Athletic complex to be named after Dooley
By Marc Weiszer | marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com | Story
updated at 5:50 PM on Monday, February 11, 2008

Vince Dooley's name and likeness is poised to be placed in an area
where he cemented his legacy in University of Georgia athletics.

Not at Sanford Stadium, where he won many of his 201 games as Georgia
football coach from 1964 to 1988, but on athletic facilities on the
southwest part of the campus where he served as the school's athletic
director.

The Vince Dooley Athletic Complex is the name expected to be given to
an area that includes the Butts-Mehre athletic building, Spec Towns
Track, Woodruff Practice Fields, the Rankin Smith Academic Center,
Stegeman Coliseum and practice facility, Foley Field and the Dan
Magill Tennis Complex.

The Athletic Association's executive board approved the proposed
project — estimated to cost $500,000 to $1 million — at a special
meeting today in advance of the University System Board of Regents
meetings that begin Tuesday in Atlanta. The university cabinet today
also approved the proposal with the support of President Michael Adams
and he expects the Regents will do the same to honor Dooley.

"He was very gracious in his comments to me," Adams told the executive
board about a conversation he had with Dooley about the project. "I
think this is an appropriate and fitting tribute."

Dooley's 40 years with Georgia athletics came to an end in June 2004
when Adams refused to grant Dooley's request for a contract extension.

"This is a day to talk about honoring somebody who gave the university
40 years of terrific service, and I'm not one on occasions like this
to look back," Adams said after today's meeting. "I think this gives
us all a good opportunity to look forward."

Dooley's supporters have longed for a fitting tribute to honor his
contribution to the school.

The Dooley Complex is what they are getting. It will start at the
corner of Pinecrest and Lumpkin Streets adjacent to the Butts-Mehre
building and the Spec Towns track.

That's where a garden with a Dooley statue — honoring his
accomplishments as athletic director and football coach — will be
placed. It is expected to be completed by August or September,
athletic director Damon Evans said.

Dooley told the Athens Banner-Herald today he wanted to wait on
approval from the Regents before commenting. He did, however, release
a statement through the university.

"I want to express my sincerest appreciation to all those who were
involved in this very special tribute," Dooley said. "I especially
want to extend a heartfelt thank you to those who were directly
responsible. Barbara and the family are very excited and appreciative
and I want to express their gratitude as well."

The sculpture shows Dooley being lifted on the shoulders of former
players Tim Morrison and Jeff Harper during the 1980 national
championship season.

The Dooley statue already has been created by local artist Stan
Mullins, a former university fine arts student who received his
undergraduate and master's degrees from Georgia in the late 1980s.

Frank Ros, captain of the 1980 team, said he is happy about Dooley's
recognition. "That's great. That is awesome," he said. "I think any
recognition he gets for the contribution he makes for the school are
all earned and deserved."

Don't look for Dooley-Sanford or Sanford-Dooley Stadium.

"The stadium already has a name," Adams said. "I've said on other
occasions without any disaffection for anyone that ... I don't believe
we've done any hyphenated names in my time. We think we've worked out
something that's good and fitting for everybody."

Dooley, now 75, won six SEC titles and the 1980 national title during
his 25 years coaching the Bulldogs when he compiled a record of
201-77-10. Georgia won another 17 national titles in other sports
while Dooley served as athletic director from 1979-2004.

Dooley has visited Mullins studio in the old Southern Cotton Oil Co.
warehouse on Pulaski Street and offered feedback on the statue.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno and Florida State coach Bobby Bowden have
statues in their likeness outside stadiums at those schools. Former
Notre Dame coach Ara Parsegia has a statue inside Notre Dame Stadium.

Dooley welcomed the idea of the Dooley Complex, Evans said.

"The best way to describe his thoughts is he was very appreciative and
very gracious and it's something he would like," Evans said. "Because
of his background in horticulture, he would like to assist in the
project."


Published on OnlineAthens.com on 021108

COLLEGE ATHLETICS

UGA athletics facilities to get Dooley's name
Campus statue also will honor former coach, AD

By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 02/11/08

Athens -- The University of Georgia has finally decided how to honor
former football coach and athletics director Vince Dooley, and it
doesn't involve Sanford Stadium.

The area of South Campus that houses most of the Bulldogs' athletic
facilities will be called the "Vince Dooley Athletic Complex." An
executive committee of the Georgia Athletic Association's board of
directors unanimously approved a motion by UGA President Michael Adams
at a specially called meeting Monday afternoon.

Dooley declined to comment pending the project's final approval.

"It's a very nice gesture," he said. "Other than that I don't think it
would be appropriate for me to comment."

The plan includes the construction of a garden plaza at the corner of
South Lumpkin Street and Pinecrest Drive, adjacent to
Butts-Mehre-Heritage Hall and Spec Towns Track on South Campus. The
centerpiece of that plaza will be 14-foot-high, bronze statue of
Dooley being lifted on the shoulders of two his players during the
1980 national championship season.

Dooley was Georgia's head football coach from 1964-1988. He became the
winningest coach in UGA history during that span, winning 201 games,
six SEC championships and one national championship.

Dooley became the Bulldogs AD in 1979 and oversaw their most
successful period of overall athletic excellence in history.

Shortly after Dooley's retirement three years ago, there was
discussion to re-name the football stadium Sanford-Dooley Stadium. But
that died when it was determined that the Georgia legislature did not
have the authority to name campus buildings and could not order the
Board of Regents, which did, to do so.

"The stadium already has a name," Adams reiterated Monday. "I've said
on other occasions, without any disaffection for anyone, we don't do
many . . . hyphenated names here in my time. We think we've worked out
something that's good and fitting for everybody."

The project will not be officially approved until it is signed off on
by the state Board of Regents at its meeting tomorrow in Atlanta.

Current athletics director Damon Evans estimated the project will cost
between $500,000 and $1 million. That does not include the cost of the
statue itself, which is being paid for by a group of private donors,
according to Adams.

The statue was created by Athens' Stan Mullins.

Evans said he hopes the project can be completed before football
season. "It's a fast-track project," he said.

Why, though, was it so long in getting started?

"There's been a lot of talk about honoring Coach Dooley for quite some
time," Evans said. "A lot of people get involved in what we do.
Sometimes that's good and sometimes it can make things take longer
than they need to. The good thing is we're honoring a man who has done
a good job. How long it took is not most significant."

Pretty cool... the University has treated coach Dooley very well. I was downtown this past weekend drinking and met his granddaughter, Rachel (a current UGA student) and over the course of a few drinks came to discover that her tuition is pretty much covered by UGA.

Dooley ‘honor’ a disgrace
By Bill King | Monday, February 11, 2008, 05:54 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Leave it to Michael Adams to find a way to make honoring Vince Dooley
a backhanded slap in the face.

Dooley supporters (me included) have called in recent years for the
retired coach/athletics director’s name to somehow be attached to
Sanford Stadium or its field, the site where he made his legend.

There’s also been a movement to locate a statue of Dooley outside the
stadium.

Adams, of course, was having none of it.

But the man booed at the Sugar Bowl just about as lustily as the
unbeloved mayor of New Orleans is a politician, after all, and he
recognizes that it’s not in his best interests to completely ignore
Dooley’s legacy.

So now the athletic association (which, let’s face it, doesn’t do
anything these days without Adams’ OK) has come up with a plan to
establish a “Vince Dooley Athletic Complex” on south campus and stick
the statue in a little parklike setting way up Lumpkin Street. Sure,
it’s near the Butts-Mehrer building, but it’s about a 20-minute walk
from the stadium.

I bet there was a smirk on Adams’ face when they came up with this
one. On the surface, they’re “honoring” Dooley. But at the same time
it’s one more opportunity for Adams to put Dooley in his place … far
away from Sanford Stadium and the main UGA athletic spotlight.

What a sorry episode. This isn’t the way to pay tribute to a man who’s
devoted most of his life to UGA and served it proudly.

Dooley should be honored where his teams played and won championships.
Period

is she hot? pics?

Not really.... she looks like Vince with tits. That might be one of those things that you just go with though for the family benefits.


(below from her facebook)

Congrats to Dooley--he is a wonderful person----great guy and well deserved