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
coachdawg 2000
January 29th, 2010
4:14 pm
Growing up in NorthWest Georgia I learned to hate UT (lots up stompjumpers in them,there parts!) But I would be very disappointed if either Vince OR Barbara Dooley rooted for UGA over their own son. I hope we beat ‘em 1000-0 but I will hold no ill will against Derek or the other Dooleys. I have degree form UGA but if my son got a chance to play somewhere else and UGA didn’t give him an opportunity I would root for him over UGA 10 times out of 10. It’s Called perspective people look into it!
Floundering Fox Hounds Batman!
January 29th, 2010
4:47 pm
Dony Worry Derek will continue the Tenn. a$$ whuppings on UGA ! CMR is just a softie and softies finish last……
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 29th, 2010
4:54 pm
DEREK IS VINCE DOOLEY’S LITTLE BOY, SO HE WILL ULTIMATELY DOO-LITTLE. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHA JUST SAYING.
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 29th, 2010
4:57 pm
THE UGA DAWGS CHEER SHOULD BE DOOLITTLE. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAH
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 29th, 2010
4:58 pm
DEREK WILL DOOLITTLE FOR THE VOLS SPECIALLY AGAINS THE UGA DAWGS. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
AceDawg
January 29th, 2010
5:14 pm
I’ll respect Tennessee a little more if he’s a down to earth guy, but their still a top rival, and I hope UGA throttles Tennessee every time they play the Dawgs no matter who is the coach or plays for them, etc, etc.
BILLY JACK
January 29th, 2010
5:25 pm
IT IS VERY HARD TO HATE DEREK DOOLEY-TENNESEE FANS THATS A DIFFERENT STORY.
SuperB
January 29th, 2010
5:29 pm
The only reason there is a University of Tennesse is so all the kids from Atlanta– you can’t get into Georgia– will have a school to go to. Or to either Alabama school. It’s true.
Gen Neyland
January 29th, 2010
5:41 pm
scoundrel : Peyton is in a place Tebow will never be. QBing a team in the Super Bowl. My favorite trip to the Bog was for Spurrier’s last game there coaching the Lizards.
Rabun Dawg
January 29th, 2010
5:59 pm
It is refreshing to know that Old Bama Stan has that crystal ball working. I guess poor old UGA better just mail it in this coming season. We have slude(quoting old Diz) off the football map according to Bama and now Auburn, UT, etc. have taken our place in the pecking order behind the Tide and the Gators. I guess next we will hear from him that UGA has fallen behind UK, Vandy, and Miss. St. Heck, we may as well go down to 1-AA according to Bama Stan! Thanks for all your keen insight, we Ga. fans could not exist without you!
Rabun Dawg
January 29th, 2010
6:08 pm
As far as the Dooley’s rooting for their son, I would think they wouldn’t be very normal parents if they didn’t pull for him and wear a little orange. As far as I am concerned, I do not personally hate any other programs, but probably have less disdain for UT with young Dooley at the helm than before. And why should he not recruit the State of Ga.hard, everyone else does!
raleigh
January 29th, 2010
6:53 pm
i still freakin hate tennessee, i just dont hate their coach anymore. at least i dont yet…
Dooley Be Bad
January 29th, 2010
7:02 pm
Bill
It’s hard to dislike a Dooley, but Derek is a Vol. Even worse, he’s a Vol who’s determined to take the best talent from this state out of the state. So, he can kick rocks! I hope the Dawgs get after his Dooley azz and destroy UT in 2010. Derek’s affilitation with Tennessee is a disgraceful slap in the face to his father’s UGA legacy. But, money talks and Dooley Vol walks. Hate is a very strong word, so I’ll just say I emphatically despise Derek Dooley.
Dooley Be Bad
January 29th, 2010
7:08 pm
And…the first time I see Vince wearing orange will be the last time I think of him as a “Georgia man.” Yes, he had a brilliant 25 year career as HC of the Georgia Bulldogs, but my philosophy is this: “You’re either with me or you’re against me!” There is no gray area. And, regardless of where his son coaches, Vincent Dooley is no exception.
Bill King
January 29th, 2010
7:29 pm
Dooley Be Bad:
So let me get this straight. You think Derek Dooley should have turned down the job at UT just because his father coached at Georgia? So I guess you think his dad should have turned down UGA in 1963 since he was an Auburn man and accepting the job in Athens was a slap in the face to his mentor, Shug Jordan.
Bill King
January 29th, 2010
7:34 pm
Papadawg:
Derek began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UGA.
Ramguy68
January 29th, 2010
7:52 pm
It makes no difference if the name is Dooley, Butts, Muschamp or Smart. You’re either with us or you’re against us. He might as well be named Myers or Saban. Let Vince pull for Tenn in private. If he wants to wear Tenn orange, run him out of town too. I don’t begrudge him taking the job. I can’t think of one good reason why he shouldn’t but I wish him no more luck than I did Majors or Phil.
Really?
January 29th, 2010
8:02 pm
gen neyland, It remains to be seen how good tebow will be in the nfl. On thing is certain, Peyton will never do something Tebow did, QBing a team to a national title. By the way, what was Peyton’s recore against the Gators? Oh yeah, 0-4.
DILLIGAF
January 29th, 2010
8:27 pm
This isn’t related to Bill’s article but worth noting this articlef from the AJC.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.
Read the entire article here:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/apnewsbreak-federal-gov-t-286970.html
Shouldn’t these morons be worrying about real issues nationally and globally. The Great Leader will impose his will upon the NCAA as he is attemting to do to this country. This administration as the one before it is a joke.
I have long believed that we need a system that determines who are truly, the best teams in college football at the end of the season but the government surely needs to devote it’s time to more pressing issues and not waste more of taxpayer’s money by giving us their two cents worth on college football, being that the majority are probably not even fans.
Smashsmeesha Bobeesha
January 29th, 2010
8:53 pm
Hey guys/gals, what do you all think about this?
Justice Dept.: Obama administration may take action on BCS
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/01/29/obama.bcs.ap/index.html?xid=si_ncaaf#ixzz0e3aTSPPZ
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription
cmac
January 29th, 2010
9:58 pm
Don’t give a crap who is coaching them. If it’s orange, I don’t like it! Besides, vince the prince has been gone for over 20 years … who gives a crap about him or his kid!
Blackberry Cobbler
January 29th, 2010
10:29 pm
When Drek Dooly gets Georgia players, the only ones who look bad are CMR and Company.
Too many good Ga players get away already to Florida, Auburn, ‘Bama, and UT.
Gen Neyland
January 29th, 2010
10:33 pm
really : Yeah, I guess Tebow earned his stripes in college. End of his story. Too bad he’ll never get a view of a Super Bowl from Peyton’s Place…Har-de-har…
Delbert D.
January 29th, 2010
10:44 pm
Derek Dooley’s a UVA guy. He caught a pass down the left sideline that was key to the ‘Hoos beating Tech one year.
He got in-state tuition for his law degree at Georgia.
Of course, now he’s a Tennessee guy.
Now I’m really confused. Vince D. was an Auburn guy…
Robert
January 29th, 2010
10:53 pm
Hopefully little Dooley’s law degree will help the Vols defend against all the NCAA violations, discovered and undiscovered, that occurred during the Year of Kiffin.
RockytopATL
January 29th, 2010
11:06 pm
I have to say I am generally impressed with the class of most of the commenters on this thread. The usual number of jerks on both sides has been greatly diminished by the Dooley hire, and that is a positive. As a Tennessee alum who has spent a quarter century in Georgia and who sent his daughter to UGA, I know more than most about this rivalry. (Let me say that the HOPE scholarship was the biggest factor, but I also respect UGA for its improved academics). Back to football, I’ve always been a bit disappointed that Tennessee/Georgia wasn’t MORE of a rivalry, considering that in recent history, the Vols had a nine game winning streak over UGA and even now, in the lowest period of our program in recent memory, we’ve beaten the Dawgs three of the last four. We always finish third in your minds after Tech and the Gators. We local Vols can’t help but feel a bit disrespected by that. Maybe Dooley’s hiring will change things, raise our stature a bit. We Vol fans do enjoy playing you guys, and we have greatly enjoyed playing you every year. Frankly, I’d much rather lose to UGA than the Gators, so maybe we can pool our mutual hatred of the slimy reptiles.
I said once before that we are a bit like rival families just joined in marriage, kind of like the Montagues and Capulets, or maybe the Hatfields and McCoys. Good luck to the Dawgs and may all our future family fights be played with good sportsmanship.
Dooley Be Bad
January 29th, 2010
11:13 pm
Bill, you got me there. Good point.
Dooley Be Bad
January 29th, 2010
11:16 pm
I’m stepping away from the 6 pack of beer and signing off the CPU.
TJ Vol
January 29th, 2010
11:28 pm
“the great pumpkin”……… I didn’t realize AJC journalism stoops to message board level, that’s embarrassing……
Vince Dooley
January 29th, 2010
11:56 pm
every school has hedges….just wish we had as many national championships as those dead gum Techies !!!!!!
Ben
January 30th, 2010
12:30 am
ARE YOU CRAZY? The University of Tennesuck could bring in Vince Dooley himself and have Herschel Walker and David Pollack on his staff and no true Bulldawg would give a darn. You think if Uga came back from the grave and replaced ally the alligator we’d all have some affection for the Gaytors? UT idiots wear orange and anyone in orange is hated – period. You either cheer for the Red & Black or get the hell out of Georgia…and take Coach Trippi and Coach Greene with you. I love Coach Dooley(s), but if you have on orange and stand in front of me, you are a stranger. Remember fans, if you ain’t a Dawg – you are Dawg food!
85Dawg
January 30th, 2010
12:39 am
I don’t care who coaches at UT, I still hate them with a passion.
jed burlwood
January 30th, 2010
1:16 am
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we do not all have to agree. Here is mine. Anyone who coaches at Tennessee sucks. Anyone who fathers a son that coaches at Tennessee sucks. Anyone who intentionally puts provisions around his own replacement to prevent a better coach from making him look bad and ensures that UGA gets an inexperienced not ready for prime time head coach sucks. I have no ill will towards the Dooleys and I appreciate all that any of them have done for UGA but, dammit, this is football and if you ain’t with us you suck.
those games meant nothing to tech
January 30th, 2010
6:17 am
three yards and a cloud of dust…just like his dad, tell vince and Barb to wear all orange, noy just half or “subtle orange” there is no subtle orange…Vincent
those games meant nothing to tech
January 30th, 2010
6:20 am
Oh…and we will see you in Athens, coach DEREK, should be fun watching you lose in Athens!!!!!
Bill E. Goat
January 30th, 2010
6:47 am
Gen Neyland
who gives a crap about what Peyton Manning does in the NFL when talking college football? Dumb arguement. Peyton will go down as one of the best NFL QB’s in history but he will forever sit behind Wuerrfull and Tebow as far as college careers.
And if Rex Grossman could face off vs. Manning in a Super Bowl I wouldn’t go counting out Tebow being able to do it himself.
Rance
January 30th, 2010
6:48 am
I wish DD well, that said, the orange vowels have the worst fans in the SEC. A buddy of mine who was a gator fan used to travel by bus to every away game the gators had.These fans were mostly middle age to elderly and the only place they had problems was at Knoxville. It takes real class to throw beer on fans when they are getting off the bus and having morons steal and knocking their caps off. Only someone who has a wish for trouble would try to go to that hole by the river. I hope they lose every game they play even for a Dooley coaching.
Mike
January 30th, 2010
9:48 am
I’ve said it before and I will say it again – There are ONLY 2 things Georgia football fans need to have in their minds for next season, (1) beating Florida and (2) playing to the conference championship in December. Anything other than those 2 things is completely wasted effort. I know everyone has this incredible “love fest” for Mark Richt, but you need to look at the records. Since Mark Richt has been the coach at Georgia 3 different SEC coaches have won 5 national championships. During that period, Georgia has not even played for a national championship. The closest Georgia has gotten was a #1 ranking after the famous Sugar Bowl against Hawaii 2 years ago. And, we all know how the bottom fell out after getting that ranking. It’s time to fish or cut bait.
Foothills football fan
January 30th, 2010
9:59 am
OkefenokeeDawg-The difference in Dooley’s departure and Kiffin jilting UT is that Dooley flushed on his way out.
KingGator
January 30th, 2010
10:09 am
He’s your next coach at UGA, so better get to know him real good.
nineesee
January 30th, 2010
10:16 am
thats as far as i go
nineesee
January 30th, 2010
10:17 am
thats as far as i go.
Dawg in Tennessee
January 30th, 2010
10:23 am
UGA will beat Ut like a rented mule this year–no matter who is coaching them. Richt’s ready to really run it up after that beatdown in Kville last year. Ga 44 UT 20!
Bank on it!
Hello BuLLdaug
January 30th, 2010
10:25 am
Does TN consider georgie a cupcake?
GaGator
January 30th, 2010
10:33 am
Mike,
Forget beating the Gators, that just isn’t going to happen until you get rid of
of the overrated and over his head Mark Richt. Great assistant (OC) but is just too nice to be a head coach—-how long did it take him to fire Willie?
Wow, must have been a slow sports day
January 30th, 2010
10:43 am
First, Neyland Stadium has been the site of several of Munson’s greats, from Herschel running over Bates, P-35 Haynes, Jabari’s fumble and Jones’ 96 yard return (that was in Knoxburgh, wasn’t it?), and face it, Bill, anyone who would think Vince should pull for Georgia over his own son is an absolute, unadulterated, 100% idiot. Why? First, it’s his SON, secondly, Vince is an Auburn grad, not a GA grad, he only worked here, and third, his separation from Ga did not go well, if you recall. Much animosity between he and Adams, I imagine. Probably he and Damon, as well, as one of the first things Damon did as AD was to fire half a dozen of Dooley’s long time assistants in the department. I live in Athens, enjoy it immensely, and am a long time season ticket holder, but believe me, when you live here and hear some of the ways things are done, the bloom is long off of the rose. The athletic department is a business first, last, and always and does any and every thing it can to make sure the dollar is dutifully worshiped.
DawgSinceBirth
January 30th, 2010
10:44 am
No different!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t care WHO is on the sidelines….!!!!!!!!!! To hell with Tennessee!!!!!!!!! They’re STILL TENNESSEE, right?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Dawgs!
DawgSinceBirth
January 30th, 2010
10:47 am
Hey, “Vince Dooley,”….WE DO HAVE MORE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THAN you Nerds!!!!!!!! You need to read up on your history…..LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Dawgs!
Wow, must have been a slow sports day
January 30th, 2010
10:48 am
Dooley be bad, you sound like you never had kids, most certainly never attended Ga, and absolutely never spent a moment away from your nose…go pick it.
Wow, must have been a slow sports day
January 30th, 2010
10:52 am
RockyTopatl…blow it out your piehole, you hooterville yayhoo…..