There has never been an in-depth documentary about Vince Dooley, legendary University of Georgia football coach and athletic director. “Vince Dooley: Beyond Football” dramatically fills that void. This unprecedented documentary gives viewers a look at the man who is Vince Dooley—his years growing up in Mobile, Alabama, where he was a high school basketball and football star, a frequent jitterbug contest winner, and an altar boy to the Mobile archbishop; his glory days as an Auburn University all-star quarterback; his two years as a U.S. Marine, an experience that would shape his future coaching style; and his decision to take a position at the University of Georgia as head football coach that would eventually bring him national fame and prestige.

The documentary also looks at the people who helped shape Dooley’s character—particularly his mother Nellie, his high school basketball coach Ray Dicharry, and his mentor and friend Archbishop Toolen of Mobile. Viewers will discover the side of a man that few knew through interviews with his wife, Barbara Dooley; the four Dooley children; Dooley’s sister and brother; his high school, college, and Marine Corp friends; peers and players at the University of Georgia; and, most of all, with Dooley himself.

The documentary, produced by Production Arts Film and Video, includes interviews, photos from Barbara Dooley’s scrapbook, family photographs, UGA archival football footage, and photographs from archives in Alabama.

The production is directed and produced by Andrew J. Permar and written by Sherri Smith Brown. The two have collaborated on a number of documentaries, including programs about Georgia Governors Carl Sanders and Zell Miller as part of the “Great Georgian” series, which aired on Georgia Public Television. The Executive Producer for the project is Bob Pope, a former cameraman for the University of Georgia and a longtime Dooley friend. The documentary is funded by friends of Coach Dooley through Image Film and Video in Atlanta.

The documentary will air on Georgia Public Television September 15 at 7:30 pm and again September 21 at 4:30 pm.