LORAN SMITH: Charley Whittemore a fixture at Georgia

Charley Whittemore has been a fixture on Georgia’s athletic front for nearly a half century. First he was a player, then came a coaching stint. These were followed by an administrative role in which he was officially a manager but more so a behind-the-scenes troubleshooter who was forever making things run smoothly when an athletic event got underway—an uncommon contributor whose reward was the inner satisfaction that he had done his job the way it was supposed to be done. He drew attention only when something went awry.

As a football player, he had everything but speed. He had a competitor’s heart, a rugged receiver who could make plays—one of the best possession receivers ever to play between the hedges. His reliability factor was over the top. Need a first down, get the ball to Charley. Need a big play to keep a drive moving forward, focus in Charley’s direction. With an ability to get open, Whittemore made countless big plays in his career and set a number of records during his three varsity years in Athens. He also returned kicks, was an accomplished blocker, and was a valuable leader—his teammates saw him produce in the face of pounding defenses, one who never complained and one who gave of himself. They took note.

With winged feet, Whittemore would have claimed high honor, like All-America, and likely would have been a big-time receiver in the NFL where he would have flourished with his extraordinarily competent hands and his ability to find the open field with his cogent route running. There was no flash to his play, just clutch and yeoman performance every snap, every game.

After a brief stay in training camp with the New Orleans Saints, Whittemore embarked on a coaching career, starting out with Memphis State, moving on to Vanderbilt with Fred Pancoast, who was Georgia’s offensive coordinator during Whittemore’s senior year, 1970. In 1978, when Pat Hodgson left Georgia as receivers coach to join Rex Dockery at Texas Tech, Vince Dooley hired Whittemore to replace Hodgson. He would have a run of 37 years before stepping aside “for the next generation.”

By 1990, Dooley had retired to the athletic director’s chair. His successor wanted to revamp his staff. Dooley welcomed Whittemore to his administrative lineup. Nonetheless, Whittemore still had the motivation to coach. As time elapsed, Whittemore saw that, at his age, the profession often leads to a dead-end street. He took the security of management and administration with Georgia and has made a laudable contribution without headlines.

The son of a Methodist minister, Whittemore settled in with a multiplicity of assignments—from facility management to game day operations for all sports to routine maintenance to trouble shooting for anything under the sun and fixing whatever was broken. All the while he was investing into a retirement program that would enable him and his charming wife, Debbie, to enjoy their golden years.

With a bent for enterprise, Whittemore, in 1990, purchased a couple of lawn mowers and started a lawn maintenance business, which flourished. He put his earnings into an interest-bearing account which would underwrite the cost of his children’s college education. There were many days when he would leave the Coliseum, where his office was located, load up his lawn mowers and cut grass until suppertime. Those who are imbued with the work ethic, energy, and inventiveness often enjoy the self-satisfaction of doing something good, bringing about positive results. That was the Charley Whittemore way.

When he called it quits last week, all his receiving records had been broken. His life as an administrator did not qualify him for any grand awards, but if ribbons, like that for a military officer, had been attached to his blazer—for loyalty, due diligence, integrity, selflessness, charity, fair play, altruism, and just being a “Damn Good Dawg,”—he might have been crippled from the weight of justifiable tribute.

There won’t be a building named for this good and decent man, but few who follow in his footsteps will ever surpass his legacy. Those of us who appreciate him and his love of alma mater are sad that he is moving on but rejoice in his having come our way.