Huckaby: Happy Birthday, Coach Dooley

Vince Dooley turns 90 today.

Do you know what percentage of American males reach the age of 90? About 14%, according to my research, which consisted of going to the first site Google brought me to.

Do you know what percentage of men reach 90 who are United States Marines, in the College Football Hall of Fame, served at the University of Georgia as coach and/or athletics director for 40 years, won 6 SEC Championships and a National Title and know more about history and floriculture than they do about football -- and are married to, quite possibly, the most opinionated and outspoken Southern belle of Lebanese descent alive?

A lot less than 14%. In fact, add a caveat concerning ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock exchange this week and I would say that you have created a profile of uniqueness for Vincent Joseph Dooley of Mobile, Alabama.

You know the story. Dooley was an Auburn man, graduating from that astute institution where he played and coached for the great Shug Jordon. After graduation, he joined the USMC and, after his service was over, he returned to Auburn as coach of the freshmen football team. While working on a master’s degree in history.

While coaching at Auburn, Dooley, a devout Catholic, served as counsellor to a group of Catholic students. One of the students, Barbara Meshad, of Birmingham, seemed to need a lot more counselling than any of her peers. The couple was married on March 19, 1960. They have four children: Deanna, Daniel, Denise, and Derek and 11 grandchildren — a whole football team. The couple recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.

Meanwhile, Athens had become a drinking town with a football problem. Georgia had fallen on hard times, and were experiencing the “lean years.” Bobby Dodd had Georgia Tech riding high in Atlanta and Georgia wasn’t the premier program in its own state.

The Bulldogs had won a total of ten games and had endured three straight losing seasons after the retirement of the legendary “Little Round Man,” Wally Butts, after the 1960 season. The had lost to Tech 3 times during that period, by a combined score of 73-16.

Georgia folks needed a change, but they weren’t sure if they needed to change to a 31-year-old freshman coach — from Auburn, of all places.

It didn’t take the Bulldog faithful long to warm up to their new coach, thanks, in great part, to the vivaciousness of his young wife, Barbara, who immediately embraced her role as First Lady of Georgia Football. The more folks learned about the new coach, the more they liked him. He was earnest and sincere and had a great pedigree. He was truly an officer and a gentleman. There was more to this guy than a sweatshirt and a whistle.

By the time the anniversary of his hire had passed, Coach Dooley had proven Joel Eaves’ faith to have been well-placed. He had guided Georgia to a 7-3-1 season, which included a 7-0 victory over Georgia Tech in the regular season finale and an identical 7-0 victory over Texas Tech in the Sun Bowl. A year later Dooley’s Dogs defeated Alabama and Michigan in the same season and won their second straight game against their hated in-state rivalry. Within four years he had defeated Tech four times and won an SEC Championship and Dooley’s place in Georgia football history was firmly established. When he won a second conference championship in 1968, schools like the University of Oklahoma were trying to lure him away from Athens.

Dooley became known as a great coach who believed in a sound defense a good running game and great special teams. He was also known as the greatest poor-mouther in collegiate football history. I once saw him stare right into a television camera and sound the warning that “The Richmond Spiders might have the greatest onside-kick covering team in all of football.” Classic Dooley.

As the years rolled by the wins rolled up and Dooley’s legacy was secured with the recruitment of Herschel Walker which led to the 1980 National Championship and opened the door to four of the most dominating years in Georgia football annals. Dooley retired after the 1988 season, capping off his career with a 34-27 win over Michigan State in Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl — the scene of so many great wins over Florida.

Coach Dooley’s final record at Georgia was 201-77-10. His team’s won six SEC Championships. His record against Florida was 17-7-1. His record against The Enemy from North Avenue was 19-6. After he gave up coaching, he continued to serve as Athletics Director for 15 more years. Very few people will ever spend a 40-year career at one institution again, and he always served the University with class.

He remains, to this day, the greatest ambassador our University could ever hope to have. It is altogether fitting and proper that after a long campaign and a lot of lobbying, Governor Brian Kemp, school president Jere Morehead and the Board of Regents made Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium a reality in 2019.

Vince has done well with his first nine decades I can’t wait to see what he does with the tenth.

Happy Birthday, Coach.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Huckaby: Happy Birthday, Coach Dooley