tween the Hedges. It was the OMG Hines Ward IS GONNA PLAY QB game and we got crushed. By far the most miserable sports event attended in my life. I didn’t even get out my carry in I was so hot. Plus, a drunk, heat stroking sorority girl puked on me. Just awful.
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Me, TexasDawg, Bevo, TAMU and all other Texas UGA fans are just smiling. under the shade tree.
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