Vince Dooley Vincent Joseph Dooley ( born September 4 , 1932 ) was the head football coach ( seasons 1964 through 1988 ) and athletic director ( 1979 to 2004 ) at the University of Georgia . During his 25 year coaching career at UGA , Dooley compiled a 201 – 77 – 10 record . His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship . After the 1980 season , Dooley was recognized as college football ' s " Coach of the Year " by several organizations , including the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association , whose annual award has since been renamed as the Paul " Bear " Bryant Award . Dooley ' s teams were known for their hard nosed defense and conservative yet fundamentally sound offenses . From 1964 to 1980 , Dooley was notably assisted by his defensive coordinator , Erskine " Erk " Russell . Early life and education . Dooley grew up in Mobile , Alabama and attended the McGill Institute , administered by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart . Dooley competed on behalf of McGill ' s athletic teams , known as the Yellow Jackets , and for a few years considered basketball to be his best sport . Dooley is a graduate of Auburn University ( bachelor ' s degree 1954 , Master ' s in history 1963 ) where he played college football and later coached under Ralph " Shug " Jordan . Dooley was a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity as an undergraduate at Auburn . Coaching career . Dooley spent his entire head - coaching career at the University of Georgia . In his 25 seasons , he averaged over eight wins a year , won six Southeastern Conference championships ( 1966 , 1968 , 1976 , 1980 , 1981 , 1982 ) and one National Championship in 1980 . After the 1980 national championship season , Vince Dooley was offered the head coaching position at Auburn University , encouraged by his former Auburn teammate and Alabama Governor Fob James . However , Dooley eventually declined the job , which went to Georgia alumnus Pat Dye . In his first three seasons at Georgia , Vince Dooley went 3 – 0 versus Georgia Tech ' s Bobby Dodd . Family . Bill Dooley , Vince ' s younger brother , worked on the Georgia Bulldogs football staff before becoming a notable college Head Coach in his own right at the University of North Carolina ( from 1967 to 1977 ) , Virginia Tech ( 1978 to 1986 ) and Wake Forest ( 1987 to 1992 ) . In the 1971 Gator Bowl , played in Jacksonville , Florida , the two brothers found themselves on opposing sidelines . Vince Dooley ' s son , Derek Dooley , is a former head coach at both the University of Tennessee and Louisiana Tech University . He is also a former assistant coach for the NFL ' s Miami Dolphins , the University of Georgia and LSU . Post - coaching career . After leading UGA to 201 victories , six SEC championships , and one national championship as head football coach , Dooley became Georgia ' s athletics director , and built one of the most successful athletics programs in America . Dooley briefly pursued the Democratic Party nomination for U . S . Senate in 1986 . His wife , the former Barbara Meshad , ran in the Republican Party primary for U . S . House in 2002 . Dooley is a member of the Gridiron Secret Society . On December 2 , 2009 , Kennesaw State University hired Dooley to begin working as a consultant to KSU in the school ' s drive to start a football program . Another hobby of Dooley ' s is gardening , about which he has published a book . Dooley has also partnered with Mascot Books to publish 2 children ' s books about the UGA mascot , " How ' Bout Them Dawgs ! " and " Hairy Dawg ' s Journey Through the Peach State " . Awards and honors . Dooley was inducted in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1978 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994 . He received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award , presented by the American Football Coaches Association in 2001 . In 2004 the U . S . Sports Academy presented Dooley with the Carl Maddox Sport Management Award , an award given annually to an individual for contribution to the growth and development of sports through management practices . Also in 2004 Dooley was inducted into UGA ' s Circle of Honor , which is the school ' s highest tribute to former athletes and coaches . In September 2007 , Dooley was given the Homer Rice Award , the highest honor given by the Division I - A Athletic Directors Association . In 2007 , Dooley was honored as a Star of the South by Irish America magazine . 2011 Georgia Trustee . Given by the Georgia Historical Society , in conjunction with the Governor of Georgia , to individuals whose accomplishments and community service reflect the ideals of the founding body of Trustees , which governed the Georgia colony from 1732 to 1752 .