MACON, Ga. — There are super-fans, and then there are Super Georgia Fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Fred Thomas, a "DGD" who bleeds red and black.
"We can be down with 2 minutes left, all we need is 2 scores -- we can figure it out. Rah, rah, rah, and go," said Fred Thomas, speaking on his faith in the Georgia Bulldogs.
Fred and his wife Christina have enjoyed the Bulldogs' football season this year as super-fans. Well, kind of, sort of.
"I ain't getting naked in 20-degree weather and putting a "G" on my chest, but I've sat through a lot of rain and hollered with the best of them," he said.
They've both been fans for more than 40 years, so much so that Christina decorates a Georgia Christmas tree -- one of her 8 full-size trees on display in her home -- every year, and they even have a nearly 13-year-old English bulldog named Joanie that is a part of the Uga IV bloodline. All of these things show their love for the Red-and-Black and remind them to never take the Dawgs for granted.
Fred said, "When we look back at the 2007 year -- I thought surely we had a shot there and I still think we were the best team in the country back then -- and in 2012, and certainly 2017, some of these young people don't understand that these are chances of a lifetime for anybody not named Alabama."
Fred doesn't just talk the talk, he truly believes in those Hairy Dawgs and their elite defense so much, as the saying goes, "He put his money where his mouth is."
"We were confident that we were going that we bought our tickets in October," said Fred.
He bought nine tickets to include their children and spouses, to go to Indy for three days to cheer on the Dawgs to victory, and to hopefully end the streak against the Crimson Tide.
"I think we're going to win. I think we're going to genuinely win, because now Bama has got pressure on them to win twice in one year, and that typically doesn't happen, and plus, the pressure is on them even though we're 2-and-a-half favorites, because everyone expects them to win back-to-back championships.
Whatever the outcome, the Thomases plan to make more memories in the name of Georgia and cherish the time they share together cheering on old faith with two words, "Go Dawgs."
Fred says, "It's been a wonderful ride, that's for sure."
Thomas also owns a fireworks business named Big Dawg Fireworks, named after his beloved Bulldogs.