In a concession to a lightning delay, a cherished Georgia Tech tradition took an unexpected hiatus Saturday, ending a decadeslong streak.
The beloved Ramblin’ Wreck car did not lead the Yellow Jackets team onto the field Saturday before their game against Gardner-Webb at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Because of a lightning delay before the game, the pregame schedule was compressed, leaving less time for the normal pregame pomp and squeezing out the honored ritual. For instance, the Tech marching band did not perform on the field beforehand.
It’s believed to be the first time that has happened at a Tech game at Bobby Dodd Stadium since the tradition began in 1961. A 2019 article in the Tech alumni magazine proclaimed that the Wreck had led the team “without fail, for every home game since its debut in September 1961.”
At Saturday’s game, multiple longtime Tech observers could not recall a time that the Wreck had failed to make its appointed round in the seasons since.
Without the famed 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe leading the way, the Jackets took the field just before 4 p.m. They were instead led out of the northeast tunnel by another sturdy Tech icon — coach Brent Key. The Wreck already was parked in the southwest corner of Hyundai Field.
Perhaps unaccustomed to not inhaling pregame exhaust fumes at their home stadium, the Jackets stumbled early, turning the ball over on their first two possessions.
Given the pride that Tech’s many drivers have taken in keeping the Wreck in running condition, it was an unfortunate way for the streak to come to an end, at the mercy of the weather. Until Saturday, the Wreck and its many pilots had built a streak of more than 400 home games.
Among other incidents, the streak survived a lowercase wreck in 2007, which caused damage exceeding $40,000, and the pandemic season of 2020, in which the Tech athletic department had to obtain a waiver from the ACC that would enable the Wreck driver to be considered “essential personnel” who could be on the field.
Coincidentally, Tech fans who made the trip for the season opener at Colorado last week were denied witnessing another famed pregame entrance, that of Ralphie the buffalo, who was retired from her duties because of what was described as “an indifference to running.”
The Wreck can commence a new streak Sept. 13 against Clemson.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
