Charley Trippi
Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame
Georgia
Sugar Bowl: 1947
Inducted: 2019
Charley Trippi came into the 1947 Sugar Bowl recognized as one of the best players in the country – he had earned the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player and he was the SEC Player of the Year. While North Carolina’s defense held the superstar in check to an extent, Trippi led the Bulldogs in rushing and passing – including a 67-yard touchdown pass (it would stand as the longest in Sugar Bowl history until 1963) in the third quarter that put the Bulldogs ahead to stay in their 20-10 win. The victory capped Georgia’s first perfect season since 1896 and handed a national championship to the ‘Dawgs. Trippi, who had his collegiate career interrupted by a stint in the U.S. military during World War II, would go on to be inducted into both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. He passed away on October 19, 2022 at the age of 100 years old.
