If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Notre Dame’s Guest Services Team should be deeply flattered by this.
What was really cool and unexpected was Georgia’s announcement that it would be utilizing the “Silver Dawgs” to serve as campus hosts at the Bulldogs’ home football games in the future.
What in the world are Silver Dawgs, you ask? Well, that’s yet to be established. But if you were at the Notre Dame game in South Bend, Ind., this past September, you have an idea what Georgia is shooting for.
While on the beautiful campus occupied by the Fighting Irish, you no doubt came in contact there with one or more green-jacketed individuals who were incredibly cheerful and very willing to help. Notre Dame calls those guys its “Guest Services Team.” They are just one small part – and the most visible part — of what is actually an army of personnel that Notre Dame unleashes to provide hospitality for guests visiting their pristine campus on game days. On its website, Notre Dame numbers its “Usher Corps” at 850 people, about 350 of which are volunteers. Many others are full- or part-time employees of the university.
Basically, they’re there to make sure spectators – and visiting fans, in particular – have an enjoyable game-day and game-weekend experience. So, they’re deployed all over campus on Fridays and Saturdays of a home game and stationed at key points to answer questions, provide directions to restrooms or points of interest on campus and even to provide historical information.
Speaking as one who was there, I thought those folks were great. They really added to what was a terrific stadium experience. That Georgia is looking to emulate that is something I can heartily commend.
Get The Picture 
Umm… do I get a discount on my Hartman fund for volunteering?
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Does this count as a Mcgarity good idea?
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Nothing in Greg Mediocrity’s history indicates he’d come up with this. It would reflect a level of anticipating customer needs Greg simply doesn’t possess.
Having said that, I nominate Greg to be the first Silver Dawg, as a convenient excuse to remove him from his current job.
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Those guys did get that for free. I have a relative who was one at ND for about 15 years.
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The Rose Bowl had them, too. Great idea.
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The Tampa Bay Lightning have them also. I would have to say that watching a Hockey Match here in Tampa is unique but what makes it better are the hosts and helpers at Amelie Arena, they are top notch and genuinely want to help you. The Lightning organization actually cares about your experience. We get called typically by the organization after we attend a game. Personal touch means everything!
Hope McEars and crew don’t screw this one up too!
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I have silver hair but I’m still more on drunk obnoxious Georgia fan end of the spectrum so they probably don’t want me do they?……..If on the other hand they need assistance in hosing down some Aubarn Fans count my ass in.
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If you’d have only gone to South Bend, you’d appreciate how nice those folks were. 😉
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One of my first thoughts on leaving South Bend was this: Those people were so uniformly nice, and so uniformly welcoming, and to a person, such good sports after losing a heartbreaker. I wonder what the jackass segment of our fanbase (some of which cuts across all demographic segments of it) will do to give all those nice people a bad impression of UGA and Athens?
I get people who have lifelong beefs with AU or UT or Florida. And if you are one of those die hards who have hated ND at a distance your whole life, you should probably consider that you can root hard for the win, and still be nice and polite to the visitors, 99.9% of whom I would venture to guess will make the Boise State crowd in 2005 look like the Vandals sacking Rome.
It’s not too early to put the word out: Don’t be a jackass to the ND visitors. Consider it like going to the Masters. Try and show a little class (I realize, saying this, that low class is a form of class. Aim higher)
The guides/helpers is a fine idea, at least in the abstract. Let’s see how some of our less evolved visitors react to nice folks from Athens trying to help them get around. I eagerly await the Stingtalk posts on how these people abused them, propositioned their women, tried to eat their children, etc.
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If it’s any consolation, I did warn the fans around me not to expect the same degree of hospitality in Athens. Hopefully we’ll reciprocate in kind.
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Agree the ND guest services team were wonderful! One of them even offered offered take our photo with Touchdown Jesus in the background.
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I’m free,
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Excellent idea … it’s too bad they will have to deal with the @$$hats from Tennessee, Auburn and tech.
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That Georgia is looking to emulate that is something I can heartily commend.
Until your ticket price goes up $20 to pay for it? 😉
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Man, why are you sucking up to BM now?
😉
I agree, this is a good thing. The ND folks were very accommodating. Let’s just make sure it doesn’t include letting the opposition take over our stadium.
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One of the best Notre Dame stories I heard this year was Russ Tanner describing his recruiting trip to South Bend with his folks. “Why I’d never SEEN a Catholic”! It was good hearted and hilarious.
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If UGA wants it done properly then ask Billy Payne to run the show….
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Georgia doesn’t have the unlimited budget Billy had at the National.
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Maybe not, but he’s got skin in the game!
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If we ever get invited back I’ll be sorely disappointed.
It was my sincere desire that our 40k contingent, among with winning the game, would ensure that we would never be invited back.
If we are, I’ll go but there’s no way I could drink that much again.
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Seconded on that last part.
My buddies and I tried to drink all the beer at O’Rourke’s Irish Pub.
We came pretty close.
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Ttomorrow comes the rest of the story, your contribution goes up by $600 to cover the cost of matching jackets and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity welcoming stickers for all to disttribute.
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Great! I’ll bring cookies!
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Agreed, those guys were awesome. ADGM actually getting something right?
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“We’re trying to find some nice, gray-haired people who want to do some good things for the University.” FOR FREE. I think he left off the most important part…at least to ADGM.
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I fondly recall walking to a game against UT in the 90’s where we were about to get annihilated but everyone was rip-roaring drunk and some UT fans yells “this is the best damn place to tailgate in the SEC!”
I’m guessing that’s now what ADGM has in mind.
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