Loran Smith
| Special to the Athens Banner-Herald
Late in his life as the lawsuits were making the NCAA’s life more miserable than ever and paying the players was bringing about consternation for the game, the late Vince Dooley said in a casual conversation, “I am glad I coached when I did.”
In the two and a half years since he passed away, the circumstances which he deplored have become exacerbated. Some players are making millions and are generally embracing free agency. What would he think if he were here today?
Dooley was a very successful coach over a 25-year period, winning a national championship and six Southeastern Conference titles. In addition to his coaching accomplishments, his interest in the total university made him a rare campus icon. Certainly, for a football coach.
He audited classes, became a master gardener, and wrote books. He is the only sports figure to speak to both garden clubs and touchdown clubs.
When I see the current Bulldog football coach, Kirby Smart, at work, I often conclude that this brilliant young coach has similar qualities. He, too, was an exemplary student athlete who has a brush of versatility in his makeup and supports the ideals of higher education. However, he could never venture where Dooley ventured.
No matter his intellectual capacity and his philosophical appreciation for extracurricular pursuits, the current Bulldog coach would be cutting off the taproot of his career if he did not devote every waking moment to recruiting and coaching. As the case has always been for this exceptional Bulldog graduate, recruiting comes first. Paraphrasing a popular song of yesteryear, it is “recruiting in the morning, recruiting in the evening and recruiting at supper time.”
My assessment is that if Dooley had come along today, he would have done what was necessary to succeed…
Source link : https://www.onlineathens.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/05/01/loran-smith-on-vince-and-barbara-dooley-award-by-uga-libraries/83366372007/
Author :
Publish date : 2025-05-01 08:01:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
