Dooley recovering after fall, surgery

University of Georgia legend and former head coach Vince Dooley is recovering this week after he had hip surgery over the weekend.

UGA athletic department confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that Dooley, 89, fell during a workout last week at his home and suffered a hairline fracture.

Dooley’s surgery on Friday was successful and he was later released from the hospital Sunday after a few nights at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens.

Dooley is Georgia football’s winningest coach with a record of 201-77-10 during his 25-year career.

He led the Bulldogs to six SEC championships and a national championship in 1980. Dooley coached UGA football until 1988.

During Dooley’s tenure as athletic director from 1979-2004, Georgia teams won 23 national championships and 78 SEC team championships.

In 2019, UGA officially named the field at Sanford Stadium after Dooley.

“I never got into the conversation. I thought maybe one day, after I’m gone, it might happen,” Dooley told Channel 2 at the time. “It will be a great tribute to the players that I had the good fortune of coaching and the coaches that I worked with and the staff, people, my family.”

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