COLLEGE: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE HIT REAL HARD.

ROY RIEGELS WILL FOREVER BE KNOWN AS “WRONG WAY ROY.”

Roy played for the University of California from 1927 to 1929. Back then freshmen and sophomores never played on varsity. On January 1, 1929 Roy played in the ROSE BOWL. The GOLDEN BEARS OF GEORGIA TECH played the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Califorina. This game was for who would be #1 that year.

A player for Georgia Tech named JACK “STUMPY” THOMASON FUMBLED THE BALL 30 yards away from a touchdown. Roy picked up the fumble and was hit very hard several times. Roy was stunned and disoriented and WRONG WAY ROY RAN THE BALL 65 YARDS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

SEVERAL OF HIS PLAYERS TRIED TO TURN HIM AROUND BUT IN THE EXCITEMENT OF THE MOMENT WRONG WAY ROY KEPT RUNNING.

California lost the game to Tech by 2 points… WRONG WAY ROY SCORING THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN FOR Georgia tech. They say ROY CRIED FOR MANY DAYS. There was nationwide mockery and until his death in 1993 Roy was known as WRONG WAY. Roy spent his life traveling as a speaker to motivate people with hard times.

ROY “WRONG WAY” RIEGELS was the center, he had never carried the football. AS ROY WAS HIT SO HARD, HE LOST SIGHT OF THE GOAL.