About UGASports
What A Long Strange Trip It's Been
In December 1997, AS began a search for a full time managing editor to run Dawgsonline.com. Steve Patterson, who at that time ran an unofficial Georgia website "How 'Bout Them Dawgs", was hired for the position on December 29th, 1997 and the site name was changed to UGASports.com.
Focusing primarily on Georgia recruiting, the site grew from a collection of half a dozen HTML pages to include rosters, depth charts, individual bio pages--in all over 125 pages by the summer of 1998.
In June 1998, Patterson moved to Athens, Ga., and began running UGASports.com as a full time career. UGASports.com became a premium subscription site that same month. By the end of June, UGASports.com had 17 subscribers, by the end of July, after covering the summer senior-led practices, UGASports.com had 64 subscribers. Ramen noodles and credit cards kept the site staff afloat.
In July 1998, UGASports.com was given credentials by the University of Georgia Sports Communications office to cover Bulldog practices and games--the first and only online source to receive credentials. Fall practice 1998 saw the first editions of the "Photo Journal", a feature that has become a favorite among subscribers. By fall 1998, the AS network had grown to 17 team sites consisting mostly of SEC and ACC teams.
1999 saw two major milestones in the development of UGASports.com The popular message board "The Dawgvent" moved from its former server (thanks DM) to AS and became UGASports.com's main message board. Prior to this time, UGASports.com's message board had a small community of posters, but after the acquisition of The Dawgvent, the message board exploded into one of the biggest on the Internet. A UCLA study in late 1999 found The Dawgvent to be in the top five busiest Internet message boards in college sports.
In April 1999, UGASports.com hired Brian "Groo" Sugrue as a columnist. Sugrue quickly became the site's main writer for men's and women's basketball. Since that time, his duties have consisted of managing the site's message boards.
In January 2000, Rivals.com (not the current Rivals.com) purchased the 17 team sites of the AllianceSports.com network. Due to the fact that Rivals.com's sites were "free" and did not require subscriptions (relying on advertising to support the cost of operations instead of subscriptions), the management at AS refunded 100% of subscribers the pro-rated amount remaining on their subscriptions.
Rising costs in the operating of UGASports.com, coupled with a dramatic downturn in Internet advertising dollars, forced the staff to come up with new solutions. At that same time, Rivals.com began developing a premium network that would be funded almost entirely by subscribers. Since UGASports.com had a proven track record with the subscription model, the staff chose to add premium content to ensure maintaining the same level of coverage readers had become used to. Thus was born the Premium Plus.
On December 26th 2000, Scott Ashton joined the UGASports.com team to cover football recruiting. Ashton was a veteran of the Georgia scene, and had a radio show on AM 790 The Zone in Atlanta at the time. He was publisher of the former Superdawg.com website. (note: Ashton left the site in April 2001 to work for the TheInsiders.com which subsequently because Scout.com, but he no longer works in the business)
January 2001 saw the addition of UGASports.net, the alternate site that hosts most of UGASports.com's premium photos, and in the beginning, the site's rosters and depth charts. Since that time, the rosters and depth charts have become a feature of UGASports.com's main site.
On April 10th, 2001, UGASports.com announced that Rivals.com was shutting down due to bankruptcy. A flawed business model based largely on advertising revenue streams led to the Seattle based company's demise. UGASports.com survived this time by calling on the Dawgnation to join an email list (AJC Coverage) to stay in touch through the turbulent time. The list grew quickly to nearly 7,000 names.
Fall of (the old) Rivals & Rebirth of AS
4/10/01 - The End of "the old" Rivals.com We have been informed that Rivals.com is shutting its doors effective today.
We do not know how long our sites will stay in existence, but we will let you know as soon as their are any more developments.
We have a plan with a new network of Southern sites, all of which are proven sites with competent publishers and a vast readership--we will have that network up ASAP.
In the mean time, we will continue to use the Rivals.com site so long as it is there while we finalize our plans.
In the event that the site no longer exists, please point your browser to UGASports.net for a temporary home for the site. UGASports.net is a very basic site and will be used only to pass along news--it is nothing like the new site we have in the works, but it will do for the time being if the Rivals.com sites vanish.
The Return of AllianceSports.com - 4/20/01
NASHVILLE--April 20, 2001--AllianceSports announced today that it has executed an agreement to acquire or license certain assets of Rival Networks, Inc., known throughout the Internet and sports industries as Rivals.com. Rivals built a network of more than 600 sports-related sites into the stickiest sports site on the Internet, generating up to 30 million daily page views.
The agreement covers Rivals.com's trademarks and trade names, marketing materials, and selected hardware, software source code, databases, and content. The transaction also involves certain assets sold by AllianceSports to Rivals.com in January 2000.
The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both AllianceSports and Rivals.com. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Rivals.com will continue operations of the existing Rivals.com network of sites as arrangements are made for the transition of the Rivals' network to AllianceSports.
On Wednesday April 28th 2001, UGASports.com rejoined the AllianceSports network. Shannon Terry and Greg Gough rebuilt the network following the downfall of Rivals.com. UGASports.com was the first team site to sign with the new network.
AllianceSports Closes Final Agreement with Rivals- 5/4/01
NASHVILLE, TN (5/4/01) - AllianceSports, based in Brentwood, Tennessee, today announced that it has finalized and closed its agreement to acquire and license certain assets of Rival Networks of Seattle Washington, known throughout the Internet and sports community as Rivals.com. Rivals.com is a leading national network of more than 600 sports-related sites generating up to 30 million page views a day.
The acquisition represents the "re-entry" of the original founders of AllianceSports, Greg Gough and Shannon Terry, back into the online sports business which they helped pioneer before they sold the assets of the company to Rivals.com in January of 2000. "We are excited about the opportunity to pick up where we left off a year ago," said Gough. "We are combining the proven subscription-based business model that we developed on a regional basis with the scope of the national audience and advertiser appeal of Rivals.com."
Rivals.com combined college, recruiting, pro, high school, and other sites into a large network of sites and online communities, and quickly became the "stickiest" sports site on the Internet. AllianceSports, prior to being sold to Rivals.com, was the first network of college team sites to successfully integrate subscription services with other free content, and received as many as 3 million page views a day on only 7 major team sites. "We are delighted that AllianceSports is licensing our technology and continuing our vision for this network," said Saul Gamoran, Rivals' CEO.
"Our intention is to continue to improve the quality and scope of Rivals.com by providing enhanced software tools to sports publishers, who want to have creative control over their sites in addition to the ability to easily add and maintain content", said Gough. "We have evolved into a one-stop shop for today's sports fan. On one network you can get in-depth news on your favorite team, post thoughts on message boards, review videos of players and game highlights and much more. In addition, our premium content from publishers and recruiting experts gives readers in-depth information not obtainable through any other source."
The final asset purchase and license agreements cover Rivals.com's trademarks and trade names, marketing materials, and selected hardware, software source code, databases, and content. The transaction also involves certain assets sold by AllianceSports to Rivals.com in January 2000. The transaction has been approved by the shareholders and boards of directors of both AllianceSports and Rivals.com.
JBS Sports, Inc., a Delaware corporation doing business as AllianceSports, is a media and technology services company that is creating the world's leading online community of sports fans by powering quality team and affinity sports channels in one easy-to-navigate network.
UGASports.com Welcomes Charlie McIntyre - 6/22/01
Charlie McIntyre joined UGASports.com on June 22nd, 2001. McIntyre's focus will be on Georgia football and basketball recruiting.
"I am glad to have Charlie as a part of our team," said UGASports.com publisher Steve Patterson. "He brings a fresh new voice to our talented group of writers and contributors, and he has they type of passion for recruiting in the Southeast that we felt was needed on UGASports.com."
A native of the Mid Atlantic, McIntyre has been a free lance writer for sports publications and guest on many sports radio shows in the past decade. (McIntyre is no longer with the site, it was a pen name that two different writers used over a two year period)
--JULY 17, 2001: Many UGASports.com Photo Journals, Photo Journal Archives, Video Journals, and Video Journal Archives links will be updated this week with a new look and expanded to include all multimedia since 1998. Photos will be first, followed by videos, and lastly audio files.
---July 19, 2001: You've come to expect numerous, almost countless, updates from the Rivals100 staff over the past three years on an almost daily basis. You can definitely expect more of the same in the future. However over the next few days, the updates might be a little less frequent than expected. That's because we're in the process of uploading thousands of names, biographical information, scholarship offers, visit dates and favorite schools on all of the top players in the nation. Yep, that's right - the Rivals100 recruiting database is just around the corner. The target date is on August 1st for launch, but it could be sooner than that, and we promise you to give you a sneak peak of what you'll get with Package C and Package D of the premium ticket throughout the next week leading up to the database launch. It's a time consuming process, but it's an exciting one. The entire Rivals100 Staff and the rest of the AllianceSports recruiting team is pumped about how things have turned out and believe that this database - pardon the pun - will be un-Rivaled!
--9/13/2001: The following was written by SaxonDawg and posed on UGASports.com 9/13/01. The Binch went on to make the rounds of the internet and part of our collective memory of the terrorist attacks.
Every U down in Uville liked U.S. a lot,
But the Binch, who lived Far East of Uville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! the whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,
It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing Uville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"
Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules,
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing Uville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
and their voices would drown every sound in the land.
"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea--an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"
The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow--
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!
He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!
He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young,
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.
So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.
For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!
--Sept. 17, 2001: Though it has been nearly five months since the move back to AllianceSports, we are continuing to add new items and upgrade the site.
Added or Changed ...
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The is the new home of limited statistical content that formerly was available on the Expanded Football Roster. You will notice that the position reports (available by click on "click for more info") now contain dated comments and/or stats. We will keep these as a running item though the season, and they will be updated after each game.
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Readers will notice that we have added links directly under the sports headers on the front page. The sports headers are the "Latest News, Football News, Football Recruiting, and Baseball News" logos. The "Baseball News" logo now has links to Diamond Dawg schedules and stats. (Since there are no current basketball news items, the Basketball News logo is not on the front page, it is currently on the Basketball Page).
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We have completed some slight redesign of the "filter pages", or in non-computer speak, the individual sport pages. Football, Football RInteractive Depth Chartecruiting, Baseball, and Basketball have all be upgraded in one way or another to make finding the information easier for readers. In particular, the Football Recruiting page is packed with content. Be sure to scroll all the way down to make sure you are getting all the updates. Also, be sure to click on the "Even More Updates" for exactly that!
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Charlie McIntyre has a new, somewhat redefined mission with UGASports.com. Being our resident, Georgia only, recruiting guru/expert/tell-it-like-it-is-type of guy, Charlie will try to bring subscribers, on average, two recruiting updates or tid-bits on week days, as well as one prospect feature a week, and a weekly Bulldog Recruiting Notebook.
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We are currently in the process of implementing a new plan for monitoring the Dawgvent. We expect to have an announcement soon. The news staff of UGASports.com will have no day-to-day involvement with any aspect of the vent. Instead, a separate entity is being formed to handle all Dawgvent related concerns. Please send questions to Dawgvent@UGASports.net.
Coming up ...
Here are a few of the ideas that we are working on:
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We are revaluating the mission of the Expanded Football Roster. We will likely merge the Red Cross Report with the roster now that most of that info will be on the depth chart.
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The Interactive Dept Chart will feature opposing teams as well as UGA.
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The AllianceSports Network Recruiting guys, Bobby Burton and Jeremy Crabtree, are in the process of getting together the next version of the . The current database is unprecedented in the brief history of recruiting databases, with its power search capabilities including: high school, 40 speed, bench press, region of the country, state, school, JUCO, and on and on. Be sure to check it out.
--Oct. 4, 2001: Here are a couple of tips for Ticket C and D subscribers on accessing network recruiting information.
Ticket C and D subscribers can access more recruiting information than just what appears on the front page or News Index of UGASports.com. There are several ways to get this info, here are a few:
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Bookmark and visit Rivals100.com and SECRecruiting.com or any of the other recruiting sites in the network on at least a daily basis.
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Bookmark and visit the UGASports.com Recruiting Page. In addition to recruiting content from UGASports.com, you will find select links from Rivals100.com and SECSports.com. There are stories and updates on prospects from the State of Georgia, other southeastern states, prospect rankings such as The Rivals100 and more.
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If you have missed a couple of days and just want to catch up on recruiting and not sift through other news, you can sort the Nws Index or visit the Recruiting Archive.
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If you have a particular player that you are following closely, bookmark his Prospect Database page and watch for links under the Recent Updates area. (reminder, even if you are not going to read news, to get the full effect of the prospect database you need to be logged in to see everything).
--Nov. 1, 2001: We would like to announce a new feature to the site--The Ticker. The Ticker brings all recruiting updates on players mentioning UGA, from all the sites on the AllianceSports college network and the Rivals100.com recruiting network, into one place.
For instance, if you select October from the first pull down menu, then 2001, then enter in 100 for the last 100 updates, you will see the last 100 recruiting updates from around the network, and the best part is that they are only ones in which the prospect mentions Georgia.
There are many great sites in the AllianceSports college networks that have objective recruiting coverage staffs, furthermore, with so many sites in the Rivals100.com recruiting network, such as Rivals100.com, SECRecruiting.com, ACCRecruiting.com, Kurelic's Recruiting, Big12Recruiting.com and so on, you can spend half the morning surfing around to find every recruiting tidbit of interest. Fell free to keep on surfing, but remember to use The Ticker for a quick link to all the latest news.
--Nov. 12, 2001: Despite Baiting; Dawgs Cool
Despite being baited by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to show their bad side, the Dawgnation handled itself admirably in the wake of the the tough loss to Auburn with a generally upbeat Mark Richt call in show Sunday evening.
Since this is a war in which the paper continuously pits the coaches against the fans, particularly those on The Dawgvent, and then writes about the ongoing soap opera every time something goes wrong in Athens, UGASports.com is taking a hands off approach to the topic. However, "Jim from Duluth" a regular caller to the show and long time poster on the Dawgvent has written a recap: click here to read what the fans and the coach had to say.
Adams Joins UGASports.com
2/1/2002 - UGASports.com welcomes the addition of John Adams to our team of Bulldog coverage. Adams, who resides in Athens, will cover men's basketball and football. (Adams is no longer with the site, it was a pen name and the writer has left the Georgia market)
Todd Unzicker Joins UGASports.com
2/4/03 - Todd Unzicker began writing for UGASports.com today as a freelance writer and will cover football and football recruiting for UGASports.com.
--Aug. 18, 2002: We are adding some new features to the site over the next week weeks. Here is a brief description of each:
Available now
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Game Ticker - Scores of all games in Division 1-A football sorted by week. Scores changes will be updated as they occur. You can sort the scores by conference to Top 25 ranking. All Georgia games will appear at the top left. You can also set the page to automatically refresh every 30 or 60 seconds. You can click on school names to visit their Rivals.com team site. Box scores will be automatically updated at the end of each game.
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2002 Schedule - Complete 2002 UGA football schedule. After the start of the season, box scores of games and records of opponents will be automatically updated.
On the way
You will notice at at the top of the Game Ticker and 2002 Schedule pages you see tabs for the following features. They will be coming online one by one over the next couple of weeks.
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Team Stats - Complete team stats that will be updated at the conclusion of each game.
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Roster - Complete team roster. You will be able to click on a players name to view his cumulative season stats. Down the line we will make this sortable by a variety of criteria
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Standing - Conference standings of all Division 1-A conferences.
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Rankings - Latest Top 25 Rankings.
You can reach the Game Tracker and other features via a link in the left side column of the website.
--Feb 7, 2003: From everyone behind the scenes at UGASports.com, we would like to thank our subscribers for making everything we do possible. We wanted to touch base with you to get you up to speed on what we are planning for 2003.
First, we would like to introduce and welcome Todd Unzicker to the site staff. Unzicker covers UGA recruiting for Dawgs Illustrated Magazine and will be contributing content to UGASports.com. Unzicker lives in Athens. We will be announcing another new site member soon to bolster our football coverage.
Secondly, here is a quick look at what to expect in the next couple of months:
Site content
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Beginning next week, we will begin profiling the top rising prospects in the state for next year's (yes, that is 2004) class. Year in and year out there is plenty of homegrown talent in the State of Georgia for the Bulldogs to fulfill all their recruiting needs, so chances are you will be reading about everyone one of them here soon. Over the next 60 days we will be posting high school coach interviews, prospect bio with interview, player photos, and player video, where you can rate and scout the top prospects!
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Spring practice is right around the corner, and as long time subscribers know, spring is traditionally our best coverage of football. There are so many questions, and it is our first good look at all the players that redshirted in 2002.
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Though a new deal with Dawgs Illustrated Magazine, we will be also bringing higher quality photographs, as well as daily practice coverage.
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Between now and signing day we will be taking a detailed look at what the Bulldogs have as they head into spring, including a look at winter conditioning.
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Look for more site staff involvement on The Club Level to answer questions and take suggestions from subscribers on how to improve UGASports.com. If you have not visited The Club Level in a while, traffic has really picked up, and you can always get an answer to a question.
Get-togethers
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Signing day was a huge success for out get together at The Blind Pig in Athens. We don't know exactly how many people we had on hand, but we are told that The Pig did about the same amount of business as they do for a home game against a small out-of-conference school. The live remote by AM 960 The Ref's Home Team was icing on the cake. We will be having similar get-togethers in the upcoming months, including G-Day and Picture Day.
Stuff
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As those that came out for signing day know, we now have UGASports.com/the dawgvent t-shirts and bumper stickers. We are getting our own online store and hope to open next week. Remember, membership has its privileges, and UGASports.com/the dawgvent site stuff is priced under the Rivals Rewards benefits program. We will go into more detail on that when the store opens.
Once again, thanks for your support and we continue to encourage your active participation on The Club Level, the fastest growing Georgia fans only message board on the 'net.
--May 5, 2003: NASHVILLE, TN (4/30/03) - Rivals.com today announced the launch of its highly anticipated Recruiting Database 3.0, which combines dozens of new features, statistics, search capabilities, and customization, with the official launch of Rivals' Video and Audio libraries, which currently contains more than 1,000 video clips of recruits, as well as many audio interviews from both college and high school coaches as well as recruits.
"Rivals.com is widely considered the nation's no. 1 recruiting authority and that title brings with it an awesome responsibility," said Bobby Burton, Rivals' Director of Recruiting. "That means we have to continually be ahead of the general marketplace in terms of breaking news, new media offerings and software. There's no question that Recruiting Database 3.0 puts us light years ahead. The new media console that includes video and audio clips of the nation's best prospects is one-of-a-kind. It shows Rivals' continued commitment to being the unquestioned leader in college football and basketball recruiting."
"As an entire network, Rivals.com is always looking to bring added value to its Premium Ticket members and this is something they've been wanting for the last two years," said Shannon Terry, president of Rivals. "We're excited to be the first to offer a high quality, full video library."
Highlighted features of Recruiting Database 3.0 include the following:
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New Media Gallery - video clip archives as well as audio interviews allow subscribers to judge talent for themselves and hear prospect and coaches interviews
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Launch of new "Rivals Rating" index, a new and better way to rate and compare football prospects
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Detailed season-by-season statistics
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Coaches quotes - find out what high school and college coaches think about each prospect
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Enhanced search - a number of new search options have been added or enhanced to allow more detailed and more powerful searches for prospects
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Enhanced design - Recruiting Database 3.0's new "look and feel" is updated to provide a clean and easy-to-use format to provide as much information as possible in a concise format
Sample pages:
Since 1996, the Recruiting Database has provided detailed information for college football and basketball recruiting, including intentions of recruits for football and basketball, official visits, scholarship offers, and other news, and has become the leading and most frequently quoted online source for recruiting information. Rivals Recruiting Database is maintained by nationally recognized recruiting experts Jeremy Crabtree, Russ Blake, Denny Conroy, Mike Farrell, Brian Gates, Lorenzo Harris, Rick Kimbrel, Jon Kirby, Bill Kurelic, Tim O'Halloran, Mike Sullivan, Tim Watts, and Shay Wildeboor, and it is managed by Bobby Burton.
Since its relaunch in 2001, Rivals.com has become the online leader in college sports and it remains the "stickiest" sports site on the Internet. Rivals' Premium Ticket subscription sales have doubled in each year of its existence, and Rivals has established a firm grasp on its status as the most popular college sports and recruiting destination on the Internet. Publishers and writers on the Rivals network provide fans with unparalleled coverage of their favorite college team.
Based in Brentwood, TN, Rivals.com is the online leader in its market, with a nationwide network of college, high school, and recruiting sites, providing exclusive and in-depth team coverage as well as the "ultimate team experience" and community interaction. Serving millions of readers and syndicating content to ESPN, The Sporting News, and other sports media outlets, Rivals.com has emerged as one of the leading and most innovative sports media properties on the Internet.
Jeremy Patterson Joins UGASports.com
5/14/03 - UGASports.com magazine announced today the hiring of Jeremy Patterson as its new Recruiting Analyst. Patterson, who has worked with other sites of the Rivals.com network doing recruiting coverage, has radio experience covering Alabama state high school football and has followed Southeastern Conference recruiting for several years.
"It is a great privilege to be a part of UGASports.com and Dawgs Illustrated magazine," Patterson said. "UGASports.com is one of the most respected and well known college athletics websites on the Internet. To be a part of that is something special. I look forward to working with Steve and the rest of the Bulldog nation for a long time to come."
Steve Patterson, owner of The Patterson Press, Inc. which publishes both UGASports.com said: "After going over more than 80 applications for the position, I felt like Jeremy was the most qualified person for the job, and his proven track record in both freelance work for us and work with other publications, clearly demonstrated he has what it takes to be a part of our team."
"While Jeremy has excelled at thorough individual updates, he has also shown a talent for analysis - keeping an eye on Georgia's needs and numbers," said senior staff member Brian Sugrue. "The combination of an impartial interviewing style and an understanding of the recruiting big picture means that Dawg fans will be getting accurate information on the people who will be at the forefront of this year's recruiting battles."
A native of Ashland, Alabama, Patterson, plans to relocate to Athens, Ga., in the coming year. (Jeremy Patterson is no longer a member of the UGASports.com staff)
--Nov. 3, 2003: Welcome to UGASports.com! Whether you heard about us in Jacksonville or just stumbled on the site, you've found the home of the leading online destination for coverage of and discussion about our favorite team.
UGASports.com is a one-stop destination for coverage of the current Bulldog football, basketball, and baseball programs, recruiting information for the pups of the future, and the largest community of fans talking about the Dawgs on the famous DawgVent message board. Headed by publisher Steve Patterson, the staff of UGASports.com has worked hard for over five years to develop a reputation of credibility and authority as a primary news source.
The site is also a member of the Rivals.com network, a team of school sites and national experts that enhances our coverage with some of the top resources in sports media and technology.
Take some time to look around the site. There's quite a lot to see. Though much of the site is subscription-based (we are able to serve the Bulldog nation so well only through the support of our subscribers), we offer a free trial subscription so that you can look around with zero risk. Plenty of content is also available without a subscription, so please do click around. Here are some of the highlights as to what's available on UGASports.com:
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The News Index and The Ticker
Years of content covering the whole range of Bulldog athletics is there. You can filter by sport or search by date to find just what you're looking for. If it's a big recruiting story, it will hit the Ticker. News from around the entire Rivals.com network about any prospect considering Georgia will flow right to the Ticker. -
Team Pages, Rosters, Stats
Check along the links along the left side of the page for detailed information about the sports we cover. Schedules, box scores, stats, rosters, depth charts...all there. -
Unmatched Bulldog Multimedia
We've been at this for years, and no place is that more evident than in the multimedia archive. Though other sites might now offer some photos or even audio, UGASports.com was pioneering this medium years ago. Check out pictures from Fred Gibson's amazing Kentucky game in 2001. As far back as 1998, watch the Dawgs jump off your screen. Turn up your speakers and hear the weekly press conference with Coach Richt or comments from the playmakers after the games. We continue to make the most of the Internet and deliver so much more than the printed word. You hear comments firsthand from the players and coaches and see the big plays in living color. -
Recruiting Database
The collected expertise of the Rivals.com network comes together in the recruiting database. Search by dozens of criteria to see who the best prospects are and what they think of the Dawgs. For each prospect, all necessary information is right there on one page. And as you might expect, the multimedia available extends to recruiting with an extensive video library of the top recruits. -
The Biggest and Best Online Community of Dawg Fans
The DawgVent is in a league of its own among team message boards. From in-depth football talk to casual discussions about anything of interest to the Bulldog nation, it will be on the DawgVent Chat. The DawgVent isn't only an online community. "Venters" have been getting together at home games, away games, and as far away as Southern California and Chicago just through connections made through this community. Jump in to the discussion and see if you're not the next to become hooked. It's open to all, and a subscription is not required to start posting. Bring a sense of humor, your passion for the Dawgs, and definitely a thick skin!
For serious discussion laser-focused on UGA and Bulldog sports, our subscribers have a Dawg-only haven on the premium DawgVent message board. It's also where you can interact directly with the UGASports.com staff. Often, the staff takes requests from subscribers for players and prospects that the fans would like to hear from. This board is also where the staff breaks news about the team or a pending commitment. Subscribers also enjoy occasional exclusive chats with the UGASports.com recruiting experts.
Once you look around, we hope you'll consider becoming a subscriber to the site. This is a great time of year to join up: the football team is in the SEC stretch run, basketball will be starting up really soon, and the heat of recruiting season is only six weeks away. Start with a free trial subscription and hang on for the busiest and best time of year for the UGA sports fan.
Five reasons to consider a subscription to UGASports.com:
1) Your voice is heard. On the home of the DawgVent, you're a part of the largest, longest-running, and most visible online community of Georgia fans. When someone wants to take the pulse of the Bulldog Nation, they come to UGASports.com and the DawgVent.
2) We're on location and inside. UGASports.com has had an Athens presence unique among online sources covering UGA athletics since 1998. Working alongside and with other media outlets, our accurate and thorough coverage has developed a reputation of quality. We deliver on that experience and access for exclusive interviews, breaking news, and unmatched multimedia that brings the Dawgs right to your computer screen.
3) Specialized recruiting coverage. Whether you want the big picture or want to focus only on the Dawgs, we've got you covered. With the support of the technically superior Rivals.com network and national experts and resources, we're able to keep you up-to-date on the national and regional recruiting scenes. When the focus is on UGA recruiting, we have over five years' experience and credibility in providing objective, relevant, and timely recruiting news on Bulldog prospects.
4) We cover it all. We don't go into hibernation after the bowl game. You get full coverage of UGA basketball and baseball plus nonstop news on off-season football happenings highlighted by our unparalleled spring practice reports.
5) By Dawg fans for Dawg fans. We bring news, features, and coverage with the same passion with which we all support the Dawgs. We're in step with what information really matters to Bulldog fans. If it's important to Dawg fans, it's important to us.
--May 20, 2004: Recruiting events such as the Nike Camps are critical events in the recruiting world. Coaches and scouts have long been scouring camp data and reports when making their recruiting decision, but few fans have had access to this inside information.
Now, Rivals.com is bringing these camps directly to all Ultimate Ticket Subscribers!As an Ultimate Ticket Subscriber, you get official, camp-certified heights, weights, 40 and shuttle times, benches, and verticals on every player attending the camp. You can view each player's data individually, or compare him to others in Top 10 lists sorted by position or overall. We also have highlight films, one-on-one player interviews, dozens of pictures, and much, much more!
--Aug. 23, 2004: In an ongoing effort to continue its reign as the nation's leading recruiting authority, Rivals.com is proud to announce the creation of All Media Pass (AMP), the company's newest product offering.
AMP is specifically designed to further meet the recruiting needs of Rivals.com subscribers, more than 80 percent of whom access the network via broadband connections. AMP will allow Rivals.com subscribers to enjoy the complete broadband experience, while also accessing Rivals.com's in-depth football and basketball recruiting coverage through new media formats.
Rivals.com AMP will feature in-depth video coverage of and exclusive interviews with the nation's elite football and basketball recruits, as well as features on the recruiting efforts of programs around the country and detailed looks at the top talent in each state. The highlight clips are only of the highest quality and every segment is produced in the Rivals.com studio, located in the new 15,000-square foot Rivals.com headquarters in Brentwood, Tenn. Additionally, on-location reports also will be created throughout the coming football season.
"We're all really excited about AMP and everything that it will deliver to our most diehard fans," Rivals.com president Shannon Terry said. "We have prided ourselves on being the pioneer of video coverage in the recruiting industry, and this product will only serve to enhance that reputation with our customers."
Rivals.com Amp will produce more than 500 recruiting segments and productions between now and Feb. 1. The productions vary in length but average between four and six minutes. Additionally, AMP subscribers will receive the Rivals.com Football and Basketball Recruiting Yearbook. The 128-page, full-color publication, which will retail for $14.95, will feature profiles and features on the top high school football and basketball players in the country. The yearbook, created to be the definitive print resource for recruiting fans, will be available Nov. 1. Additionally, AMP subscribers will receive instant email notification on breaking commitments for up to five schools of their choice.
Rivals.com AMP subscriptions will be available to Ultimate Ticket Gold Members at a cost of $39.95 per year and at a cost of $49.95 to non-Gold Members. However, between now and Oct. 31, as a way of thanking the Rivals.com fan base, AMP will available free to all Ultimate Ticket subscribers. Team Ticket subscribers simply need to upgrade to the Ultimate Ticket to access all AMP features until Oct. 31.
"What we're doing is unparalleled in our industry," said Rivals.com Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development and AMP General Manager Will Woods. "Our knowledgeable recruiting fans expect the best and we're going to deliver just that with this product. With the launch of AMP, the comprehensive recruiting coverage we can provide simply cannot be duplicated or matched."
Todd Unzicker Promoted to Managing Editor UGASports.com
1/26/2005 - Todd Unzicker, who started as a freelance writer for UGASports.com in February 2003, was hired as a staff writer in May 2004, promoted to senior staff writer in November 2004, has been named Managing Editor of UGASports.com. Unzicker is just the second Managing Editor in the eight year history of the website. Steve Patterson, who was Managing Editor from 1997-2001, was named site publisher in 2001.
"While we have had some great staff members at UGASports.com over the years, Todd has the passion and desire needed to maintain a website as popular as UGASports.com," said Patterson. "He knows the team inside and out, understands in intricacies of recruiting, and can handle the day in and day out demands of running a site with a message board as successful as The Dawgvent."
Unzicker, who has held positions at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Athens Banner-Herald, has lived in Athens since 1994 when he moved to the classic city to attend the University of Georgia. He is a member of the Prince Avenue Baptist Church, and enjoys fishing in his spare time.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I feel very honored by the move," said Unzicker. "I look forward to bringing the Georgia fans the best Bulldog football and recruiting coverage. This will be an exciting time for UGASports.com."
Simmons Joins UGASports.com Team
2/8/2005 - UGASports.com continues to raise the bar of University of Georgia football and football recruiting coverage. As part of this continued growth, website publisher Steve Patterson announced late Wednesday the hiring of Chad Simmons as the new football recruiting analyst of UGASports.com.
UGASports.com was the first site to sign with the Rivals.com network in 2001, and has been one of the biggest sites on the network since....
"I follow UK sports and college sports in general on Rivals.com, but my favorite site on the entire network has to be UGASports, because of the Dawgvent," said Rivals.com CTO and co-founder of the AllianceSports network Greg Gough. "Where else can you get sports news, Michael Jackson trial updates, conservative and liberal (but mostly conservative) political opinion, and discussions of technical support with computers all in one place. It's the only board where you could say its name, "The Vent", and EVERYONE knows which site."
"I am so excited to have the opportunity to join the Rivals.com and UGASports.com team," said Simmons, 27. "I am ready to hit the ground running and bring my energy, passion and dedication to this amazing, successful corporation."
"Adding Chad to the UGASports.com team is a shining example of Rivals.com and UGASports.com trying to build the most authoritative voice on the Internet for Georgia sports," said Rivals.com General Manager and Executive Vice President Bobby Burton. "Chad adds more resources from a personnel perspective and a media perspective."
"I have known about Chad for some time," said Patterson. "While working for other media outlets he has provided outstanding coverage of UGA recruiting, and he will be a great asset to our site. Chad has a firm grasp on what Georgia fans want to know about the Bulldogs' recruiting efforts, and his work ethic is unquestioned."
"I have been on both sides of the ball," said Simmons. "I have been a fan of recruiting, so I have a feel of what the fans want to know. With that said, I know I want to, and will provide the best not only for the members of the website, but also the prospects that I deal with on a day-to-day basis."
As a full time employee of UGASports.com, Simmons will traverse the State of Georgia and provide site subscribers with news, photos, video, and insight from Chattanooga to Waycross and from Augusta to Bainbridge. He will also be a prominent fixture on our premium message board, The Dawgvent, to talk recruiting with site subscribers. Simmons' screen name on the message boards is "Chad Simmons" and his email address is csimmons@rivals.com.
"I will work hard to bring breaking news (commitments), interviews, photos, video and analysis of recruits to Rivals.com," said Simmons. "I am truly looking forward to working with Rivals.com and continuing to develop relationships with the recruits and all the members of our site."
In related news, Todd Unzicker, will assist in recruiting coverage, particularly beyond the State of Georgia, and also take over media and Bulldog club relations for UGASports.com. Unzicker will be traveling to clubs across the state and the Southeast. Bulldog clubs interested in a presentation from UGASports.com should email steve@ugasports.com for more information.
"I am extremely excited about Chad joining our team at UGASports.com," said Unzicker. "It will be a great addition to the staff to have Chad joining me for the most comprehensive UGA recruiting coverage in the State of Georgia and beyond."
Todd "Todd-U" Unzicker on sabbatical
8/1/2005 - It is with mixed emotions that I announce to the UGASports.com community today that Todd Unzicker, a.k.a, Todd-U or The General, will be taking a leave of absence from the site as he returns to Honduras on a church mission. Unzicker spent a week in-country in June and will now return to open a new recovery center.
"I am very excited about this opportunity that God has called me into and look forward to the challenge," said Unzicker. "I appreciate all the prayers and support of the Dawgventers as I embark on this new calling."
Hired as a part-time football writer in the winter of 2003, Unzicker has been a integral part of the UGASports.com staff through the sites biggest growth spurt in its eight year history. Promoted to managing editor this past winter, Unzicker has worked behind the scenes in many ways to help UGASports.com become the online authority of Georgia Bulldog news.
"UGASports.com is and will continue to be the only 'professional' job that I would want," said Unzicker. "It has been a joy to work with Steve (Patterson), Chad (Simmons), Jeremy (Patterson), and Groo (Brian Sugrue) these past four years and I especially enjoyed getting to know many of the Dawgventers personally."
He will file his final story on August 31st before heading to Latin American, but after his mission, he will be welcome back to the Rivals.com family in the late summer of 2006 when he returns.
"I have been so happy at UGASports.com/Rivals.com that it would only take God's calling into the mission field for me to take a leave of absence," said Unzicker.
Harrison joins UGASports.com Team
9/1/2005 - UGASports.com announced Wednesday the hiring of Brad Harrison as the latest addition to the site staff. Harrison's duties will be daily beat coverage of UGA football, basketball, and baseball, as well as having a presence on our subscriber only message board, The Dawgvent.
"I'm very thankful for the confidence that Steve and everyone else at Rivals.com have shown in me by offering me this position," said Harrison. "To say I'm excited about this would be a huge understatement. I mean, I'm covering the Georgia Bulldogs, and it doesn't get any better."
A 2004 graduate of the University of Georgia Grady School of Journalism, Harrison has five years of experience in sports writing. While a student at UGA he covered the football team for two seasons and the Lady Dawgs basketball team for the student newspaper the Red & Black.
"It's kind of funny in a way," he mused. "I spent three years in Athens trying to get a job so I could get into the real world. Little did I know that the real world would quickly take me back to Athens."
Harrison, who is getting married this weekend to his fiancé Becky in their hometown of Valdosta, has been a lifelong follower of Georgia sports.
"Growing up in South Georgia, fall Saturday's were usually taken up by watching the Dawgs play with Larry Munson's gravely voice in the background. Being able to provide coverage the Bulldogs is a dream come true. It's something that I can't put into words right now."
Harrison will spend the couple of few weeks finishing up his commitments to his current newspaper job in North Carolina where he has covered high school sports and the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. In addition to his current job and his time with the Red & Black, he has worked for COXnet in Atlanta and been a webmaster and contributing writer for several NASCAR websites.
Harrison graduated with honors from Lowndes Co. High School in Valdosta in 1999 where he was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Though there have been over a dozen part-time and freelance writers in the past, Harrison becomes just the fourth full time writer to work for UGASports.com in the site's eight year history. Once finishing out his duties in North Carolina, he will move to Athens in September with an official start date of October 3rd.
"Steve and I were looking at the future for UGASports.com and Brad's name came quickly to mind," said Managing Editor Todd Unzicker. "I had a chance to get to know Brad in his days at the Red & Black, and his knowledge of football and the respect that he had from head coach Mark Richt made him the obvious choice."
Simmons signs multi-year deal
8/15/2006 ATHENS, Ga. - UGASports.com announced Wednesday morning that Chad Simmons had signed a multi-year deal with Rivals.com as the State of Georgia Recruiting Analyst.
"When we hired Chad about 18 months ago, he barely knew basic HTML," said UGASports.com Publisher Steve Patterson. "Today, he is putting together his own video features with interviews and highlights, putting out audio interviews, and has become not only a good photographer who can edit and process his own work, but he has figured out virtually all of this on his own. His hard work and determination reminds me of the kind of people we had when we were building this website back in 1998, and it is his innovative coverage of recruiting that continues to make UGASports.com then number one online destination for Dawg fans."
"Being officially in this industry is something I dreamed about years ago and I was given that chance last year. My first 16 months with Rivals.com and UGASports.com were everything I thought they would be and more," said Simmons. "I am very happy Rivals.com showed that they believed in me and they showed that they are committed to me the same way I am committed to them by offering me this multi-year contract. It is a great day for my family and I, and I hope to bring Georgia fans the best recruiting coverage for many years. I would like to thank all of Rivals.com for giving me this opportunity."
Simmons will remain the lead recruiting writer for UGASports.com, but will give increased attention to covering the Peach State for Rivals.com and not specifically UGASports.com.
Harrison leaves, Quinlan joins UGASports
9/1/2006 - UGASports.com announced on Wednesday the hiring of Kelly Quinlan as the new team beat writer and the departure of Brad Harrison from the same position.
Harrison, who has worked for the site since September 2005, has been longing to get back to the newspaper business and leave the online world.
"It's been a great 11 months since coming on board with UGASports and I've loved every moment of it," said Harrison who is taking a desk job in the Macon Telegraph newsroom. "I may be two hours away, but I'm very sure I'll still be lurking from time to time to see what is going on over here."
"Brad was without a doubt the most dependable beat writer we have had a UGASports," said publisher Steve Patterson. "He took up the tradition of those who came before him, like Todd Unzicker, of calling me every morning to check in to new heights. Even if we had a plan the day before, he would still call me, and most times before 8 a.m. just to check in. If I told Brad to call me at noon I would get the call at 11:55, if I told him to cover a press conference or other event at 2:00 he would be there at 1:30. I do not have a single memory of Brad Harrison ever failing to do his duty. He never called in sick, he never put his personal life ahead of the mission, and he always had a full report ready to go within just a couple of hours after any event. Brad Harrison has raised the bar at UGASports.com, and now it is up to those who follow him to reach that bar and push it further."
With the departure of Harrison, UGASports has hired Quinlan as the publication's main beat writer for UGA football, basketball, and baseball. Quinlan has worked with UGASports LIVE, the publication's Internet radio show, for the past six months, and his contributions have been well received by Georgia fans.
Quinlan becomes just the forth fulltime writer to cover the team since the site started in 1997. Steve Patterson was the first to hold down the job until the spring of 2003 when Todd Unzicker assumed the position. Brad Harrison took over the spot when Unzicker abruptly left for a church mission in August of 2005. Quinlan is a graduate of the UGA Grady School of Journalism.
"Working for UGASports.com is the culmination of a life long dream both cover UGA sports and work in an innovative environment with an eye to the future," said Quinlan. "When I met Steve Patterson, I could have never imagined that I would end up with a chance to fulfill my dream of covering UGA sports. The challenge of working on an immediate deadline, the pressure to know every detail about Georgia sports, it inspires me. Since I was young, I have wanted to be a sports writer, but that future lies in the Internet. UGASports and Rivals.com are the future of sports coverage, and the people running these companies are of the highest quality--I only hope I can live up to the challenge that lays before me."
Dasher joins UGASports, Quinlan becomes site columnist
8/17/2007 - UGASports.com publisher Steve Patterson announced on Friday that Anthony Dasher would be taking over as the website's lead writer for football, basketball, and baseball effective September 1. Kelly Quinlan, who had filled the same position for the past year, was named columnist and will provide commentary on everything from the gridiron to high school recruiting as well as help out in other areas of the site.
"We have had several writers and staff members at UGASports.com over the years, and the addition of Anthony Dasher to our team will not only help us to raise the quality of our content, but his vast knowledge of sports journalism with have an impact on nearly every aspect of the site."
Dasher brings over 20 years of sports writing and a decade of covering the University of Georgia to the table. Stops along his career include Assistant Sports Editor for the Valdosta Daily Times ((87-89), Sports Writer for the Savannah News Press (89-93), Sports Editor of the Statesboro Herald (93-96), and Assistant Sports Editor for the Athens Banner Herald (96-05). He is currently the Sports Editor for the Oconee Enterprise.
"I'm very excited about what I consider a tremendous opportunity, and I'm ready to hit the ground running," said Dasher. "Having covered University of Georgia athletics for different mediums the past 11 years, I hope not only to live up the standards UGASports.com subscribers want, but expect, from their Bulldog beat writer."
Dasher has won nearly two dozen awards for his writing of the course of his career. He graduated from Georgia Southern with a B.A. in Journalism in 1985.
"As a long-time reader of the Dawg Vent, I'm also looking forward to hearing from, and meeting as many of our subscribers as I can, both via email and hopefully in person. There's nothing quite like the fervor in which Bulldog fans support their team, and it's going to be my privilege to cover this team for such an avid group of supporters."
Quinlan, who began as a part time worker in February of 2006 with UGASports LIVE, started doing columns for the site shortly thereafter. With the departure of Brad Harrison in August, Quinlan took over as lead writer in September. He was recently engaged and plans to move to Atlanta at the end of this month. Going forward, in addition to writing columns, Quinlan will keep his finger on the pulse of UGA basketball recruiting, chime in on UGASports LIVE, and assist from time to time with coverage of football road games.
"The last few years have been a dream come true covering UGA sports and being a part of the community, but I'm at a point in my life where I need to move on and do other things," said Quinlan. "I feel that it's time to make a change and lucky enough, Steve was accommodating and figured out a way to keep me involved and allow me to continue to write as a columnist, which was the original intention when I started working for UGA sports. I'd like to thank Steve and all the subscribers for all their support over the years. It has been an amazing experience and I look forward to continuing my career as a feature columnist for UGA sports."
UGASports.com set up shop in December 1997 and has since been a principal stop for Georgia Bulldog fans on the Internet. Our premium message board, The Dawgvent, is one of the largest online communities in college sports. The site has been featured in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and has been the topic of numerous newspaper articles.
UGASports.com, which is owned by publisher Steve Patterson of Athens, Ga., is the officially licensed provider of University of Georgia sports coverage to the Rivals.com network, which is a property of YAHOO!.
Nabulsi joins UGASports
9/6/2007 - A long time friend of the site, Radi Nabulsi is now a member of the UGASports team. A graduate of the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism, Nabulsi has been the principal photographer for the UGA Athletic Association for the past 13 years and will take over as photo editor and Director of Operations for the publication.
ugasports announces more ways to keep in touch
There are several ways to keep up with the latest news from UGASports.com beyond our website.
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FACEBOOK - UGASports.com
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| TWITTER - @UGASports.com
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ALERTS- From Rivals.com
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