A captain is defined by Google as one who leads a ship. How about one who leads a team to a national championship and commands the Junkyard Dogs? This is Frank Ros, United States immigrant from Barcelona, Spain, captain of the 1980 national champion University of Georgia Bulldogs, and successful businessman. Under a dictatorship, Frank Ros, at the age of five, left Spain, boarded a ship with his family, and landed in the New York port. Moving to the textile capital of the world, Greenville, South Carolina, Ros’ father found this city to be a great place to call home since he was a textile engineer. Ros later went on to lead our Dawgs to our second national championship in 1980 and served as one of the senior backbones on that team. Though his duties as Coca-Cola’s Vice President in Hispanic Strategies demanded much of his time, Ros has also taken the role of being the “team get-together and stay in touch organizer.” A true captain, a true team player, a true Dawg, this is the one and only Frank Ros.
Did you know American Football?
“I had no clue what it was. It was soccer and bullfighting in Spain. Plus, I lived under a dictatorship, so we were only allowed two hours of television per day. With this being said, I was never exposed to the outside world. I could not speak English, much less know what football even was.“
Favorite game (besides national championship)
“Oh Lord, … probably South Carolina our senior year. It was two great teams. They came in with one loss, and just a really good team. We had a battle of Heisman hopefuls between Herschel Walker and George Rogers, and it was a game we had to win, and we did.”
Superstitions
“I didn’t really have any. Through the years, you go through those little things that seem to work when you’re winning. One day, I finally said, ‘This is stupid,’ so I stopped. It just takes energy to do those things, but it ultimately boils down to, we have to go out there and win.”
Past or present Georgia player you dream to play with
“Herschel. I may be a little biased, but I truly believe that he is the greatest college football player of all time. I spent some time with the Denver Broncos, and then played many teams in my college days, and I never saw a better player, and, yes, I was fortunate to play with him.”
Favorite Erk Russell story
“There is a lot of them. He was an excellent coach. He motivated us in a unique way. People always believe that he is just tough and mean, but he was actually one of the nicest coaches I have ever been around. It was one of my last games as a senior, and I was the captain of the game. Coach Dooley told me before the toss, ‘Go out there, call what you want, if we lose I want this side of the field.’ I started walking out and by the two big, red doors that led to the field, Coach Russell was in his spot with a cigar in his mouth. He called me ‘R.O.S.’ because he thought it was funny that I have one ‘s’ in my name, so he told me before I ran out, ‘R.O.S., you ready?’ Then, he wiped the blood from his forehead on my jersey, and I sprinted through that door. There was not a more motivational thing than what he did right there. I was so ready!”
Your duties in contacting the former players
“I was not really chosen to do this because nobody had really done it before. When the players elected me as captain of that team in 1980, however, I felt that I had a responsibility to this team not just now, but moving forward. I have always taken great pride in keeping us together, but I really do talk to the guys on that team all the time. I organized the 20, 25, 30, 35, and I am about to start working on the 40-year reunion. We have about 95-97% turn out at these events, and it is a great time to reunite with the guys. I will say though, if a teammate is going through a hard time, I will reach out to the others, and it is amazing to see how we all come together as a team again and help that brother out. I took the captain thing very seriously, and I feel that it is my responsibility to keep this team together forever.”
Important lessons learned at UGA
“How to be a leader. We cannot be afraid to stand up for what we believe in. You are not a good leader if you don’t have followers, and standing up for what you believe in, what is right will gain those followers. Second thing is the importance of relationships. I learned that we must treat people right all the time … and how to form a relationship are the two most important lessons I learned.”
Life in the business world
“Well, I began working with my dad, and I helped him with a business that imported European wines. After that, I went into sales. First, it was a distributor in scientific sales, not too crazy about science, but I was engaged, so I needed the job and the money. I became sales manager thereafter we were the top distributor in the nation. Then, I was hired away by one of our suppliers because I knew the business very well as I had sold their products for a long time. I grew tired of the road, and I wanted to spend time with my children, so my mentor, Earl Leonard, heard that I was looking to find other work, so he hired me at Coke. Mr. Leonard tried to hire me two times before, but I had other responsibilities at those times, but we did stay in touch, and he was like a second father to me. I was not too thrilled to be working in a big company, because I’m not too big into politics. My philosophy is everybody does their job right, and it doesn’t matter who gets the credit as long as we all get it done. I accepted the position, and once he hired me at Coke, I just began to work my way up until I was named Vice President of Hispanic Strategies. Now, the rest is history.”
Georgia in one word
“All-encompassing. I believe that If you come to Georgia with the right attitude, they can help you become successful. The athletics are unbeatable; the academics are top-notch; there are multiple clubs, and they all appeal to different people. For this reason, Georgia is all-encompassing as it can help anyone succeed.”
Expectations for the rest of the 2019 season
“I believe in winning it all. I am ready for another national championship. It’s now 39 years in the making, and I think Kirby is the right man for the job. A lot of things have to align to win that title. You have to have talent; you have to have luck in injuries and the ball needs to bounce your way a few times; you have to have leadership. My hope is that it comes this year, and I do believe this team can.”