Feeney further, and asked, we understood a “G” as the logo, but why our Georgia “G”? Feeney theorized that the design most likely came from the Green Bay Packers, who were extremely popular in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Rye, whose colors were garnet and black-due to the supply of garnet ore found while excavating the school’s foundation during the Great Depression, simply became the Garnets. But when nearby rival Harrison High had a vote to pick a mascot 57 years ago and became the Huskies, other local schools followed suit. He wrote that back in the day, high schools didn’t have team names they just went by color. Feeney was quite gracious in sharing the story of Rye High’s connection to the Georgia logo. We found Stephen Feeney, a 1965 graduate of Rye High, a career financier, former president of the Board of Education, a lifelong Rye resident, editor of the Rye Football Journal and a local historian. So being curious, we wanted to know why the similarity. so I wasn’t in some type of time warp…there is another red and black Power G out there. A young man mentioned the teams colors are garnet and black and Rye High is the only high school in town. They stated they were students at Rye High School and the team name is the Garnets. So I stopped the teens and asked the meaning of the logo on their sweatshirts. Have I discovered an unbeknownst Bulldog outpost 20 miles north of Manhattan? Hmmm, maybe the locals have taken a liking to the Bulldogs because of UGA linemen Isaiah Wilson and Jay Hayes, each who attended nearby Brooklyn Poly Prep Country Day? But Poly Prep was still 30 miles away and although the school is adjacent to beautiful Prospect Park in Brooklyn, there’s not a lot in common between Brooklyn and Rye. I was stopped in my tracks as two teens walked towards me wearing sweatshirts with the distinctive Georgia logo. Later after lunch, we were strolling down picturesque Purchase Street in downtown Rye, the quintessential American town. Wow…what were the odds there were three Georgia Bulldog fans in this quaint, Westchester County hamlet? Shortly thereafter, an Audi passed me with the iconic red and black ‘G’ plastered to the rear window. Several minutes later, I was a bit more surprised to notice a Power G banner above the window of a local restaurant. While visiting friends in scenic Rye, New York several weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see a University of Georgia ‘Power G’ flag flying from the front porch of a New England-style home.
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