In contrast to his father, the renowned coach Vince Dooley of the University of Georgia, who ran for governor and the U.S. Senate in the 1980s and 1990s, Dooley is a rookie to politics.
Here are some facts about Derek Dooley.
He s a Virginia grad and a lawyer
Dooley, who was born in Athens, played wide receiver for the University of Virginia as a walk-on and graduated in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs.
After graduating from the University of Georgia with a law degree in 1994, he briefly worked as a practicing attorney. For two years, Dooley worked as an attorney at the Nelson Mullins & Scarborough company in Atlanta.
His his license is currently listed as inactive by the Georgia State Bar.
He s been a coach in college and the pros
Beginning as a graduate assistant at Georgia in 1996, Dooley followed in his father’s footsteps and began a lengthy football coaching career as a head coach, coordinator, and commentator.
After rising through the collegiate football ranks, he went on to coach the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, Southern Methodist University, and LSU before accepting the position as head coach at the University of Tennessee in 2010. After three seasons with a 15-21 record, he was fired before the 2012 season ended.
Dooley returned to the NFL to coach the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. He served as the University of Missouri’s offensive coordinator in between.
He most recently worked for the Alabama Crimson Tide as a senior offensive analyst.
Kemp ties
Republican Dooley has a lengthy history of tight relationships with Governor Brian Kemp, who is supporting the former football coach’s candidacy.He gave $5,000 to Kemp’s reelection campaign in 2022. Kemp also had a room at the University of Georgia with Derek’s brother, Daniel, and went on vacation with Dooley’s family when he was younger.
He s a longtime history buff
Dooley shares his father’s passion for history. He admitted to the Columbia Missourian that he became fixated on the news coverage of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis as a young boy.
When Dooley was coaching the Missouri Tigers, he famously referenced Winston Churchill during a pregame press conference and was attacked for likening the troubles of his Tennessee team to confused German soldiers on D-Day.
Family life
Dooley has three kids and a wife. Dooley owns a mountain house in Rabun County with his wife, Allison Dooley, an OB-GYN.
This story was written by Rosie Manins, a staff writer.
