Vince Dooley's legacy lives on through his work and words
Vince Dooley was a man of many impactful words. But even more than that, Coach Dooley was a man of well-placed words.
Dooley’s legacy lives on through his remarkable life as a public figure, former coach, athletic director, historian and horticulturalist. That spirit will also persist in the quotes that follow.
His Georgia Bulldogs won six SEC Championships and one National Championship.
Once Vince Dooley’s coaching days ended, he continued serving as Georgia’s director of athletics until 2004.
Dooley’s coached champions, and seen plenty of others during his time in Athens. The field at Sanford Stadium bears his name.
He and his wife Barbara still lived in the same Athens house they bought when he took the head coaching job at Georgia, up until his passing at the age of 90.
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May these Vince Dooley quotes bring you joy as we remember Georgia’s finest Dawg.
“We started him at tight end, and he just sort of ate his way to the guard position.”
– on Georgia offensive guard George Collins.
(‘Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia’ – Vince Dooley with Tony Barnhart)
“I’ve said many times that I knew Herschel was going to be good, but I never thought he would be that good that fast. But I was certainly going to give him the opportunity.”
– on evaluating Georgia Bulldogs great Herschel Walker out of high school.
“His first five years, he’s won two championships. In our first five years, we won two championships. So I think there’s a lot of similarities.”
– on Mark Richt’s first five seasons as Georgia’s head coach (2001-2005).
“He would butt heads, and it would bleed a little bit. I always say, ‘Players like to see the coaches bleed.’ So they’d play hard for him.”
– to WSB-TV, on the Georgia Bulldogs’ National Championship defensive coordinator (and College Football Hall-of-Famer, if it were up to me), Erk Russell.
“Our team was a real team. And this is a real team. There’s tremendous morale and spirit among the team.”
– to WSB-TV, on comparing Georgia’s 2017 SEC Championship team to his 1980 National Champions.
“My base salary was $12,000. But I had a TV contract of $100 a show on a one-year trial for ten shows. So it wasn’t just the base salary. Every time that the salary surveys come out in the newspaper, I have to hide it from my wife (Barbara), because she gets mad every time she sees what everybody’s making. She says, ‘Go back for one year and get fired. Then you’ll be set for life.’”
– to the Paul Finebaum show, on how his first-year salary at Georgia compares to college football coaching salaries in the modern era.
“He was a relentless player. When he left Georgia he held the school record for most career tackles by a defensive lineman (348). That meant he was really chasing the ball.”
– on Georgia defensive tackle and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg.
(‘Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia’ – Vince Dooley with Tony Barnhart)
“Nothing like being a champion. Go Dawgs”
– to me, after the 2017 SEC Championship victory over Auburn.
“He’s got a way of irritating fans.”
– on former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier.
“I just don’t think a coaching career can be complete without an undisputed National Championship. You need at least one year when you win them all and your team is recognized unanimously as the best in the nation. It took 17 years to do it, but we finally had one.”
– on winning the 1980 National Championship, and his career.
(‘Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia’ – Vince Dooley with Tony Barnhart)
