Athletes for a Better World (ABW) mourns the passing and celebrates the life of Vince Dooley who died at home on Friday, October 28th at age 90, surrounded by wife Barbara and their four children. Dooley was Board Director Emeritus of ABW, and Chairman of the Vincent J. Dooley Awards & Scholarships program begun by ABW in 2008. The Dooley Awards are presented to one male and one female athlete in every high school in the state of Georgia for excellence on and off the field while mirroring the ABW Code for Living. All high school award recipients are then considered for the statewide scholarships that are conferred upon one male and one female athlete each year, regardless of their sport. The annual spring awards event is held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta where Dooley was inducted in 1995 for his coaching achievements.
Dooley’s philanthropic efforts were wide ranging inside and outside of athletics. In recognition of these selfless accomplishments, he was awarded the Professional division Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup in 2016 by ABW. The latter award recognizes exemplary character in all sports within Professional, Collegiate and High School divisions on a national basis. Dooley often attributed his inspiration to two legendary sports icons and role models, basketball Coach John Wooden and baseball great Stan Musial.
While coaching the Georgia Bulldogs, Dooley is the winningest football coach with 201 victories, six SEC titles and the 1980 national championship in his 25 years (1964-1988). He was also an award-winning athletic director at Georgia (1979-2004).
Dooley has been the recipient of countless awards, including the highest national awards in coaching and in athletic administration encompassing the Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, the Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award, the James J. Corbett Memorial Award, the John L. Toner Award, and the Homer Rice Award. He is the only person ever to hold the presidency of both the American Football Coaches Association and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, plus the only person inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in two states, Georgia and Alabama. He was twice named NCAA National Coach of the Year, SEC Coach of the Year seven times, and NCAA District Coach of the Year six times. His football legacy was completed with his election to the National College Football Hall of Fame.
Read more about the legacy of Vince Dooley and ABW. Go Dawgs!
