A History of Georgia’s National Championships
The University of Georgia opened the 2024-2025 academic year on the precipice of 50 national championships in all sports at 48. And then the Bulldogs went to work collecting banners.
First came another equestrian championship. And then one in women’s indoor tennis, followed by another in outdoor tennis. And once the Georgia women’s outdoor track and field squad ran away with the team title in Eugene, Oregon, the Georgia Bulldogs had 52 total team national championships.
The 2024-2025 academic year marked one of Georgia Athletics’ best, tying the school record of four national championships. The other was 1999.
The Bulldogs’ 52 national championships are spread across eight sports with women’s sports claiming 34 of them.
Equestrian
Since Georgia’s equestrian program began, it has been a national leader in the sport, winning eight National Collegiate Equestrian Association titles. The first championship came in the program’s first season of competition in 2003, and the latest title came last season with a victory in the finals over SMU.
Men’s Tennis
Over the years, Georgia has consistently been a powerhouse in tennis, thanks in part to the Dan Magill Complex, one of the best on-campus tennis facilities in the nation. The men’s tennis team has won eight national titles, including two indoor championships. The program strung together four consecutive total titles from 2006 to 2008.
Women’s Tennis
UGA women’s tennis is historically one of the top programs in the nation, amassing eight total team titles. That includes the indoor and outdoor championships in 2025 keyed by Dasha Vidmanova BBA ’25, who won an NCAA team, singles, and doubles national championship during her collegiate career.
Baseball
By some accounts, baseball is the oldest varsity sport in UGA history, with its first season coming in 1886. The team won its lone NCAA championship in 1990 with a crew of veteran players. The team actually lost five consecutive games to end the regular season but still got an invitation to the NCAA tournament, which led to victory in the College World Series over the favored Oklahoma State Cowboys. Georgia became the first SEC team to win the College World Series.
Football
The 1942 Bulldogs went 11-1 and beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Six of the major polls named the Bulldogs No. 1 at season’s end, but the university didn’t claim the title until the 1990s.
The Dawgs wouldn’t win another team national championship in any sport until the 1980 season under Coach Vince Dooley. More recently, Kirby Smart’s BBA ’98 Dawgs went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.
Women’s Swimming and Diving
The women’s swimming program was only a few years old when Jack Bauerle AB ’75 took over as head coach in 1979. In his time, Bauerle’s Lady Bulldogs teams produced seven NCAA championships and 12 SEC titles. Bauerle also mentored 97 Olympians, who collectively earned nearly 40 medals.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics leads Georgia programs in national championships with 10, all under legendary former head coach Suzanne Yoculan. The program won its first title in 1987 in Salt Lake City, and its second came two years later in Athens. That success carried into the 1990s with three championships. The Gym Dawgs reached even higher heights in the early 2000s, rolling off five consecutive championships from 2005 to 2009.
Men’s Golf
The Bulldogs golf program dates to the 1920s, when teams didn’t have coaches but players who served as captains. The first men’s national title came in 1999, the second in 2005.
Women’s Golf
The women’s golf team began in 1967. Since then, three Bulldogs have won individual titles. The women’s team earned the national title in 2001.
Men’s Track and Field
Track and field is one of the handful of varsity sports dating back to the 19th century. The program has produced numerous individual national champions and Olympic medalists, beginning with Georgia track star Spec Towns BSEd ’37, who won a 1936 Olympic gold medal and high hurdles championships in 1936 and 1937. The Bulldogs men’s track and field team won the national championship in 2018.
Women’s Track and Field
Like the men’s team, the women’s track and field unit has earned plenty of individual honors. Sprinter Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie BS ’00 is a five-time Olympian and a three-time medalist, including one gold, for the Bahamas. She won four individual national championships with the Bulldogs. The women’s team won the indoor national championship in 2018 and the 2025 outdoor championship.
