Best college football coach in history from each state

Georgia: Vince Dooley 

The most recent national title in Georgia belongs to Dooley, helping him outpace some strong coaching competition.

Dooley played quarterback at Auburn from 1951-1953 under legendary coach Ralph Jordan, who hired him as an assistant three years later. Following a 10-year run learning under Jordan that included the 1957 national championship, Dooley was hired as the head coach at Georgia prior to the 1964 season.

The Bulldogs had been sliding for a number of years prior to Dooley’s arrival but posted their first winning season since 1960 in his debut campaign. Dooley helped the Bulldogs improve all the way to 10-1 in his third season, winning his first of six SEC championships in the process.

Georgia was largely competitive over the next decade plus but took thinks to the next level with a 12-0 record and national title run in 1980. Dooley helped Georgia finish in the top five in each of the next three seasons, and compiled a lifetime record of 201-77 with just one losing season before retiring in 1988.

Other Georgia coaches like Mark Richt and Wallace Butts enjoyed sustained success, yet neither could match the highs of the Dooley era. While rival Georgia Tech has also been home to coaching legends like John Heisman and Bobby Dodd, Dooley’s accomplishments were too extensive to match.