George “Goose” Godsey Making NFL Impact From Sidelines

By Nate Miller | Mar 6, 2015

Though it seems like a distant memory to most fans who can even remember it, there was a stretch from 1998-2000 that Georgia Tech football reigned supreme on the gridiron over archrival Georgia for three consecutive years. Former Yellow Jackets star George “Goose” Godsey was under center for the last of that trio of victories.

More from Football

That 27-15 triumph over the Bulldogs was just one of the many highlights from Godsey’s two seasons as Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback. Between 2000 and 2001, “Goose” led the Yellow Jackets to 17 total victories, completing 64.3 percent of his pass attempts for 5,991 yards and 41 touchdowns compared to just 17 interceptions.

Godsey set Georgia Tech’s all-time single-season record for passing yards (3,085) as a senior in 2001. That mark still stands. He also ranks fourth on the program’s list in total passing yards (6,137) and completions (484).

Godsey went undrafted following his final season at Georgia Tech. In fact, he would never go on to play in the NFL. His only professional football experience, at least on the field, came in 2003 as a backup QB for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena League, a team that won the Arena Bowl title that year.

After that experience, Godsey would move on to a career in coaching, taking a role on George O’Leary’s, his former head coach at Georgia Tech, staff at Central Florida. Godsey spent the next seven seasons as an offensive assistant for the Knights, winning two Conference USA championships in the process.

Bill O’Brien, who served as Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator while Godsey was playing on the flats, would be instrumental in bringing the former Yellow Jacket to the ranks of the NFL for the first time. Hired by the New England Patriots, for whom O’Brien was serving as the OC, in February of 2011, Godsey spent the next three years on Bill Belichick’s offensive staff.

Dec 7, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Houston Texans quarterbacks coach George Godsey in the second quarter of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Houston Texans won 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

O’Brien was named Head Coach of the Houston Texans in January of 2014, which led Godsey to his next and current stop on the NFL coaching carousel.

With Godsey serving as quarterbacks coach, the Texans enjoyed a resurgence last season. The team finished 9-7, missing the playoffs by just a single game.

Though the Texans feature an offense that relies on the running game, Godsey’s quarterbacks in 2014 completed nearly 60.8 percent of their pass attempts while posting a 22-to-13 TD/INT ratio and an 86.4 QB rating.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started 12-of-16 games for Houston, personally bested those numbers with a 63.1 completion percentage and 95.3 rating. Both marks go down as career highs for the 10-year NFL veteran.

Needless to say, Godsey has found and carved out a nice career for himself in the world of football coaching. Much to the delight of the Georgia Tech faithful, the legend of the “Goose” continues.