"Belue to Scott" - Telling Their Stories

Last week, a few sites published a new clip from the movie, 1980 Dawgs - The Inside Story of The National Championship Season, which tells the story of the 1980 Georgia football team that went on to go undefeated and win the National Championship with a win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. The movie, which is getting great reviews from many Georgia fans, was just released last week, and can be ordered through their web site, 1980dawgs.com.

The annual rivalry game between Georgia and Florida is this Saturday. It is a Saturday that most Dawgs, as of late, have felt heartbreak and defeat. However, in 1980, Georgia would go on to beat the Gators with the help of one of the most famous plays in college football history. If you don't remember, here is a clip from the movie that will help you refresh your memory...

In looking back at the 1980 season, obviously the Florida game's last minute 93 yd. TD pass from Buck to Lindsay was the season's pinnacle moment and as dramatic as any football play could be. So, interviewing Buck & Lindsay were obviously instrumental pieces of the documentary. I had a chance to speak with the producer of the documentary, Mike Moss, who shared the stories of the filmmaker, Lenny Daniel, and the interviews of Buck & Lindsay. Here is what Daniel had to say about interviewing Lindsay Scott:

"The interview with Lindsay occurred down in Valdosta at his home the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2009. Lindsay’s 8 year old daughter, much to his surprise, was off from school that day for the holiday week, so he was busy running his business and watching his daughter when I arrived (his wife was at work on that day).  After I set up the camera gear and lighting equipment, she decided to sit next to me and help me conduct the interview.  After a few questions, she realized I needed to get things moving and leaned in to whisper new questions I should ask her Dad. It was actually nice having a 2nd member on the crew again! She had quite a personality and kept the interview moving.  Lindsay occasionally suggested that she was taking up to much of the interview and had to pull in the reigns a time or two.  

The part of that day that I’ll always remember, however, was at the completion of the interview when I was breaking down equipment.  She called me over to the family computer and told me to “watch this”.  She hit the space bar and up popped the TD pass that changed the course of the season, as Buck scrambled from the Florida blitzing linebacker and hit Lindsay for the miracle 93 yard touchdown that kept the undefeated season alive. She beamed with pride and I had no choice but to act as if I had never seen this footage before!  “Wow, I said, “You must be so proud of your Dad!”  She giggled and shook her head, not quite old enough to fully realize the importance of her Dad’s role in Georgia football history."

While Lindsay is living the good life in Valdosta running his business, Buck Belue is a big part of the Atlanta sports media - hosting on 680 the fan, being a Braves pre-game host, and working with CSS for Bulldog football. So, a Daniel describes, the interview with Buck was a little harder to manage.

"The interview with Buck was a bit difficult to schedule.  He has quite a full schedule with his role at 680 the Fan, his pregame football show, his CSS games and his Braves pre game show, not to mention his role as husband and Dad to 3 children. We did get it scheduled for February of 2010 in the offices of the radio station where he conducts his daily show.  I thought I’d have a list of “volunteer crew members” help me set up for that interview, but everyone of my cohorts I called had a crazy day going and couldn’t break away for the interview, so again I showed up by myself with a SUV full of gear to set up. 

I gave myself plenty of time for the setup and was ready to go when Buck came in one hour before his show started.  He was decked out in a nice suit and did a great job answering every question I asked. For each player, I asked roughly 50 questions, which could take anywhere from 45-90 minutes depending on how long their answers were.  About 15 minutes before his radio show began, I still had a handful of questions to ask and thought “I’ll have to just pick the most important ones and do without on the others,” so I asked him if he needed to cut off and do prep work for his show.  He looked at his watch and politely added, “No, I can go another 10 minutes or so,“ so we finished the interview just as he needed to walk into the studio and join John Kincade for their 3:00 show. 

Buck, ever the gentleman, had nothing but kind things to say about all his teammates & coaches and had some very moving things to say about many of them, particularly the late Jimmy Payne and Erk Russell.  He also offered a helpful offer while heading out of the interview room, “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help you with the project.”

Belue to Scott will always be a classic when it comes to Georgia football, the 1980 season, and, especially, in the rivalry between Georgia and Florida. This weekend, National title hopes may not be on the line, but, this game may just decide the SEC East champion. Should Georgia need to win late in the game, one can only hope we get blessed with a play as great as "Belue to Scott."