Nick Saban wasn’t just a great friend to Vince Dooley and his family. They were neighbors at Lake Burton and would have dinner together every summer.
Saban is among the many that have been positively impacted by Dooley’s legendary presence in the Southeastern Conference, and the Alabama head coach released a statement Friday evening mourning the loss of his friend.
“Vince Dooley was one of my favorite people in the world and a wonderful friend to the entire Saban family,” Alabama’s head coach said in a statement. “Vince represented the University of Georgia and all of college football with tremendous integrity and class as both a coach and athletics director. No place was that more evident than his impact on the young men he led over a lifetime as a coach. Terry and I are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Barbara and their entire family. He will be missed by many.”
Dooley’s son, Derek — the former Tennessee head coach, is an analyst on Saban’s Alabama staff.
Dooley died Friday at the age of 90. He was Georgia’s longtime coach from 1964 to 1988 and the athletic director from 1979-2004.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
