If the offense had the ball, Garrison Hearst never wanted to come out of the game.

[Top Row Dawg]

Hearst said he "didn't want to come off the field because the coaches felt like somebody else could make a catch or a block or run better than me in certain situations. I wanted to be out there for every situation. I wanted them to be like, every situation we got on offense, Garrison can do."

Hearst showed that versatility throughout his three seasons at Georgia (1990-92) and during his long NFL career. Last month, Hearst was announced as one of the members of the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Hearst will be officially inducted on Dec. 8, during the 68th NFF Annual Award Dinner at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. "I feel like it's another Bulldog getting a chance to represent the University of Georgia, and that's probably the best part for me," Hearst said.

In high school, Hearst was a star back for Georgia powerhouse Lincoln County High School, and he didn't need long to make an impact for the Bulldogs. As a freshman in 1990, he started six games and finished the season with 717 yards rushing and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, he started seven games and finished with 968 yards and nine touchdowns. His yards-per-carry average jumped from 4.4 as a freshman to 6.3 as a sophomore.

It was during his junior season in 1992 that Hearst emerged as one of the best running backs in the country, winning the Doak Walker Award. He started every game and ran for 1,547 yards and 19 touchdowns, while also catching 22 passes for 324 yards and two scores.

"It was fun to be a Bulldog that season," Hearst said. "It was our second year with that offense and with (quarterback Eric Zeier) and (wide receiver Andre Hastings) in the passing game. It was hard to put a bunch of people in the box (to stop the run), so we were able to make some plays on the ground. That offense was very fun to play in."

His yards-per-carry average of 6.8 in 1992 was the highest in SEC history, topping the mark of 6.4 set by Auburn legend Bo Jackson. Hearst also broke Georgia legend Herschel Walker's record for points scored in a season by scoring 126, as well as the mark for rushing touchdowns (19) and total touchdowns (21). Hearst's 1,910 all-purpose yards in 1992 ranked second all-time in SEC history, behind Walker's 2,067 in 1981. His records for touchdowns in a season, rushing and total, are still No. 1 at Georgia.



Hearst, whose son Gannon was a reserve running back on the football team for the past two seasons, played in the NFL for 10 seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 1998 and 2001. He battled major injuries in his career and always came back strong, twice winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards four times, including a career-best 1,570 with the San Francisco 49ers in 2001.

[ugafan49]

DGD, Woof!

[Beatledawg]

Another Bulldog point of pride!

[McDonoughDawg]

That 92 team was a damn good team..and Hearst was a hoss.

[E.CobbDawg]

No question Hearst was a DGD and didn’t want to come off the field but Terrell Davis was not happy about that…if you ever catch the show “A Football Life” episode about Davis he unloads his frustration with Ray Goff…maybe he had an attitude Goff didn’t like, IDK.

[EastBroadDawg]

Terrell Davis was good but no Hearst.