Growing up Godwin: From backyard football to Georgia athletes

ATHENS -- They were the quickest little kids.

With enough grass space to fit a full-length football field next to the house they grew up in, Terry and Terryuana Godwin proved their athletic prowess against their peers during their younger days. The Godwin siblings, Terryuana being more than three years older than Terry, would line up and play backyard football games against the other neighborhood children.

The two were hard to stop, slipping by defenders and scoring touchdowns often. Terryuana, the fastest of the bunch until Terry turned 15, laughed when admitting the boys hated playing against her. With both Godwins playing together, it was too much for everyone else to handle.

"Sometimes, they didn't want us on the same team," Terryuana said. "We were too fast."

With that kind of athleticism present in one household, it's not a surprise both wound up playing college athletics at Georgia. Terry is a freshman receiver on the football team. Terryuana is a fifth-year senior for women's basketball team, which followed stints at Georgia College and Butler Community College in Kansas.

When Terry and Terryuana weren't on the same team playing pick-up football, they'd go against each other in just about everything. They'd race, play basketball and wrestle. The ever-lasting competition between the two often would lead to quite a few sibling-rivalry fights.

Both are competitive by nature and can get fired up when the situation calls for it. They're also fun-loving with the same smile and laugh. For Terry, having his older sister on campus in his first year of college has been a huge help.

"I never had a brother growing up," Terry said. "She was always the big sister who was going to go out there and rough me up. She made me the guy I am today."

Terryuana, who tore her ACL in April, has been at every football game this season to cheer on her younger brother. But a late Saturday morning basketball practice kept her from being at the beginning of Georgia's game against Kentucky, when Terry scored his first career touchdown.

While Terryuana said she was upset about missing the play live, Terry recounted what she told him the next day when they were able to talk about it.

"She was making fun of my breakdown dance that I did before I came and turned and had fun with the team," Terry said. "She said, 'You gotta go find something else to do when you score. That's not going to cut it.' "

While Terryuana is older, Terry was the five-star, can't-miss recruit coming out of Callaway in Hogansville. While both benefited by playing against each other growing up, Georgia women's basketball head coach Joni Taylor said Terryuana was able to see first-hand what it's like to garner the level of attention Terry received.

That experience, Taylor said, has helped her adjust to being a part of the Georgia women's basketball team.

"I think it's the expectation in the household," Taylor said. "For Terryuana, she's older than her brother, but he was recruited at a very high level. Seeing the whole process, understanding the importance of preparation and handling yourself in the right way is important because that spotlight is put on you when you have that type of family background."

That particular spotlight shines exceptionally bright on the Georgia football team. This season, Terry has caught 21 passes for 245 yards. As a quarterback in the wild dog formation, he has rushed for 40 yards on six carries.

Terry's role could increase during the next two regular-season games and whichever bowl Georgia winds up in. With every football fan on campus knowing who Terry is, having Terryuana by his side has been a blessing.

"While I'm a freshman, she shows me where to go, where not to go, who to hang out with, who not to hang out with," Terry said. "With her, we have a sister and brother bond. Everywhere we go, everyone's like, 'Aw, y'all are so cute.' "

While Terry was a standout in football and baseball -- he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 33rd round of the major league draft in June -- Terryuana has long been the better basketball player. The last time the two played against one another was in their parents' driveway two summers ago.

Terryuana won and wanted to remind Terry of that fact.

"He still can't beat me," she said, with that trademark Godwin smile.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Growing up Godwin: From backyard football to Georgia athletes ."