Theron Coleman Sapp, nicknamed Thundering Theron and the Drought-Breaker, (born June 15, 1935) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

and

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. He attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA).

High school years

Sapp was born in

Dublin, Georgia Dublin is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,074. It is the county seat of Laurens County. History The original settlement was named after Dublin, Ireland. Dublin, accordi ...

, and grew up in nearby Macon, attending that city's Lanier High School. As a High School senior, Sapp led his team to the 1953 state championship game but lost 9-6 to a Grady High School team from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

coached by future Bulldogs assistant coach

Erk Russell Erskine "Erk" Russell (July 23, 1926 – September 8, 2006) was an American football, basketball, track and baseball player and coach. He was also the defensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs for seventeen years (1964–1981) and head foo ...

College years

After signing to play

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at UGA, Sapp fractured a

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

in a diving accident in the Spring of 1954. After recovering from his injury that year, Sapp participated in spring practice in 1955 and participated on the B team that Fall. In 1956, Sapp played on the Varsity team; however, another injury relegated him to reserve status. In 1957, Sapp became the starting fullback and rushed 137 times for 599 yards and won All- SEC honors. In 1958, he was named the All-SEC fullback. His performance in the 1957 Georgia-Georgia Tech game led to Sapp's nickname of Drought-Breaker. Georgia Tech, UGA's fiercest rival at the time, had won the previous eight annual meetings between the two teams from 1949 to 1956, the longest winning streak in the series. Playing defense as a back-up in the 3rd Quarter of the game, Sapp recovered a fumble by Tech's offense at midfield. On Georgia's ensuing offensive possession, Sapp carried the ball nine times including a one-yard touchdown carry on fourth and goal for the game's only score in a 7-0 UGA win. Sapp's jersey, number 40, is one of four to be retired by UGA (the others being

Frank Sinkwich Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. (October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was an American football player and coach. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1942 playing for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conferen ...

Charley Trippi Charles Louis Trippi (December 14, 1921 – October 19, 2022) was an American professional football player for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1955. Although primarily a running back, his versatility al ...

and

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. ...

Professional years

Sapp was drafted by the

in the 10th round of the

1958 NFL Draft The 1958 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 2, 1957, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 28, 1958. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the 12th and final year in ...

, and played running back for them through 1963.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sapp, Theron 1935 births Living people American football running backs Georgia Bulldogs football players Philadelphia Eagles players Pittsburgh Steelers players Sportspeople from Macon, Georgia People from Dublin, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)