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Four years in the life of a die-hard Dogs fan

I am nearing the finish of my college career. It’s the bottom of the ninth with two outs.

I don’t have a lot of chances left to savor the finer aspects of the University and Athens – Downtown, on-campus attractions and of course, the sports scene.

I have had the privilege throughout the past four years to witness some awesome sports moments. A football SEC championship. Three straight National Championships for the Gym Dogs. That elusive postseason birth for the men’s basketball team.

As the end approaches, it’s bittersweet. I love the University and all it has to offer, and I am going to miss so many things about this place when I am gone.

I am going to miss hearing crowd noises from Sanford Stadium on Thursday afternoons as the team readies for an away game. I will miss the buzz that’s in the air when you first step outside on game day and the hordes of tailgating fans donned in red and black as far as you can see.

Never again as a student will I enter Sanford Stadium, hear the Battle Hymn and watch the video along with 92,000 of my fellow Bulldog fans. As I think of it now, I can hear the first few notes and get goosebumps as they play back in my head. No more calling out the Dogs. No more jumping up and down frantically as Matthew Stafford runs around looking for an open receiver down field. That part of my life is done.

No more weekend trips to Stegeman for Gym Dogs meets – I have sat in the student section for almost every meet during my four years at Georgia. No more basketball games where the men are trying their hardest to “Do it for Broph” and leave their legacy. No more Diamond Dogs. No more Lady Dogs. No more.

I’ve been in denial about graduating for a while but with it rapidly approaching, there is no way I can turn a blind eye to it now. I almost can count my days left on two hands now.

I do not know where I will be when the school year starts again in August. Maybe Washington, D.C. Perhaps Newark, N.J. or even home in Roswell with my parents. Thankfully, with the wonders of modern technology, even though I might not be in Athens, I still will be able to keep track of my Bulldogs.

Back in high school when I was trying to decide what college to attend, I wanted a good mix of solid academics and a strong sports program (this is me we’re talking about here). The University of Georgia fulfilled my expectations in all areas, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

So thank you, Mark Richt, Dennis Felton and Suzanne Yoculan. Good job, Manuel Diaz, Jack Baurele and David Perno. Bravo to every single student-athlete at this University for all the work they put in. Thanks to you I have witnessed some of the best college sports programs in the nation.

I’ve been here for the highs and the lows, the wins and the losses, and I have loved every minute of it.

It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog, and I will bleed red and black for the rest of my life.