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Program History

Program HistoryThe Georgia Debate Union has been fielding competitive policy debate teams for over fifty years. The program has graduated debaters who have become productive scholars and citizens across several generations. We have compiled a partial list of alumni that you are welcome to peruse. As one can see, Georgia debaters are a politically diverse group.

Based upon our limited records, the period between 1964 and 1977 was a remarkably successful one for University debaters. We have a complete record of trophies won during that period and many are stored in the University archive. The program was regularly in the late elimination rounds of national tournaments and UGA debaters qualified for the National Debate Tournament (NDT) on an annual basis. At that time, the team was housed in the Jasper Dorsey Room in the Geology and Geography building. Coaches during this period include Richard Huseman, John Hatfield, Chester Gibson, Merwin Hays, Bert Gross, Joe Luchock and Sandy Pence. We are very interested in filling in the history of Georgia Debate and would appreciate any information interested alumni can provide.

The program was largely a regional one between 1977 and 1987 and performed effectively during that time. In 1987, the Department of Speech Communication recommitted itself to competing at the highest levels. During the last seventeen years, Georgia Debate has qualified 30 teams for the NDT. Our teams are usually in the elimination rounds of the national tournament. Their accomplishments during this period include debating in the finals, semi- finals, and quarterfinals of the tournament. Additionally, in 2003 UGA had the 17th team in the history of the NDT to compile an 8-0 record in the preliminary debates. The 2003 team, Powers and Ramachandrappa, join the Martinsons (1971) as UGA teams to achieve a perfect record in the preliminary debates. During the last seven years our students have won a variety of awards at some of the most rigorous events in the country (see below).

In 1993, the team moved its offices to Phi Kappa Hall from the Dorsey room. In the fall of 2004, Phi Kappa Hall was renovated for the team. UGA President, Dr. Michael Adams, is a former intercollegiate debater who facilitated the renovation of the office for our debaters.

Georgia's NDT Qualifiers

  • 1967: Marcia Mulkey and Skeet Muncie
  • 1968: Terry Brown and Mark Dickerson
  • 1969: Terry Brown and Steve McCurley*
  • 1970: Terry Brown and Steve McCurley
  • 1971: Pam Martinson and Tom Martinson*
  • 1972: Richard Bethea and Margaret Snyder
  • 1973: Richard Bethea and Don Cornwell*
  • 1974: Richard Bethea and Peter Quist
  • 1975: Richard Bethea and Donald Lively* & Don Cornwell and Bill Withrow
  • 1976: John Bow and Mark Brown
  • 1977: John Bow and Don Lively
  • 1990: Allison Ashe and Kelly Happe
  • 1991: Allison Ashe and Kelly Happe
  • 1992: Jeff Griswold and Leonard Neighbors*
  • 1993: Jeff Griswold and Leonard Neighbors
  • 1994: Paul Barsness and Leonard Neighbors* & Marcus Henson and Shunta' Jordan
  • 1995: Paul Barsness and Leonard Neighbors* & Michael Cates and Anne DeWolf
  • 1996: Paul Barsness and Michael Cates* & Bill Roberts and Nirav Dhruva & Chris McIntosh and J. Leighton Miller*
  • 1997: Paul Barsness and Daniel Davis* & Michael Cates and Chris McIntosh* & Bill Roberts and Jason Teagle
  • 1998: Michael Cates and Chris McIntosh* & Jason Teagle and Michael Matos
  • 1999: Chris McIntosh and Bill Roberts* & Wally Eastwood and Meredith Stein
  • 2000: Shawn Powers and Robbie Quinn & Wally Eastwood and Patricia Kelley
  • 2001: Shawn Powers and Robbie Quinn* &  Adrianne Carr and Kate McGrath
  • 2002: Shawn Powers and Hays Watson & Michael Lee and Naveen Ramachandrappa
  • 2003: Shawn Powers and Naveen Ramachandrappa* &  Tom Keane and Hays Watson* &  Patricia Kelley and Adrianne Carr
  • 2004: Naveen Ramachandrappa and Hays Watson* &  Brent Culpepper and Robbie Quinn
  • 2005: Brent Culpepper and Hays Watson & Todd Mitchell and Kevin Rabinowitz
  • 2006: Brent Culpepper and Kevin Rabinowitz & Todd Mitchell and Spencer Diamond
  • 2007: Brent Culpepper and Kevin Rabinowitz* & Todd Mitchell and Spencer Diamond
  • 2008: Todd Mitchell and Spencer Diamond & Adam Schmidt and Brittany Cambre
  • 2009: Adam Schmidt and Brittany Cambre & Maggy Warden and Karen Harrison & Mike Lacy and Tommy Beyer
  • 2010: Brittany Cambre & Mike Lacy* & Karen Harrison & Austin Layton
  • 2011: Mike Lacy & Austin Layton*
  • 2012: Mike Lacy & Austin Layton* & Tommy Beyer & Shyam Shanker
  • 2013: Austin Layton & Shyam Shanker & Robert Galerstein & Will Caplan
  • 2014: Shyam Shanker and Will Caplan & Robert Galerstein and Maggie Davis
  • 2015: Amy Feinberg and Tucker Boyce & Robert Galerstein and Chetan Hebbale*
  • 2016: Tucker Boyce and Nathan Rice & Swapnil Agrawal and Advait Ramanan*
  • 2017: Advait Ramanan and Swapnil Agrawal & Nathan Rice and Johnnie Stupek*
  • 2018: Advait Ramanan and Swapnil Agrawal* & Nathan Rice and Johnnie Stupek* & Alyssa Hoover and Tripp Haskins
  • 2019: Advait Ramanan and Swapnil Agrawal* & Nathan Rice and Johnnie Stupek* & Alyssa Hoover and Tripp Haskins*
  • 2020: Zach Adam and Joshua Weintraub
  • 2021: Jack Mruz and Daniel Wakefield
  • 2022: Jack Mruz and Roman Vale
  • 2023: Jack Mruz and Roman Vale

* reflects teams that debated in elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament. The NDT is a qualifying event for the 78 best debate teams in the country. Beginning in the 1990s, rules of the tournament were amended to allow six universities to qualify up to three teams for the NDT.

Squad results (1997/1998 - 2010/2011)

1997-1998

  • 1st place, Thomas Jefferson Debates, Washington D.C., 1997
  • 5th place, University of North Carolina, 1997
  • 5th place, Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 1997
  • 3rd place, Alan Nichols Debates, University of Southern California, 1998
  • 3rd place, University of Redlands, 1998
  • 9th place, Robert D. Tisinger Debates, 1998
  • 2nd place, Herbert L. James Round Robin, Dartmouth College, 1998
  • 9th place, United States Naval Academy, 1998
  • 9th place, Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 1998
  • Elimination debates, Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 1998
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 1998 (two teams)
  • 9th place, National Debate Tournament, 1998

1998-1999

  • 2nd place, Season Opener Iowa, 1998
  • 3rd place, Henry Clay Debates, University of Kentucky, 1998
  • 9th place, Robert Kennedy Debates, Harvard University, 1998
  • 5th place, Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 1998
  • 9th place, Robert D. Tisinger Debates, 1999
  • 3rd place, Herbert L. James Round Robin, Dartmouth College, 1999
  • 5th place, Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 1999
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 1999 (two teams)
  • 5th rated individual team in country by NDT Committee, 1999
  • 9th place, National Debate Tournament, 1999

1999-2000

  • 9th place, University of South Carolina, 1999
  • 2nd place, Henry Clay Debates for 1st year debaters, 1999
  • 1st place, Vanderbilt University Debate Tournament, 2000
  • 5th place, U.S. Naval Academy, 2000
  • 9th place, MTSU Debate Tournament, 2000
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 2000 (two teams)

2000-2001

  • 2nd place, University of Alabama Debate Tournament, 2000
  • 3rd place, University of Alabama, 2000
  • 5th place, Henry Clay Debates for 1st year debaters, 2000
  • 9th place, U.S. Naval Academy Debate Tournament, 2001
  • 2nd place, Novice National Debate Tournament, Northwestern University, 2001
  • Elimination debates, Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament, 2001
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 2001 (two teams)
  • 17th place, National Debate Tournament, 2001

2001-2002

  • 1st place, Emory University, 2001
  • 2nd place, University of Alabama, 2001
  • 2nd place, California State University Fullerton, 2002
  • Elimination debates, Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament, 2002
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 2002 (two teams)

2002-2003

  • 1st place, National Debate Tournament Season Opener, 2002
  • 1st place, Univ. of Alabama, 2002
  • 9th place, Liberty University, 2002
  • 3rd place, University of Louisville, 2003
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 2003 (three teams)
  • 1st and 2nd place, Southeast CEDA Tournament, 2003
  • 1st place, Robert D. Tisinger Debates, 2003
  • Participant, Herbert L. James Round Robin, Dartmouth College 2003
  • 5th place, Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 2003
  • Participant, Policy Debate Round Robin, Chicago, 2003
  • Elimination debates, Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament, 2003
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 2003 (three teams)
  • Top Seed (8-0) at the 2003 National Debate Tournament
  • 6th rated team in country by NDT Committee, 2003
  • 5th and 9th place teams, National Debate Tournament, 2003

2003-2004

  • 9th place, National Season Opener, 2003
  • 5th place, University of Alabama, 2003
  • 2nd place, Robert F. Kennedy Debates, Harvard University, 2003
  • 2nd place, Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2003
  • 3rd place, Wake Forest Freshman Tournament, 2003
  • 5th place, University of Southern California, 2003
  • 1st place, Southeast CEDA Tournament, 2004
  • Elimination debates, Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament, 2004
  • 17th place, Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament, 2004
  • 2nd place, Robert D. Tisinger Debates, 2004
  • Participant, Herbert L. James Round Robin, Dartmouth College 2004
  • 5th place, Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 2004
  • Participant, Policy Debate Round Robin, Chicago, 2004
  • Qualifier, National Debate Tournament, 2004 (two teams)
  • 5th rated team in country by NDT Committee, 2004
  • 9th place, National Debate Tournament, 2004

2004-2005

  • 9th place - National Season Opener, 2004
  • 5th place - University of Alabama, 2004
  • 17th place - Henry Clay Debates, University of Kentucky, 2004
  • 3rd place, 9th place, 10th place - Liberty University, 2004
  • 17th place - Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2004
  • 17th place - University of Southern California, 2004
  • 9th place - Robert D. Tisinger Debates, 2005
  • 1st place, 9th place - U.S. Naval Academy Debates, 2005
  • 17th place - Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 2005
  • 5th place - Vanderbilt University, 2005
  • Qualifier - National Debate Tournament, 2005 (two teams)
  • 5th place, 9th place - ADA National Tournament, 2005

2005-2006

  • 17th place, National Season Opener, 2005
  • 5th place - Liberty University, 2005
  • 9th place - Henry Clay Debates, University of Kentucky, 2005
  • 2nd place - University of Alabama, 2005
  • 9th place - Robert F. Kennedy Debates, Harvard University, 2005
  • 2nd place, 9th place - Capitol Cities Debates, Catholic University, 2005
  • 1st place, 3rd place - Appalachian State University, 2005
  • 9th place - Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2005
  • 9th place - University of Southern California, 2005
  • 9th place - California State-Fullerton University, 2006
  • 5th place - Robert D. Tisinger Debates, 2006
  • 5th place - Naval Academy, 2006
  • 1st place, 3rd place - Florida State University, 2006
  • 9th place - University of Texas, 2006

2006-2007

  • 1st place - National Season Opener, 2006
  • 2nd place - University of Kentucky Round Robin, 2006
  • 2nd place - Henry Clay Debates, University of Kentucky, 2006
  • 4th and 10th place - Vanderbilt University Debate Tournament, 2006
  • 4th and 6th place - James Madison, 2006
  • 5th place - Robert F. Kennedy Debates, Harvard University, 2006
  • 1st and 5th place - Appalachian State University, 2006
  • 2nd place - Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2006
  • 5th place - Alan Nichols Debates, University of Southern California, 2006
  • 1st place - California State-Fullerton University, 2007
  • 1st place - Herbert L. James Round Robin, Dartmouth College, 2007
  • 3rd place - Owen Coon Debates, Northwestern University, 2007
  • 1st and 2nd place - University of Florida, 2007
  • 1st and 3rd place - Southeast CEDA Championship 2007

2007-2008

  • 17th place - National Season Opener, Georgia State University, 2007
  • 3rd place - Liberty University, 2007
  • 5th place - Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2007
  • 9th place - California-State-Fullerton University, 2008
  • 9th place - West Georgia, 2008
  • 1st place - Naval Academy, 2008
  • 17th place - University of Texas, 2008

2008-2009

  • 9th place - National Season Opener, Georgia State University, 2008
  • 17th place - University of Kentucky, 2008
  • 3rd place - Freshman Break-Out, University of Kentucky, 2008
  • Top 1st Year Speaker in America, University of Kentucky, 2008
  • 2nd place - Vanderbilt University, 2008
  • 5th place - Liberty University, 2007
  • 17th place - Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2008
  • 3rd place - Freshman/Sophomore Break-Out, Wake Forest University, 2008
  • 9th place - University of Southern California, 2009
  • 9th place - California-State, Fullerton University, 2009
  • 9th place - Naval Academy, 2008
  • 5th place - West Georgia, 2009
  • Three Teams Qualified to the NDT

2009-2010

  • 5th place - National Season Opener, Georgia State University, 2009
  • 17th place - University of Kentucky, 2009
  • 9th Place - Harvard University, 2009
  • 9th place, Liberty University, 2009
  • 17th place - Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2009
  • 5th place - Mountain State Debates, Appalachian State, 2009
  • 5th place - University of Southern California, 2010
  • 17th place, California State, Fullerton, 2010
  • Runner Up - West Georgia, 2010
  • 3rd place and 5th place - University of Texas, 2010
  • 9th place, American Debate Association National Championship, 2010
  • First Round Bid to the NDT, Two Teams Qualified to the NDT
  • Mike Lacy & Brittany Cambre, NDT Octafinalists, 2010

2010-2011

  • 9th place, National Season Opener, Georgia State University, 2010
  • Kentucky Round Robin Invite (Top 9 Schools Nationally)
  • 9th place, Owen L. Coon Invitational, Northwestern University, 2010
  • 5th place, West Georgia Novice Debates, 2010
  • 5th place and Top Novice Speaker, Liberty University, 2010
  • 9th place, Franklin Shirley Debates, Wake Forest University, 2010
  • 5th place and 2nd Novice Speaker, Mountain State Debates, Appalachian State, 2010
  • 9th place, University of Southern California, 2011
  • 17th place, California State, Fullerton 2011
  • 5th place, University of Georgia Debates, 2011
  • 3rd place and Top Speaker, Indiana University Hoosier Invitational, 2011
  • 5th place and Top Novice Speaker, University of Kentucky, 2011
  • First Round Bid to the NDT
  • Mike Lacy & Austin Layton, NDT Double Octafinalists



Archived Trophy Listing

A list of trophies that have been moved to the University archives is available. Many other trophies, dating back to the 1950s, are still housed in the debate office.

View the listing of the Debate Union's archived trophies

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