Since 1966, I’ve been buying Georgia Bulldogs tickets. As a student, I stood in the rain to watch us whip the Gators 51-0. Steve Spurrier hasn’t forgotten, and he’s been paying us back ever since.

Our children spent fall Saturdays in Sanford Stadium listening to Larry Munson growl, “There goes Herschel! There goes Herschel!”

And we hadn’t given up when Buck hit Lindsay with that glorious pass in Jacksonville.

For 35 years, we’ve sent donations so we could keep the same seats. Perched near the 50-yard line, we’ve seen almost everything. But this year, something is strange. Last year, we got a glimpse. The painful truth is like an Erk Russell head butt, minus the famous trickle of blood.

Erk is dead. And so is the storied Junkyard Dog intensity.

These days, fans never know when the real Bulldogs are going to show up. Too often, we are out-coached, out-hustled and out-classed. Defense is all about emotion, and ours is hit-or-miss at best.

If I am breathing in 35 years, I still will be sending the required bigger and bigger checks to the University. I always will be a loyalist, but the excuses for our lackluster play are unacceptable.

The Bulldog Nation deserves more from its team and coaches.

Millions are poured into the football program. If a need is imagined, money rains. As a man, husband, father and coach, Mark Richt is the gold standard. But if I were signing his paycheck, here’s the heart-to-heart conversation we would have:

“Coach, we believe in you. Next year, I want to give you a chance to double your pay and make $6 million. I think you are worth more than the $4 million Alabama is paying Nick Saban. Here’s how your compensation package works:

“Your base salary will be $500,000. Your $800,000 radio/TV and $530,000 Nike deals go to the athletic association. You work for us, not them. You can earn it back and more. Each victory triggers a bonus. The bigger the game, the bigger the bonus. Win the SEC championship, get $1 million. Win the national championship, pocket another $2 million.

“We expect victories. Our fans and the University have opened their checkbooks – within NCAA guidelines – to give you, the staff and the team fabulous resources to compete with the nation’s best. Thanks to your leadership, we repeatedly recruit rosters of nationally-ranked all-stars. It’s past time for the investments to pay off.

“Coach, we have invested millions in academic facilities and tutors for our players. We cannot suffer being ranked dead last in graduation rates. Immediate and sustained improvement is mandatory. No more blaming the past with ‘a lot of these aren’t my recruits.’ Every player with a ‘G’ on his helmet is your responsibility. Part of your pay will be based on your team’s improved graduation rate.

“This is the SEC. Being embarrassed by Steve Spurrier, Phillip Fulmer and Urban Meyer isn’t acceptable. Oh, and Vanderbilt last year? I’m still too upset to talk about it.

“Coach, I believe in you. I want to pay you $6 million. But if it takes shaving your head and butting some emotion into your players, I expect it.

“Sic ‘em, woof, woof!”

- Dink NeSmith is a 1970 University graduate and the president of Community Newspapers, Inc., based in Athens. He is also the former president of the UGA Alumni Association and an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the UGA Athletic Association.