The AJC’s top 10 Georgia Tech football players of the 1960s

A panel of AJC voters chose these players as the top 10 Georgia Tech football players of the 1960s. The players are listed alphabetically.

Jim Breland

Breland began his college football career at the Naval Academy (playing with Roger Staubach on the 1964 Cotton Bowl team) before transferring to Tech, where he became an All-American center.

He helped the 1965 Jackets go 7-3-1 and beat Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl. Breland was then a captain of the 1966 team that went 9-2 and played in the Orange Bowl.

The Atlanta native is in the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Jeff Ford

Ford, a defensive back, helped Tech end a five-game losing streak to Georgia when the Jackets beat the Bulldogs 6-0 in 1969 at Grant Field.

In that same ‘69 season, Ford scored three defensive touchdowns, including a 102-yard pick-6 in a loss to Notre Dame. His nine interceptions during the 1969 campaign still are a program record, as are his 257 interception return yards in a season and 320 interception return yards in a career.

Ford was named to the all-Southern Independent team in 1969.

Rufus Guthrie

A Smyrna native who played guard and prepped at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Guthrie became a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He was an All-American and first-team all-SEC selection in 1962. Guthrie led the Jackets to an appearance in the 1962 Bluebonnet Bowl.

Guthrie was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and San Diego Chargers of the AFL, but never played professionally because of injury.

Kim King

King, who had a locker room at Bobby Dodd Stadium named after him in 2004, came to Tech in 1963 and was a left-handed quarterback. He started from 1965-67, led the Jackets to berths in the Gator Bowl and Orange Bowl and was Tech’s all-time leading passer at the time his career ended.

Also a long-time member of the Tech football radio broadcast team starting in 1974, King is in the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Billy Lothridge

Lothridge, a Gainesville High graduate originally from Cleveland, Georgia, played quarterback, safety and punter for the Jackets in the early 1960s. His 1963 season at quarterback, in which he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, included 1,006 passing yards, 478 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns.

A member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Lothridge spent nine seasons in the NFL, including six in Atlanta with the Falcons.

Lothridge was an All-American in 1963 and named the SEC back of the year that season as well.

Credit: AJC Staff

Billy Martin

Martin played tight end for the Jackets and was nicknamed “The Jolly Giant.” He starred at Gainesville High, where he was an all-state selection in football and basketball and an All-American in football as a high school senior.

At Tech, Martin became an all-SEC performer and an All-American in 1963. He is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Martin went on to play for the Falcons, the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings over a five-year NFL career.

Rock Perdoni

Perdoni, who played his high school ball in Massachusetts, spent two seasons at Ferrum (Va.) College and won a junior college national title before coming to Tech. With the Yellow Jackets he was a two-time All-American and made 10 tackles in the 1969 win over Georgia.

Perdoni, a defensive tackle, played three seasons in the Canadian Football League. He made 210 career tackles and is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

John Sias

Sias remains one of four Tech players to hold the program record for receptions in a single game, with 14 against Navy on Nov. 9, 1968. The wide receiver made 110 catches from 1966-68, 61 of which came in his senior campaign of ‘68. Sias also is in the top 10 at Tech for receiving yards (1,727), had seven 100-yard receiving games and went 20 consecutive games with at least one reception.

Sias was an all-Southern Independent selection in 1968 and is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Lenny Snow

The 1965 Gator Bowl MVP, Snow was an offensive star for the Jackets. He totaled more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 19 times over the 165-67 seasons. Snow rushed for 1,743 yards during his career and was an All-American.

An Ohio native who played high school ball in Daytona Beach, Florida, Snow was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1968 NFL draft, but never played professionally. He’s a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Credit: Georgia Tech Athletics

Dave Watson

From Eufaula, Alabama, Watson played offensive and defensive line for the Jackets at the start of the decade. He thrice was an all-SEC selection, had 12 tackles and fumble recovery in a 1961 win against Duke and was part of the historic 1962 victory over No. 1-ranked Alabama.

Twice named an All-American, Watson played for the Boston Patriots in the AFL and Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL. He is a member of the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame.

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