Vince Dooley
e way he wrote.” “The way they felt was th at as head football coach Vince Dooley, 86, served as and 8 198 to 4 196 m fro a the University of Georgi won the 9 to 2004. His Bulldogs athletic director from 197 d ize ogn rec was he in 1980, and national championship s ter cas rts Spo al ion Nat the as “Coach of the Year” by and his ation, among others. He and Sportswriters Associ ens. wife, Barbara, live in Ath
g for a sportswriter ter when he was lookin Min Jim to rd zza Gri Lewis NCM: You recommended t? News. I thought it was for the Journal, correc ll for the Athens Daily tba foo UGA ng eri unity came, I cov an shm ition, so when the opport Dooley: Lewis was a fre e such a responsible pos hav to ng you t tha e eon unusual for som ter. and I did that with Jim Min certainly promoted him,
iter? in the young sportswr write a story on a NCM: What did you see perception, his ability to his ts— gif his ng coach, I all of on ati the same time, me as a you Dooley: It was a combin ays claimed we arrived at alw He . ion uat sit or son particular per 17. We were both young. was 31 or 32, and he was would you te newspaperman.” How zzard as “the consumma Gri is Lew be cri des NCM: Some would summate UGA fan”? to be, though, describe him as “the con to be the fan he wanted was never able early on He t. which nobody tha ng, ely tyi nit par defi and was Dooley: He me, instead of going out lga bal a er fan he wanted Aft y. the ilit be tor and could never because of his responsib was a writer or sports edi the game or he er is, cov to Lew e n hav tha n’t ter did bet could party he had a column, but he n The o. cag Chi m fro k . to be until he came bac n he really became a fan the paper out. That’s whe stay up all night to get n by giving him a certai of Lewis Grizzard was e lif the in yed pla you NCM: Another key part us about Catfish. ver puppy, right? Tell when black Labrador retrie ck Lab the children got en. We had this little bla ldr e to chi hav we el’s t, sch tha Her do of I schel. I said before Dooley: Catfish was one to name the new puppy Her I asked him, ). ted hip wan s ons kid mpi cha The al ll. ion sma they were to its 1980 nat running back who led UGA was doing. ask Herschel (Walker, the he’d ask me how Herschel el, sch Her see I’d e tim ry Eve ud. pro many love be d he’ d and he sai t of 14 years, and he had family for the better par our riage of mar t d par goo a big a was was re Herschel the dog ful golden retriever. The uti bea a h cial to wit spe y eet ver str the luding Catfish. He was affairs. One was across duced several puppies, inc pro ver rie ret den gol there, and the us. Lewis as Herschel was to zzard has been gone? 25 years since Lewis Gri t pas the in sed could mis NCM: What have we ional championship, he like when we won the nat op, great int his nta was mou t the Tha on s. ection after a los Dooley: If he was happy, sad, he’d express total dej was he If ns. um col his express it in the way he wrote. fans; the way they felt was gh for whatever the ability—to relate to the e them inspiration or a lau giv to e abl was is Lew , ple peo For a lot of down to earth s that. situation was. People mis or other topics? say about UGA football and then NCM: What would Lewis on the mountaintop again having that chance to be ut the past r abo k ove tal ngs nly thi tai of cer lot Dooley: He would re are certainly a The us. of y man to ng ati devast e said? to lose it, which was so ed: What would Lewis hav want the question answer 25 years where we’d all
“Being a newspape r columnist is like being married to a nymphomaniac. It’s great for the first two weeks.”
– Lewis Grizzard