Vince Dooley, the football coach who carried himself like a professor and guided Georgia for a quarter-century of success that included the 1980 national championship, died Friday. He was 90.
The school announced that Dooley died peacefully at his Athens home in the presence of his wife, Barbara, and their four children, including former Tennessee coach Derek Dooley. No cause of death was given.
Dooley was hospitalized this month for what was described as a mild case of COVID-19, but he pronounced himself fully recovered and ready to attend his regular book-signing session at the campus bookstore before an Oct. 15 game against Vanderbilt.
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Dooley had a career record of 201-77-10 while coaching the Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988, a stretch that included six Southeastern Conference titles, 20 bowl games and just one losing season.
“Our family is heartbroken by the death of Coach Dooley. He was one of a kind with an unmatched love for UGA!” current Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
Dooley is the fourth-winningest coach in SEC history, trailing only Bear Bryant, Nick Saban, and Steve Spurrier.
“Vince Dooley was one of my favorite people in the world,” Saban said. “Vince represented the University of Georgia and all of college football with tremendous integrity and class as both a coach and athletics director.”
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Dooley was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1998, but he also took pride in running an athletic program that was among the nation’s best in a wide range of sports.
From tennis to swimming, gymnastics to baseball, the Bulldogs won 19 national championships under Dooley.
