Vince Dooley, Longtime Georgia Bulldogs Football Head Coach, Dead at 90

By Brian Jones

Vince Dooley, the longtime head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs football team died on Friday afternoon. He was 90 years old. The cause of death was not announced, but it was reported that Dooley died peacefully at his home in the presence of his wife and their four children. Dooley's death comes shortly after he was hospitalized for contracting COVID-19. 

Dooley, who was born in Mobile, Alabama, was Georgia's head coach from 1964 to 1988. In his career with the Bulldogs, Dooley posted a 201-77-10 record and led the team to six SEC Championships and a national championship in 1980, the school's second national title in its history. In his 25 seasons as Georgia's head coach, Dooley had six 10-win seasons and only had one losing season which was in 1977. 

Before becoming the head coach at Georgia, Dooley was an assistant coach at Auburn which is the same place he played college football. He worked under legendary coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan from 1965 to 1963 and was part of the team that won the national championship in 1957. 

During his time at Georgia, Dooley became the school's athletic director and held that position until 2004. In his career, Dooley was named SEC Coach of the Year five times, won multiple national Coach of the Year awards in 1980, was selected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1984, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1978 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. 

Earlier this year, Dooley attended the national championship game between Georgia and Alabama and saw the Bulldogs win another title. "I got off the elevator the other night and I thought it was a sign when the elevator opened on the 15th floor and Vince Dooley was sitting on a bench locked out of his room," Georgia's current head coach Kirby Smart said, per DawgNation. "I thought, God put him there for me to see him the night before his game, and he was waiting on his key to come up to his room. I just knew that meant something."

In 2019, Georgia renamed the field at Sanford Stadium after Dooley. "It was a very moving experience, a moving day," Dooley said at the time. "I'm thankful for all of the people that were part of making it happen, and all the people that share in this, which is the greatest thrill of all."

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