Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff: 66 Days
Vince Dooley was the fresh Georgia Bulldogs head coach who just left his alma mater to coach a rival school. And he wasted no time shedding those Auburn colors to win the hearts of those who bleed red and black.
The Dawgs entered Dooley’s second season in 1966 as a team with some impressive highs and some Kentucky Bluegrass lows the previous season.
After wins against Bear Bryant’s No. 5 Alabama, at No. 7 Michigan, and against Clemson at home, Georgia ranked in the top five halfway through the season.
Then it lost at Florida State by a touchdown and at Kentucky by 18 points. The Dawgs bounced back with a win at North Carolina (how pure was that out of conference schedule, by the way?) before losing to Florida and Auburn by a combined six points.
Of course Vince Dooley beat Georgia Tech to end the season. His Dawgs only lost to the Yellow Jackets six times in his 25-year head coaching career.
But that first season was all over the place as he got his sea legs under him.
1966: Vince Dooley’s Georgia Bulldogs program comes to life
Georgia’s 1966 season had a lot in common with some other notable ‘second seasons’ in Bulldogs history.
Just like his Georgia head coach colleagues Mark Richt and Kirby Smart, Dooley’s Dawgs won the SEC Championship that year.
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The Dawgs’ season wasn’t quite as tough, which helped. Only one of its SEC opponents was ranked. Georgia’s victory over quarterback Steve Spurrier and No. 7 Florida put the Dawgs in the top ten, and eliminated the Gators from the SEC Championship.
Georgia only lost once all year. Miami scraped by the Dawgs in a 7-6 victory at the Orange Bowl. Other than that, an undefeated SEC record, plus a top-10 matchup victory over No. 5 Georgia Tech, earned the Dawgs a SEC title and a trip to the Cotton Bowl.
A victory over SMU capped off a dream season for the 34-year-old Dooley. Georgia didn’t rank high enough in the final polls to win a National Championship.
But the 1966 season set the tone for Dooley, and for a championship career Between the Hedges.
Recent Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff Stories
No. 67 – Billy Payne puts a bow on his Georgia football career
No. 68 – 68 touchdowns on the season and look back on the best of the year
No. 69 – Georgia runs this state with 69 wins over Georgia Tech
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