Big news out of Athens on Thursday as Georgia has announced plans to honor Vince Dooley by renaming the field after the legendary Bulldog coach.
Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium is expected to officially be presented during Georgia’s 2019 home opener against Murray State on Sept. 7.
The name change of the field still has to be formally approved by both the university USG Board of Regents before it can be finalized. Based on the statements provided by Georgia President Jere W. Morehead and USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley, those approvals are a mere formality at this point.
“Coach Dooley’s many contributions to this university can be seen across campus,” Morehead said via statement, “from Georgia athletics, where he achieved unrivaled success, to the learning environment, where today many academic programs and initiatives bear his name, such as the Dooley Library Endowment Fund to the Dooley Professorship in Horticulture. The university community will continue to benefit from his service and dedication for generations to come.”
“I have immense respect and appreciation for Coach Dooley and all that he has accomplished at the University of Georgia,” Wrigley added. “The Board of Regents and I look forward to reviewing the proposal to name Dooley Field during our May meeting.”
Kirby Smart also offered up his thoughts on the decision by praising both Coach Dooley and the decision.
“I am pleased that we will have an opportunity to recognize Coach Dooley as we launch the next football season,” said Smart. “We will use this exciting development to galvanize private support around our capital fundraising efforts to expand Butts-Mehre for our football program.”
Dooley coached in Athens from 1964 until 1988, leading Georgia to a 201-77-10 record during that span. To this day, no Georgia coach has won as many games as Dooley. His teams won six SEC championships and the 1980 national championship.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
