Garland Dickey the Inventor of the Giac
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When a person takes a look at Berry College’s athletics program today the see well respected and successful athletic programs. Also the widely participated in intramural programs and booming physical education classes and majors. Garland M. Dickey was the most influential factor in the development of Berry College athletics, both intramural and intercollegiate. Not only did he greatly influence the athletics at Berry College but also the intramurals and physical education departments
Garland M. Dickey was a student at Berry College long before he was hired as athletic director. While attending Berry, Dickey participated in all of the inter-dormitory competitions he could. He found himself partaking in baseball, basketball, cross country, and track in these inter-dormitory games. His love for athletics was formed in the early years of his life. Garland M. Dickey found this love for athletics growing up in Kelso, Tennessee, where Garland and his two brothers Bob and Edward started playing sports together. Garland and his brothers were standouts in baseball at Berry in 1940 and awarded the varsity “B” on the baseball team formed from the best players from each inter-dormitory team.
The Character of Berry College athletic programs was formed by Garland M. Dickey. Garland M. Dickey returned to his alma mater in 1946 to become the first full-time athletic director in the schools history. Dickey brought the re-birth of intercollegiate sport back to Berry College with his return. Dickey began the intercollegiate program with the help of his brother Edward. It has been said that intercollegiate varsity sports competition at Berry College can trace its roots to the year “ADB”, or “After the Dickey Brothers.” Berry entered the sphere of intercollegiate athletics in 1946 under the direction of Dickey. With Dickey as the athletic director the college saw the creation and development of both the men’s and women’s athletic programs. Also the construction of the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, now known as the GIAC, and the joining of the NAIA.
In the early stages of Dickey’s era as athletic director men’s athletics became the main focus of expansion. When Garland M. Dickey became athletic director in 1946 the first team that Dickey had competing in intercollegiate athletics was the 1946 men’s basketball team. Dickey was also the coach of this team and the schedule Dickey planned consisted of playing North Georgia College, West Georgia College, Piedmont College, Sewanee College (now University of the South), Snead State College, Tennessee Wesleyan, and Jacksonville State University. Under the direction of Dickey the men’s basketball team went from an inaugural season with a 2-12 record to his final season coaching the team with a 11-3 record. As the coach of the basketball team Dickey tried to set in motion the athletic program and when he was done coaching the team he had a 53-47 record. The Berry Basketball team saw some success in 1965 when they defeated Mars Hill College and West Georgia College to capture the West Georgia Championship Tournament. After the establishment of the basketball team that began in 1946 Dickey added another sport to the Berry athletic program in 1948 and it was Baseball. Dickey coached the baseball team while maintaining his duties as athletic director and basketball coach. In 1950 Dickey started the third intercollegiate sport with the creation of track and field, Dickey also coached this team in the early stages of the sport. With Dickey as athletic director Berry men’s track and field team wins 7 district titles. Berry athletics added another intercollegiate sport in 1955 with the institution of men’s cross country. The success of the cross country team was almost immediate with the clenching of a conference championship in only the second year. The next men’s intercollegiate sport that was added was tennis. Tennis was added in 1959 to the other 3 men’s intercollegiate sports. Following the addition of tennis to the Berry athletics Dickey formed the first intercollegiate golf team for men in 1962. Along with the addition of golf in 1962 Berry saw the debut of men’s soccer under the direction of Garland M. Dickey. In the first game for the soccer team Berry upset Emory at Oxford with a 4 to 3 victory. Dickey did not get to see the men’s soccer team have great success until the end of his time as athletic director when the team qualified for the NAIA national tournament.
Although it seemed like there was a great emphasis on forming the men’s athletic programs at Berry, Dickey accomplished a lot in the realm of women’s athletics. Dickey had a love for athletics it did not matter if it was men’s or women’s he just wanted to develop the athletics programs at Berry. Under