LOOK: Delta dedicates plane to Vince Dooley for Georgia trip to National Championship
The Georgia Bulldogs are headed across the country later this week, flying into Los Angeles on Friday for Monday’s National Championship showdown against TCU. As you can imagine, getting an entire team of football coaches and players out to California for a game isn’t easy, but that’s where Delta Air Lines comes in. The Atlanta-based company is flying the Dawgs out for their title game clash with the Horned Frogs on a special Vince Dooley plane, dedicated to the legendary coach on Tuesday.
Dooley, who passed at the age on 90 on October 28th, 2022, served as Georgia’s head football coach for 25 years after coming over from his alma mater, Auburn, in 1964. He amassed a record of 201-77-10 and led the Bulldogs to one National Championship and six Southeastern Conference titles. In addition, Dooley was the first ever recipient of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 1976, an honor named after the former Georgia Tech head coach. Dooley went 3-0 against Dodd in his first three seasons as UGA’s head man.
When he decided to retire as a head coach in 1988, Dooley was the second-winningest head coach in SEC history. He trailed only Paul “Bear” Bryant. His head coaching career at Georgia saw him dominate the Bulldogs’ biggest rival, Florida, leading his teams to a 18-6-1 record against the Gators.
Dooley also earned numerous other honors during his time as the leader for Georgia’s football program, taking home AFCA Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year, and Walter Camp Coach of the Year all in 1980. Dooley also received the Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
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In addition to his time at Georgia as head coach, Dooley also served as the school’s Athletics Director. He held that post from 1979 to 2004, overseeing the hiring of three head football coaches and numerous leaders of other programs during that time.
Vince Dooley was in attendance at Georgia’s first National Championship Game victory since his 1980 title last January, and the Bulldogs will go for a second straight this coming week. Only two schools have accomplished the feat of winning consecutive consensus titles in the last 50 years: Nebraska (1994-95) and Alabama (2011-12).
Georgia opened as nearly a two-touchdown favorite at 13.5 points according to the oddsmakers in Las Vegas shortly after winning their semifinal over Ohio State. It’s the largest spread for a National Championship Game since the start of the BCS (1998). Kickoff time from Los Angeles is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Alternative broadcasts will be available on ESPN2 (Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show), ESPNU (Command Center), ESPNews (AT&T 5G Skycam), SEC Network (Georgia Hometown Radio) and streaming on the ESPN App.
