Remembering Coach Vince Dooley

Even after being part of a state championship team under Coach Wright Bazemore at Valdosta, a college scout once said of Jerry Varnado, “He’s too small and slow to play any college ball.”

But Jerry did go on to the football program at the University of Georgia. Early on, in his words, he was mostly a blocking dummy. Then in 1964, a new coach arrived—Vince Dooley. Jerry believes Vince Dooley changed the trajectory of his life.

Jerry Varnado, Coach Vince Dooley

Wright Bazemore, Jerry Varnado, Coach Vince Dooley

In the fall of that year, Dooley would speak at an event in Valdosta, Jerry’s hometown. He said of Jerry, "By college standards Jerry is small and slow to be a defensive end, but you wait and see, he’s going to play a lot of football for Georgia. He has a determined attitude and he’s not afraid to hit. These are things you can’t teach a boy.” 

And play he did. He rose with the team to play on that 1966 SEC championship team which was fourth in the nation. Coach Dooley’s belief in him made all the difference.

As the Fellowship of Christian Athlete Chaplain for Athens Academy football team, Jerry recently said in a talk to them, “ I remember like it was yesterday Coach Dooley’s first address to the team. He said we would endeavor to do three things: 

"First, Work Hard. That involved giving your best effort every day. Second, Conduct ourselves in a manner that honors our families, our school and our community. This meant endeavoring to do the right thing, on and off the field. Third, Love one another. Care about and support one another, again, on and off the field, which included coaches, players, trainers, managers, support staff . . . everyone. 

"He said if we would do those three things, we would win our share of the football games. That was the standard for the three years I played and we moved from ninth in the SEC with a 2-4 SEC and 4-5-1 overall record, to SEC Co-champions with Alabama with a 5-0 SEC and 10-1 overall record and were ranked fourth in the nation in just three years. It worked for the quarter-century Dooley was the coach! I’m convinced that any team on which the players truly love each other will play twenty to thirty percent above their ability level. Love, the greatest power on earth, motivates and empowers us to play better than we are.”

 A few years ago, when we were writing One Old Dawg, Jerry wrote a piece about Coach Dooley on the fiftieth anniversary of his first year at the University of Georgia. We include that piece below as well as an epilogue Jerry wrote this week.

On Coach Dooley’s knowledge of the game of football: 

“The first year Vince Dooley was here, many people misunderstood him and didn’t know what he was like, particularly players, because he had the good sense to let his assistant coaches do their jobs. He was always there, but he didn’t do a lot of one on one coaching with players on the field.

“I had the fortunate experience of playing for Coach Dooley for three years, but I also served as a graduate assistant coach for three years. I found out then, he indeed did coach, but he did it in staff meetings. He was the mastermind behind the Georgia Bulldogs. He set guidelines and parameters for what we were going to do, and let the assistants execute them. He was an astute student of the game of football. He knew what he was doing and how he wanted things to go.

“The first coaches' meeting I attended, there sat Erk Russell, my hero since I played defense, with a notepad taking notes on what Vince said. I knew then Vince commanded respect from people who knew him and how much he contributed to the ongoing growth and development of a winning football team.”

On Coach Dooley’s fairness: 

“My junior year, I ruptured a disc, had to have surgery, missed half the season and all of spring practice. In the summer, because of muscle spasms, I couldn’t work out much to get in shape for the next year. At fall football practice, Coach Dooley told me I’d reported overweight.

"‘What do you mean Coach, overweight? I’ve been trying to gain weight the whole time I’ve been at Georgia.’

"He said, ‘You’re reporting weight is 188.’

"I was at 196. ‘Reporting weight? I didn’t know I had a reporting weight.’

"‘Nobody gave you reporting weight in the spring?’

"‘No, sir.’

"He sat there and thought a minute. ‘Well, you’re still overweight; you’ll need to go to the 6:30 P.E. class for two weeks.’

"This made me angry, because I was disciplined for not doing something I didn’t even know I was supposed to do. But later, when I started coaching, I understood. He knew he wouldn’t be able to explain why I didn’t receive the same treatment as others who reported overweight. If he didn’t discipline me, it would seem he was inconsistent. And who knows, I could’ve forgotten I was supposed to be 188 pounds. Plus, I wasn’t in good shape, and those P.E. classes got me ready to play.”

On how much Coach Dooley cared about players: 

“I learned when I coached how much Vince Dooley cared about his players. He had a personal interest in them and did things we didn’t know about. Again, because he didn’t have one on one contact, many players didn’t realize how much he cared. We’d have discussions in coach’s meetings about players and difficulties they might be having, and it’s then I saw he wanted players to be successful in football, in the classroom, and in life.

"He was always liberal in giving graduate assistant jobs to those who needed them. The graduate assistant job is what enabled me to go to law school.”

On Dooley’s dedication: 

“After the midday game on Saturday, sixteen-millimeter film would be flown to Atlanta by helicopter to be developed. Later a helicopter brought it back, landed on the practice field next to the coliseum, and the film taken to Vince Dooley’s house.

“After games, there’d be a party at the Dooley’s for recruits that were in town.  Since I lived near Vince when I practiced law, often, a friend and I would go over to the Dooley’s at 10:00 p.m. after everyone left to watch the film with him, as he prepared for The Vince Dooley Show, which aired on Sunday afternoon. He’d leave about midnight and go to the UGA television station.

“Anytime you wanted to find Vince, you could find him at the Five Points Waffle House around 4:30 on Sunday morning after he filmed his show. Then he’d go home, change clothes, go to 8:00 mass and then come to practice at 9:30. Our Sunday morning practices were more of a training, than practice— just a little exercise to get players loosened up. Vince had it early Sunday so players could still attend church. I don’t know when he ever went to sleep.”

On Vince Dooley’s encouragement: 

“In the early 1980’s, a friend from Valdosta asked me to be a lay speaker at a downtown church one Sunday. When I was in Valdosta, I visited a friend there, and didn’t know Vince was staying at their home. The Dooley’s daughter was a cheerleader at Valdosta State and they were there to see them play for the small college championship. What I didn’t know is they’d made plans to hear me speak as well. They went to 8:00 mass and then came to church to hear me. It’s also a blessing that Wright Bazemore, my high coach was there as well as my freshmen position coach, Ken Cooper.

"Later on, I ran into Barbara Dooley. She said, ‘As soon as the service was over, Vince looked at me, and said, “Jerry is really an evangelist, isn’t he?”’

"Keep in mind that at that point in time, I was still a lawyer. I wasn’t a preacher. And I was beginning to deal with a sense of calling to preach. To have Vince Dooley recognize a quality in me that lent itself to preaching was one of several factors which led to me leaving my law practice and entering full time ministry.”

So, in many ways, Coach Vince Dooley’s influence has moved far beyond the football field in Jerry’s life. Many players would have this same testimony. Coach Dooley’s life reminds us of a verse in Psalm 1, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)

We were thankful to join other lettermen a few weeks ago to celebrate Coach Dooley's ninetieth birthday. What a joyous time that was, and we treasure the memories.

Jerry adds these words today, “Thank you Coach for the many ways you helped me in life. Your faith in God, your integrity, and your selflessness have been a model for me and challenged me to live a life that makes a difference for good in this world. I love you Coach, and I’m glad to know you’re in heaven, but I’m sure going to miss having you here on earth.”

Also, we want to remember perhaps the greatest college football player of all time, the legendary Charley Trippi who died at 100 earlier this month.

Jerry Varnado with Charley Trippi

 

After leaving UGA, Trippi played pro ball for the Chicago Cardinals. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is the only professional inducted with 1000 yards rushing, 1000 yards receiving, and 1000 yards passing. It was an honor to have known him.

Please join us as we continue to pray for the Dooley and Trippi families.  

For more from us on Coach Dooley, we invite you to visit the One Old Dawg blog and check out the archives. 

 

 

The 2021 Orange Bowl and a 1965 Flashback

The announcement about the UGA Orange Bowl match-up with Michigan had hardly been announced a few minutes until One Old Dawg’s (Jerry Varnado’s) phone rang. It was our son informing him the last time we played Michigan was when the 1965 team Jerry played on at Georgia beat them.

Then Jerry was contacted by a local radio station who wanted to interview him about the upcoming Orange Bowl game.

So, we thought we’d rev up things here at One Old Dawg, too.

From the newspaper clipping’s One Old Dawg’s mama saved, Jesse Outlar’s AJC article on the game begins, “Georgia’s Cinderella Bulldogs used Bob Etter’s magic toe, Preston Ridlehuber’s crazy legs and fierce defense to shatter powerful Michigan, 15-7, Saturday afternoon, before 59,470 dazed fans.” And just to make sure we understood how powerful Michigan was, Outlar goes on to say, “Vince Dooley’s miracle men from Athens achieved a tremendous upset triumph over the defending Big Ten and Rose Bowl Champions almost on the heels of an opening success over defending national champion Alabama of the SEC.”

Georgia beating Michigan on October 2, 1965 was a huge deal.

In addition to Etter (Atlanta Falcons) and Ridlehuber (Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets), a host of other legendary Georgia Lettermen’s names show up in the article:

George Patton (All-American All SEC, Atlanta Falcons)

Jiggy Smaha (BC Lions, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Sharks)

Dickie Phillips

Kirby Moore

Lynn Hughes (All SEC, All American, New York Giants, Coaching positions Georgia and Vanderbilt)

Tommy Lawhorne

Glenn Creech

Bob Taylor

Marvin Hurst

Ron Jenkins

Dick Wells

Doug McFalls (All SEC, Chicago Bears)

Frank Richter (Denver Broncos)

Pat Hodgson (All SEC, Washington Redskins, Coach at San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets).

 

Coach Vince Dooley and a few of Jerry's teammates from his playing years at a letterman's event. Pete Dickens, Anthony Dennard, Jerry Varnado, Coach Vince Dooley, Joel Darden, Preston Ridlehuber, Jack Davis, Barry Wilson. (photo Beverly Varnado).

One Old Dawg writes, "My best memory of the game is one written here on One Old Dawg back in 2015:

'We were on a high, having beaten defending national champion Alabama two weeks prior to boarding the planes for our trip to Ann-Arbor to face Mighty Michigan. They were much bigger and highly favored, but we were quietly determined and confident we could take them down, just like we did Alabama.

I was reading an account of the game that stated Michigan outweighed us fifteen pounds per man. I don’t know what scale that writer was using but every player but one on their starting offensive outweighed me by at least twenty-five pounds, many of them by forty pounds.

My biggest hope was their All-American tailback, who was 6’ 2” and weighed 220 pounds, would not recover from his knee injury in time to play in the game. When he was in there, they liked to run the power sweep, which routes right over the defensive end position. He didn’t start the game, but he came in the middle of the first quarter. Sure enough, it was pro-set to my side, which meant the power sweep my way. The quarterback pitched the ball to that big tailback who was led by the fullback, a pulling guard, and the quarterback. That was over nine hundred pounds of human flesh about to attack my puny 185-pound frame. I felt like I was trapped in an old west cattle stampede. God bless Dickie Phillips or the late Jimmy Cooley.

One of them shot through the hole left by that pulling guard and cut down that tailback to stop the play before one person hit me. Whew! Close call, I thought I was about to meet my Maker.

We hung in there with those big guys and came home a 15-7 winner.’

As I mentioned before here on One Old Dawg, we returned to Athens that night and were greeted by more than ten thousand exuberant fans who had clogged the small airport and backed up traffic for the four mile stretch to downtown Athens. What a day! We felt we had set Georgia on a new course, which would raise us above the muck and mire of mediocracy to the higher echelons of college football. Time would prove we had done just that with an SEC championship the following year and a ranking of number four in the nation.

In any event we will be squaring off against the Wolverines again this coming Friday night to decide which of us will play the winner of the Alabama-Cincinnati game for the national championship; we’re all figuring that will be Alabama who beat us handily in the SEC Championship game. How do we deal with the disappointment of that loss and the future prospect of playing them again? Philippians 3:13-14 gives us a hint: “… one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” That loss was a dose of humility which we may have needed to push us to our full potential. So rather than bemoaning and regretting let’s takes Paul’s advice; forget and press on to the goal we started with, to make the playoffs and hopefully win a national championship.

We don’t have wolverines in Georgia, so most of us have never seen one. They are defined as Mustelids, small to medium-sized mammals in the same family as skunks and weasels. Many call them skunk-bears, I guess because they look something like a small bear, but they are just skunks without a stripe on their back. On the other hand, the noble English Bulldog has been defined by someone “as a brawny little powerhouse whose characteristic crablike waddle exudes great strength, stability and vigor.” Which one would you put your money on? I’m going with the Bulldogs! Let’s get the job done again this time!

Goooo Dawgs, sick ‘em, woof, woof, woof.”

Jerry Varnado played defensive end at the University of Georgia on Vince Dooley’s first three teams. No, he did not wear a leather helmet, but he did play on the 1966 SEC championship team, which placed Georgia fourth in the nation. One Old Dawg went on to help coach the UGA football team while he was in law school, and after graduating, he practiced law for over a decade.

Later, after a series of tragedies, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. After much soul searching, he left his law practice and has now been faithfully preaching the gospel for over thirty years. Though semi-retired, he’s still at it every Sunday. 

Inducted into the Valdosta/Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame, he is the recipient of the Athens Athletic Hall of Fame Fosky Henderson Award for community service. He is happy to say he was president of The Athens Touchdown Club when his beloved Bulldogs won the 1980 National Championship.

He is the proud father of four children, sweet Alden who is now with Jesus, Mari, Aaron, and Bethany, and he's the grandfather of two of the best grandkids ever, Walker and Sara Alden.

 

Let's Do it Again

We wanted to let our One Old Dawg subscribers know about a video CBS sports will be playing sometime today. They reached out to us this week and asked permission to use a newspaper image from One Old Dawg that came from a stockpile his mother saved. We included it in the post, "Ganging up on Spurrier in 1966 and Heating up the Gator Fryer in 2016." 

  

The video includes a grainy snippet from the 1966 Georgia-Florida game in which Lynn Hughes intercepts a Steve Spurrier pass. 

So hopefully you can get to the video by following the link HERE on facebook. 

We're ready for a win today just like in '66 so as always, Go DAWGS!!!

Related: Ganging Up on Spurrier in 1966 and Heating up the Gator Fryer in 2016. 

Due to the unfolding corona virus event, we are reaching out to our One Old Dawg subscribers with messages of encouragement.

In this video Rev. Jerry Varnado and worship leader Caleb Moore lead in worship. You may access it by clicking HERE.

Stay well dear friends.

Correction

For some reason, there was a glitch on our last post on email and the video did not attach. You can always click on the title of a post to get to the web version but in case you didn't know that, click HERE for the video from One Old Dawg.

One Old Dawg with a message of encouragement

Because of the extraordinary circumstances we face in these days from the corona virus spread, One Old Dawg recorded a message of encouragement. It was initially for our church family, but we decided our One Old Dawg subscribers might also like to view it. 

We would like to extend our sympathy to the family of Georgia letterman, Kent Lawrence, who passed this week. One Old Dawg enjoyed his time spent with Kent Lawrence when they were teammates on the 1966 SEC championship team. He will be greatly missed and always remembered as a great player on the field and and an outstanding judge in the state court, a police chief in our community, and as an advocate for those who struggled with addiction.

God bless you all.

The House of Payne

If you have trouble loading pictures, please go HERE.

 

When One Old Dawg received the invitation to attend the Naming Event of the William Porter Payne and Porter Otis Payne Indoor Athletic Facility at UGA, we were especially excited. Jerry and Billy played together on the 1966 SEC Championship football team at Georgia. As One Old Dawg says, “I didn’t know Billy Payne would become famous, but I’m not surprised.” Even then, Billy showed such strength of character that those who knew him imagined he might reach any goal he set. Of course, perhaps beyond imagining would be the huge role he played in bringing the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta, Georgia.

 

One of the presenters at the event was none other than legendary golfer, Jack Nicklaus. When One Old Dawg met Nicklaus, he introduced himself by saying, “Mr. Nicklaus, you don’t know me from Adam’s housecat, but I sure have enjoyed watching you play golf through the years.” When asked if he minded posing for a picture, Nicklaus responded, “I’ve always wanted to have my picture taken with Adam’s housecat.”

 

 

 

We ran into one of One Old Dawg's former teammates, Georgia great, George Patton, here with One Old Dawg, and their former coach, Vince Dooley.

When One Old Dawg came to Georgia as a young recruit, the athletic department arranged for members of the Georgia Girls to show recruits around campus. Jerry’s escort for that weekend was Marianne Gordon, a young woman who later became television personality, Marianne Rogers. Meeting again here after many years.

 Mark Kubiak interviewed one Old Dawg for the SEC network on his memories of Billy Payne. The show will air in July on SEC. We’ll see if One Old Dawg makes the cut.

Here another legend at Georgia, 1943 Rose Bowl Champ, Charley Trippi and his wife, Peggy. Trippi played with Porter Payne, Billy’s father.

A tent was actually erected inside the Indoor Facility and provided a lovely backdrop for the event.

 

 

 

 

CBS announcer and Masters anchor for many years, Jim Nantz, was Master of Ceremonies. Also in attendance was long time sportscaster Verne Lundquist as well as golfers Bubba Watson and Kevin Kisner.

President of UGA, Jere Morehead, Athletic Director, Greg McGarity, and Georgia Football Coach Kirby Smart all gave fitting tributes.

Former U.S Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and the first woman member at Augusta National under Payne’s tenure as Chairman, sent her lovely message via video.  

Former Coach, Vince Dooly, also offered a moving testimonial.

Former Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor, Andrew Young, covered the challenges in bringing the Olympics to Atlanta. He and Billy Payne traveled to over 100 countries, a black man, and a white man with such love for each other, it gave the world a new picture of the American South. Young praised Payne and credited the hand of God  for their successes. One Old Dawg and his wife pose with Ambassador Young.

Following the accolades of Augusta National Golf Club chairman, Fred Ridley and golfer, Jack Nicklaus, the Payne children, Elizabeth Sikes and Porter Payne, introduced their father.

Finally, Billy Payne spoke, the former chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, the man in the forefront of bringing the Olympics to Atlanta, and later president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Loran Smith wrote in the program for the evening, “If Billy Payne is anything, he is far-sighted and audacious as the winning of the centennial Olympic bid underscores. Who could have fathomed that the games could take place in the state capital of Georgia-except William Porter Payne, the stout-hearted dreamer?”

Billy Payne and Jerry Varnado

The Naming Event was a much deserved honor for Billy Payne and it was a joy for all of us in attendance.

Other  Old Dawgs present  that evening:


Jerry Varnado, Harold Tarrer, Nelson Bowers

Jerry Varnado, Steve Greer, Charley Whittemore

 

Jerry Varnado, Rusty Epperson, Ed Allen