Vince Dooley's greatest wins for Georgia over Florida

Legendary Georgia football coach Vince Dooley passed away on Friday afternoon at the age of 90. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Georgia and Alabama Sports Halls of Fame, Dooley is Georgia’s winningest football coach with 201 victories, six SEC titles and the 1980 national championship in his 25 years leading the Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988.

Georgia’s present team plays arch rival Florida on Saturday, and Dooley would’ve wanted nothing more than a dominant Dawgs win over the Gators. So, to look back on Dooley’s legendary career, DawgsHQ has compiled a list of his greatest wins over Florida as the leader of the Georgia Football program.

1964: Dooley’s first win over Florida

Florida had enjoyed its fair share of success against Georgia prior to Vince Dooley’s arrival in 1964. From 1952 to 1963, the Gators held a 10-2 advantage over Bod Woodruff and Ray Graves. However, in his first game against Florida, Dooley’s Dawgs relied on the run game and a strong second-half defensive performance to beat No. 10 Florida. Tied 7-7 going into the fourth quarter, Bob Etter lined up for a potentially game-winning field goal. The snap was mishandled, and instead, Etter picked up the bobbled ball to run for a touchdown. Those ended up being the final points in a 14-7 win for Georgia.

1975: Appleby to Washington

Once again it was an upset for Georgia over Florida in 1975, part of a 14-5 stretch for Georgia over Florida from 1971 to 1989. Florida led 7-3 late in the fourth quarter after Dooley’s “Junkyard Dawgs” allowed little yardage in the red zone. Then, with 3:10 left, Dooley called a trick play for tight end Richard Appleby who took a reverse to the right side before throwing to wide receiver Gene Washington for an 80-yard touchdown. That gave Georgia a 10-7 lead, all that the Dawgs needed that day for a win over the No. 7 Gators.

1976: Fourth and dumb

Sometimes you just need a little bit of dumb luck, and that’s exactly what Georgia got in 1976. The Bulldogs beat the No. 10-ranked Gators who were seeking their first SEC Championship and took a 27-13 lead into the second half. Georgia cut into the deficit early in the third quarter before Florida coach Doug Dickey made a rather questionable decision to go for it on Florida’s own 29-yard line on fourth down. Georgia safety Johnny Henderson came up with the stop, and the combination of Ray Goff and Kevin McLee helped Georgia take the momentum in the second half to with three touchdowns to go on to a 41-27 victory.

1980: Run Lindsay

One of Vince Dooley’s most memorable wins – regardless of opponent – came during the 1980 National Championship season. “Run Lindsay!” Georgia defeated Florida 26-21 on Lindsay Scott’s 93-yard catch and run. The Bulldogs took over the ball with 1:35 trailing by one with just one timeout remaining before Buck Belue found Scott for the score.

1981: Herschel over the top

Much like the previous year, Georgia trailed Florida late in the game in the fourth quarter. Backed up to its own five, the Bulldogs went on a 17-play, 95-yard drive spearheaded by running back Herschel Walker. The star succeeded in jumping over the line and into the end zone on third down with just over two minutes to go in the game. Walker’s score gave Georgia a 26-21 advantage, the final score for a second straight season.

1985: Georgia beats No. 1 Florida

A win over Florida is always going to be great. It’s even better when the Gators are ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time. Freshman running back Keith Henderson rushed for two touchdowns and fellow freshman Tim Worley added a 94-yard score as Georgia rolled to a 24-3 victory with the students chanting “four whole days” in the stands for the four days Florida was ranked atop the polls.

Georgia kicks off against Florida this year tomorrow, Saturday, at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS as Kirby Smart’s No. 1-ranked Bulldogs look to move to 8-0 on the season.