ATHENS, Ga — A public celebration honoring the life of legendary former University of Georgia head football coach Vince Dooley will be held on Friday night in Athens, Georgia.

If you are unable to attend in person, Channel 2 will be streaming the service live starting at 7:30 p.m.

Dooley died on Oct. 28, at the age of 90.

“Coach Dooley meant so much to this University and the Athens Community,” J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics, Josh Brooks, said. “This will be a tremendous opportunity to honor a man who meant the world to so many of us. Georgia Athletics wanted to give Bulldog fans a chance to pay tribute to Coach Dooley, and this is a great way to do that.”

Dooley resisted coaching at first, thinking it “an insecure business.” He had an offer to go into banking when he left the Marine Corps, and only after some hesitation did he take a job on Shug Jordan’s staff at Auburn. Even then, he was readying himself to leave at any moment.

He spent five years tutoring quarterbacks and then asked to take charge of the freshman team, just to see if he could actually coach.

Over the next 25 years, he won six SEC titles and one national championship in 1981. It was Georgia’s first national championship since 1942.

Years later, Dooley became athletic director and, under his guidance, UGA’s sports programs rose to national prominence. The school won 20 national championships and 77 SEC titles.

Dooley retired in June 2004 at the age of 71 after a very controversial power struggle with the university’s president. He remained the face of Georgia football and a staple in the Athens community.

In 2019, Georgia renamed the football field Vincent J. Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.

The service is open and free to the public. The arena’s clear-bag policy will be in effect.

The celebration is a non-ticketed event and is open to the public.

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