What will UGA fans make of ‘Dooley’s Vols’?
UGA-bred Derek Dooley is a definite step up in class from Lane Kiffin. (Louisiana Tech)
As college football rivalries go, the one between UGA and Tennessee doesn’t have a lot of history (they didn’t play for many years) and it has never had the intensity of Georgia-Florida, or the sibling-like feel of Georgia-Auburn and the season-ending meeting with Tech.
And yet the rivalry with the Vols is the only one in modern memory that saw UGA fans tear down the goal posts in Athens after a win, and it produced one of Larry Munson’s most memorable calls in Knoxville.
I got to thinking about the nature of that rivalry after my son raised the question of how having Vince Dooley’s son Derek as the UT head coach might change how UGA fans view Tennessee.
Certainly, Dooley, who grew up in Athens, played and got his undergrad degree at Virginia and received his law degree from UGA, won’t be the obvious villain in fans’ eyes that loudmouthed Lane Kiffin aspired to be. By all appearances to date, he’s a classy guy who’s more likely to take the higher road like his dad did.
There’s a certain residual affection for Derek Dooley among many in the Bulldog Nation. During his time at Louisiana Tech, I heard quite a few Georgia fans pulling for him to succeed, and his name was even floated from time to time as a likely successor to Mark Richt one day.
But Dooley reportedly is a tenacious recruiter (he was LSU’s recruiting coordinator under Nick Saban), and if he goes so far as to, say, pry a prized five-star commitment away from UGA, that certainly wouldn’t endear him to fans of the Dogs.
Of course, he’d only be doing his job in that regard and I don’t think any reasonable UGA fan could really work up a hate for him over even that.
Still, it is going to be “strange,” as his father said, when Dooley brings his team to play Between the Hedges. “Dooley’s Vols” just doesn’t sound right.
And there’ll be a lot of media hoopla, no doubt centering on what his parents will be wearing and for whom they’ll be cheering. Vince has said Barbara will wear orange and cheer loudly for her youngest son, whereas he’ll have “mixed emotions” and will pull “quietly” for Derek in his private box at Sanford Stadium. Even that has upset some Georgia fans who seem to think the elder Dooley should put his former employer over his own child.
But while the “Dooley” name fronting the Vols might give the annual game against Georgia a bit of the “Bowden Bowl” flavor, overall I’d say having Derek Dooley at UT will cool the rivalry off a bit from what it might have been with Kiffin at the helm. And certainly the young Dooley won’t be as easy a target for ridicule as Kiffin would have been or Phil “the Great Pumpkin” Fulmer was.
What do you think? Will you view Tennessee any differently with a Dooley as coach? And is it high treason for Vince to pull, even quietly, for his son to beat the Dogs?
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192 comments Add your comment
Bremen Dawg
January 29th, 2010
12:54 pm
I’m not to worried about him at Tennessee, along as he doesn’t find his Erk Russell if you know what I mean. Anybody won wears that awful orange then they are enemies.
Natureboy809
January 29th, 2010
12:56 pm
I wouldn’t care if my dad was the coach at Tennessee, my brother was the defensive coordinator, and my son played QB for them, I’d want UGA to crush them.
DawgBuzz
January 29th, 2010
12:58 pm
Hopefully Georgia will view the Tennessee game with a great deal more intensity than in past years. With Dooley as coach this should raise the stakes for the Dawgs who need to win, win big and keep the crop of recruits in state.
Vince should always support his son regardless. Just say’in….
Scout Dawg
January 29th, 2010
1:03 pm
I am as big a DAWG fan as anyone. Started listening to games in 1974 when we moved to Georgia when I was 5. UGA alum 1991. If my son went to Tennessee I would sacrifice virgins for the Georgia win, sorry son. If my son coached or played, well I hope for every success for my child.
ratherBgambling
January 29th, 2010
1:03 pm
I’m Mike Hamiliton and I am an idiot!
I fire a coach who went 152-52 with a guy who’s record is 5-15.
The 5-15 coach screws me so I hire another guy who’s record is 17-20.
I’m Mike Hamilton and there is no one smart enough at UT to fire me………..i’m surrounded by bigger idiots that me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
collegeballfan
January 29th, 2010
1:10 pm
If Vince does not pull for his son then I would call him a lousy excuse for a father.
————–
“…any reasonable UGA fan…” Surely you jest!
BAMA STAN
January 29th, 2010
1:13 pm
13 NATIONAL TITLES – 22 SEC TITLES!!!
Whatever……
Dereck Dooley could care less about what UGA or Bama or Florida think about him. This is a bright person – and he knows what he was hired to do – win football games. IF he has to go raid Georgia’s recruits – all’s fair and open game – his focus is to find the best athletes and football players that fit into his football strategy – and go beat up the other team.
Do you really think Nick Saban cares about Auburn – or Georgia – or Tennessee? He cares about whoevev employs him – and that’s it.
Coach Dooley – while not wearing orange – (and I would not) should openly cheer for his son. If Bear Bryants kid coached became HC at Auburn after the Bear retired – I guarentee you you – the Bear would be rooting for his son’s success – no matter who they played.
I get the feeling that Mark Richt is feeling the heat – he knows Da’Rick Rogers is gone – N. Robey is gone – and D. Rogers is gone. That is three (3) of the best athletes that he thought he had sowed up….and they will commit elsewhere.
Also – I applaud Richt for making the needed coaching change on defense – if UGA continues it’s 7/8 win slide – and does not close the Gap to Urban – he will be gone in a few short years. He knows this – he feels this – and Grantham better be a good hire.
Look for Tennessee and Auburn to bolt past UGA in a few years.
Auburn will turn the corner on UGA this year.
Tennessee may be in trouble in 2010 – but they do have a very young team – and combine with this years class – will beat UGA – making it 4 out of 6 in 2011.
Just calling it as I see it.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!
Scout Dawg
January 29th, 2010
1:13 pm
Right on CUZ, you have got to draw the line somewhere. The HE!! with the nerds!
ga gator
January 29th, 2010
1:14 pm
ratherBgambling, Hilarious dude!!
Scout Dawg
January 29th, 2010
1:16 pm
You know what, shame on me ’cause I can’t remember his name, but I sure do miss Buck in the Northwest! I hope but am not sure that was his AKA.
Redcoat Opinion
January 29th, 2010
1:18 pm
I think it’s funny how all of the fan bases make fun of each other for lack of class and such…no SEC fan base is without it’s classless crazies…just the nature of the beast…I see them all first hand…
Bremen Dawg
January 29th, 2010
1:20 pm
Funny that these Bama idiots don’t remember that Saban teams has got thrased in Athens a few times. Saban will make like a tree and leave Bama. He seems to do that. Da’Rick knows he has better chance of playing with T the first year, that’s the only reason he is looking and he wants to be the star, we already have a star in AJ and he doesn’t want to play behind him.
NCAA
January 29th, 2010
1:26 pm
Bama Stan,
You Alabama fans are pretty terrible at math (not surprising). How you count N.C.’s is a joke. If Alabama has 13 N.C.’s then Kentucky has about 6, Vanderbilt has 4, and South Carolina has 3. If the Birmingham News votes Alabama #1 and every other poll doesn’t even include you in the rankings, you guys will claim a National Championship. Maybe the public schools in Alabama should do a better job at teaching ya’ll how to count.
Hey ... Bill King...
January 29th, 2010
1:26 pm
Just a heads up … Derek Dooley doesnt have ANYTHING to do with Georgia… .he didnt go to college at UGA … has never coached at UGA … what will Georgia fans think? I guess the same thing we think of Dabo coaching Clemson, or Saban coaching Alabama…
Were you just reaching with this blog? or did you just run out of clear thoughts?
scoundrel
January 29th, 2010
1:27 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if Vince rooted like hell against the school that fired him after everything he did for UGA.
Sanford Drive
January 29th, 2010
1:33 pm
Derek Dooley went to law school at UGA, you goob.
D. Dooley
January 29th, 2010
1:38 pm
Objection!!
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
January 29th, 2010
1:45 pm
bama stan is as long winded as BuLLdawg. More amusing though, claiming 13 N Championships. I think it’s funny when one of the most successful programs in history has to make up titles to feel good about themselves
UGA girl
January 29th, 2010
1:49 pm
Volman—-then I guess I shouldn’t mention that I was SPIT on by a grown man in Neyland Stadium 2 years ago! Not once, but twice…. Pitiful really but it goes both ways!!
Dawghater
January 29th, 2010
1:55 pm
The Puppy Dawgs will hate Derek Dooley when he kicks the butts between the hedges!
scoundrel
January 29th, 2010
1:59 pm
UGA girl, they are pretty classless, I agree. When my daughter was in the UF band (when Manning played at UT) they spit and threw things at them from above in the stands. What was their reponse? The band played Rocky Top after blowing Tenn out again! When they come to the Swamp they are without a doubt even close to other teams fans.
CatsFly
January 29th, 2010
2:01 pm
Look, sure Vince has deep feelings for UGa. It fed his family “high on the hog” for many years. But before you get to luv’n Derek because his dad was coach at UGa, understand, Vince deep in his heart pulls for his alma mater, even against UGa. UGa was job, AU was his first love.
Saban
January 29th, 2010
2:02 pm
Just another beat down for the dawgs.
Shame Richt is afraid to play us.
Not only that his hairdresser is a Georgia Tech fan.
In fact with Dooley at Tenn. and Johnson at Tech, Georgia will never win more than 6 games a year.
Brucemac
January 29th, 2010
2:03 pm
“Hey Bill King”:
thanks for the demonstration of Vol ignorance. He is a graduate of UGA law school.
town drunk
January 29th, 2010
2:05 pm
CatsFly, you know Vince personally, that he pulls for Auburn?
D. Dooley
January 29th, 2010
2:05 pm
Objection sustained!!
Dawg Nation
January 29th, 2010
2:07 pm
The hell with Dooley and the Vols. They are an enemy of ours nobody who is coaching them.
Gen Neyland
January 29th, 2010
2:09 pm
Me, I’m a Volunteer. A team guy. Doesn’t matter who’s in the HC role although I may share an opinion one way or the other if so inclined. What matters are the guys that wear Orange and White. I harbor no hate to any program but I sure do want to beat them all. I can only ass-u-me that fans of any program feel the same about their program. If the son of Lane Kiffin (Knox) ends up at UGA in 35-45 years, we’ll talk. ‘Course I’ll be senile and slobbering on myself by then so why would I even care.
UGA girl : You actually hung around long enough for that guy to bring up a second wad..? Slow on your feet or something..? And if you tell me you were in a wheelchair or on crutches, I’ll call you on that one. What’s your number..? Okay, enough of she said, she said. Anybody can make any accusation here, true or not.
cherokee
January 29th, 2010
2:11 pm
Saban………….. UGA does not control the in conference schedule the SEC does.
cherokee
January 29th, 2010
2:18 pm
Gen Neyland ……….UGA girl should have kick the crap out of him the first time….either she deserved it or something was wrong why some guy from UT or UGA didn’t stomp the crap out of the spitter. Childish behavior.
Gen Neyland
January 29th, 2010
2:19 pm
scroundrel : You’re another one that thinks his teams fanbase consist of angels all..? What a bunch of puke and piousness. For ever story you ‘conjure’ there will be 100’s of others that say they were treated with respect in opponents stadiums. Except in Gainesville though, right..?
Technophobia
January 29th, 2010
2:20 pm
“Corn won’t grow at all on Rocky Top
Ground’s too rocky by far
That’s why all the folks on Rocky Top
Get their corn from a jar.”
I always loved that part of the song Rocky Top, Americana at its best.
Fl Dawg
January 29th, 2010
2:24 pm
Gen Neyland, your are correct. No one has angels, but the one time I went to the swamp in 94 I was shocked how they treated us, much better than in Jax.
scoundrel
January 29th, 2010
2:26 pm
Gen Neyland, ask Peyton how well he was treated in Gainsville; hahahahaha.
ga gator
January 29th, 2010
2:28 pm
Hate to say it, but the reason the SEC has a rule that visitors must be seated behind the opposing teams bench was because of the UF students.
LOL
January 29th, 2010
2:29 pm
Volman, if you wife acts anything like you, which she probably does, she deserved what she got!
JB
January 29th, 2010
2:29 pm
This a Georgia paper……mostly a UGA crowd. I love it when the haters come on here, people who can’t tell you if it’s going to rain tomorrow, and tell us what Georgia will or won’t do in the next year or two. You really make an ass of yourself by saying the things you say ” Georgia is in a slide or Mark Richt is on thin ice”…blah, blah, blah…..We might go 12-0 with a Red shirt Freshman QB next year, who knows. Every blog on here ought to start with IN MY OPINION.
Georgia Bob
January 29th, 2010
2:30 pm
Bama Stan, the UGA obsession of yours is just a little old at this point. You have your NC, go celebrate, and stop obsessing over our football program.
ga gator
January 29th, 2010
2:32 pm
JB so IN YOUR OPINION is UGA going 12-0 in 2010?
Okefenokee Dawg
January 29th, 2010
2:43 pm
Do you think that the folks at Louisana Tech think Dooley is a class act? Didn’t he do to them the same thing that Kiffin did to Tenn.? And, I really don’t care who Vince and Barbara cheer for – their call.
59bulldawg
January 29th, 2010
2:43 pm
Well I hope Derek does well except when he plays Georgia. But with that said, perhaps he can find his own soul man to sing a Tennessee version of Dooley’s Junkyard Dogs. Just call it Dooley’s Hillbilly Vols and sing it to the tune of JB’s catchy little ditty.
poopdawg
January 29th, 2010
2:58 pm
ga gator i believe there was a “who knows” following that statement. But if you know please tell me . GO Dawgs
ga gator
January 29th, 2010
3:01 pm
poopdawg, thanks for the correction; if I knew I would refi my house and bet it in Vegas! But that’s just my opinion.
UGAkev
January 29th, 2010
3:18 pm
In my opinion it is very possible for UGA to go 12-0 next season. It would not suprise me at all. The Dawgs down fall is simply small things that can be fixed quick. Georgia has the most talent on offense i have ever seen in the history of georgia football for the next few seasons. If Grantham brings a sound Discliplined stud defense to go with this offense then georgia will be right back on top in the sec in the next year or two. But what do i know i just watch every play every game every year.
papadawg
January 29th, 2010
3:27 pm
Who cares that he’s the son of Vince Dooley. He’s never been a DAWG by going to Virginia and never coaching at Ga. Plus he’s wearing the God Awful Orange. Why would we pull for him.
ga gator
January 29th, 2010
3:28 pm
UGAkev, I go to all of their home games and to Jax every year, but don’t think just because UGA ran all over Tech’s defense that was lousy that means that your offense is back. Time will tell.
George
January 29th, 2010
3:42 pm
What are you talking about? It will be easy to hate D. Dooley. He’s now the enemy plain and simple. In fact, I hate him already.
Lakedawg
January 29th, 2010
3:47 pm
It’s harder to dislike them, true, but is there any reason to keep
talking on this site about a team (Tennessee) that has had a LOSING
season in two of the past four years ?
Dawg Fud
January 29th, 2010
3:50 pm
for all the uninformed folks on here…
Derek Dooley is a UGA Law School alumnus, commonly referred to as a Law Dawg (which is not to be confused with a Breaking-The-Law-Dawg)
PhilDawg
January 29th, 2010
4:13 pm
UT for me is a strong 3rd on the Hate Meter (UF #1, Auburn #2). Failure to Hate these is to ignorantly live in the past! Dawgs have to beat the Vols and the Gators in the East. Auburn, well what’s not to hate. Dooley will be harder to Hate than Kiffin on the Attitude side, but this is Business. Having a Dooley at the helm doesn’t matter. The Vols are a team to Hate. It’s been dissapointing that the Bulldog Nation hasn’t really rallied behind that idea since the conference split into divisions. Vols – Dog Food, Dog Food!