The school announced that Dooley died peacefully at his Athens home in the presence of his wife, Barbara, and their four children.
The improbable 26-21 triumph propelled Georgia to a perfect season and their first consensus national title. in last season’s national title game, the former coach was in Indianapolis to cheer them on.
Stoic in his demeanor and elegant with words delivered in a Southern drawl, a renaissance man who dabbled in horticulture, studied Civil War history and wrote numerous books, Dooley had his greatest run of success after landing a running back from tiny Wrightsville, Georgia.During Walker’s three years between the hedges, the Bulldogs went 33-3, won three straight SEC titles, captured their only undisputed national title and nearly won another in 1982.
Dooley never left Athens and remained a fixture around the football program, often sitting in on news conferences conducted by the last coach he hired, Mark Richt, and Smart.Vince’s younger brother, Bill, was the head coach at North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Derek held the top jobs at both Louisiana Tech and SEC rival Tennessee.
Walker made his mark in his very first college game, running right over Tennessee defensive back Bill Bates for a touchdown that helped the Bulldogs rally for a 16-15 victory.Walker rushed for 1,616 yards and 15 touchdowns that season, but the Bulldogs’ national title hopes appeared doomed when they trailed Florida 21-20.
That season would be the pinnacle of Dooley’s career, though the Bulldogs nearly won another national title two years later. Walker won the Heisman Trophy and Georgia was ranked No. 1 heading into the Sugar Bowl after an undefeated regular season. From tennis to swimming, gymnastics to baseball, the Bulldogs won 19 national championships under Dooley.