ATHENS, Ga. — The college football world was delivered sad news on Friday when it learned the sudden death of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley. He was 90-years-old.
Dooley died peacefully at his home with his wife and their four children by his side, according to a statement.
Dooley, a revered coach at UGA from 1964 to 1988, led the Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship. Led by a freshman tailback named Herschel Walker who took the college football world by storm, Dooley's Dawgs defeated Notre Dame 17-10 in the 1981 Sugar Bowl. It was the school's second title in program history.
The sports community mourned the loss of Dooley on Friday, with coaches, commissioners, teams and even UGA's biggest rivals taking to social media to offer their condolences.
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In a tweet on social media, UGA released the following statement:
Current Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart noted how missed Dooley will be in the Athens community.
Longtime University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt took to Twitter to offer his sorrow, but also to express his gratitude to the man that hired him:
Herschel Walker, who set the NCAA freshman rushing record and became the first "true freshman" All-American under Dooley as a member of the 1980 national title team, released the following statement:
Former Georgia defensive end and current ESPN College GameDay analyst David Pollack took to Twitter with a photo of him and Dooley.
Seven-time national champion and Alabama head coach Nick Saban delivered the following statement on Vince Dooley's death:
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey called Dooley a "legend" and said that he leaves behind a legacy that will impact college sports as a whole:
The Atlanta Braves shared a photo of manager Brian Snitker next to the UGA legend.
Former UGA basketball head coach Tom Crean took to Twitter to express his sympathy:
ESPN's Ryan McGee shared a lasting memory of Dooley, with a photo he captured after Georgia's 2021 national championship win over Alabama in January.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and his family offered their condolences to Dooley and his family in a tweet:
Even UGA's biggest rivals such as Auburn and Georgia Tech took to Twitter to give their courteous condolences.
The beloved former University of Georgia coach and athletic director was a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, as well as the winningest football coach in school history, mounting 201 victories and six SEC titles during his 25 years leading the Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988.
He had recently celebrated his 90th birthday back in September and was serenaded to "Happy Birthday" in front of 70,000 fans inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the season opener against Oregon.
