Product Description

After leading Georgia athletics to national prominence and maintaining the school's glorified status for decades, Vince Dooley is finally ready to tell the complete story of his life. From the day he was named UGA's head coach at the age of 31 to the controversial decision by university president Michael Adams not to renew his contract, Dooley leaves no questions unanswered in this candid autobiography by one of the most respected and decorated administrators in the history of intercollegiate athletics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #634862 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-30
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 252 pages

From the Publisher
"There are brain surgeons, rocket scientists, visionary statesmen, and military heroes who have had extraordinarily fulfilling and meaningful jobs, but my jobs as Georgia football coach and athletics director have undeniably been, in my opinion, the best jobs in the world." —Vince Dooley

"For 41 years Vincent has served the University of Georgia well and has become one of the most respected people in his profession. This does not happen by accident." —from the Foreword by Barbara Dooley

From the Inside Flap
Over the span of four decades as a national championship football coach and an award-winning administrator, Vince Dooley made University of Georgia athletics his life's work. As his Hall of Fame career wound down he decided he was ready to tell his story as one of the most respected and decorated figures in the history of intercollegiate athletics. Dooley grew up on the rough end of Mobile, Alabama, and used football as his springboard to an incredibly fulfilling life. He was an outstanding defensive back who captained the 1953 Auburn team. He went on to join the Tigers coaching staff before landing the head job at Georgia in 1964 at the tender age of 31. In 25 years at the helm for Georgia, Dooley won 201 games, six SEC championships, and the 1980 national championship, for which he was named Coach of the Year. In 1979 he assumed the role of athletics director, a position he held concurrently until he retired from coaching in 1988. In that role he brought Georgia athletics back into the national spotlight and was considered one of the most successful administrators in the nation. He flourished there until 2004, when UGA president Michael Adams made the highly controversial decision not to renew his contract. In Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia, the coach talks candidly for the first time about his final days at Georgia and gives his perspective on the behind-the-scenes negotiations. He also recounts everything that led to those final days, from his playing career to his surprise hiring at the age of 31, and from his relationships with all of his players and coaches over the years—including the emergence of the 1980 national championship team—to his dealings with the other legends of the sport, such as Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Bud Wilkinson, Shug Jordan, and so many more. Dooley is an insider's look at Georgia football and Georgia athletics over the past four decades from the man who lived it every day.

About the Author
Tony Barnhart, a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, has covered college football for 29 seasons. The 1999 Georgia Sports Writer of the Year, Barnhart is also former president of the Football Writers Association of America. A native of Union Point, Georgia, Barnhart currently resides in Atlanta.

Customer Reviews

Exceptional Story About University Life and Top-Level Athletics
When I joined the University of Georgia faculty in 1969, I kept hearing about Vince Dooley, the university's very young head football coach. The previous year, he had led the team to the Southeastern Conference Championship, resulting in a Sugar Bowl bid. Clearly, Dooley had assumed leadership of a nearly defunct football program and restored a degree of glory quickly.

This book details Dooley's four-decade career at Georgia, as Coach and Director of Athletics. Under his aegis, the program expanded dramatically, culminating in six conference championships in football, a national football championship and a prominent place for Vince Dooley, not only in university circles, but throughout Georgia and the nation--with Dooley holding every leadership position available in the NCAA and other major athletic organizations.

As Georgia football flourished, so did other sports, both in facilities and in season records.

My Forty Years at Georgia talks unabashedly about the good news and the bad news. The teams endured some mediocre seasons, and one losing season. Critics hurled charges of academic favoritism for athletes. Ultimately, Vince Dooley did not get a contract extension he wanted from President Michael Adams.

In this memoir, Dooley shares his most palpable memories, from coaching Herschel Walker to losing his place at the institution that became synonymous with his career, even his life.

Although I left the faculty after five years, to enter academic administration elsewhere and ultimately establish my consulting business, I maintained my Georgia connections. Happily, since 1979 I have attended every home game and have come to know Vince Dooley personally, which I consider a genuine privilege.

I highly recommend this book as a reliable resource for those who want to understand amateur athletics at the highest level, and to glimpse a power struggle that divided a fabled program. Vince Dooley emerges shaken, but unbowed. Every university would benefit from forty years with a Coach and Athletic Director who had his vision and stature--and his dedication to the institution.

Candid, but Classy
Good book by a good man who happens to also be an outstanding football coach...Vince Dooley has always been a classy man and this book follows that mode...It is written in keeping with his personality. While it is candid and nothing is held back---see his comments on his favorite players, etc.---it is written and presented in a classy, courteous style, the style of a Southern Gentleman who loved football, was a part of football, an integral part of the Southeastern Conference for more than 50 years, yet had a vision and perspective beyond football....parts on his disagreements with Georgia President Michael Adams should be especially revealing to the reader in terms of campus politics, the most vicious politics of all...even here, Dooley, while being candid, handles the "controversy" in a genteel manner. Tony Barnhart's deft touch is present, but never obvious...He guided and directed--coached--Vince Dooley well...A valuable book to the history of southern football, Georgia football in particular. Any fan of SEC Football will enjoy it.