Farewell to a Georgia Bulldog Legend
A true legend in Georgia football is gone. Coach Vince Dooley passed away on Friday at the age of 90.
He’d come down with COVID-19 earlier this month but recovered, but when you’re 90, things that don’t take a toll on younger people take a toll on you.
I wrote about Coach Dooley in detail over at PJ Media, so you can read my full obituary and tribute there, and another article I read referred to him as the “last Southern Gentleman.”
I only met him once, and it was at an autograph session. He was kind and engaged me and my brother in conversation as if we were the only people asking him to sign anything.
After beating Florida today, Kirby Smart had this to say in the postgame press conference:
It meant a lot for us to win that game for them and for all that Vince has meant to our university as such an ambassador to our program and really for all of college football. So I know if he was looking down on that one he would have enjoyed the first half. I don’t know if he would have enjoyed the second one. He and Erk (Russell) probably had a laugh together about it. He’s meant so much to us. In honor of him and their family, it was special.
Well done, good and faithful servant — and DGD. We’ll miss you, Coach Dooley, but we’ll see you soon.
Image: Georgia National Guard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons