JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At the annual Georgia-Florida rivalry game in Jacksonville, you expect rowdiness, crazy tailgating setups and excitement for the SEC East matchup that’s often intense, regardless of the teams’ rankings.
All that still came to pass – however, beloved former Bulldogs coach Vince Dooley’s death the Friday before the game added an undercurrent of deeper emotion for Georgia fans. It also provided an occasion to remember Dooley’s legacy as Georgia’s football coach with the most wins (201) who brought the school six SEC titles and the 1980 national championship.
“There’s a different just feel about it,” Danise Taylor, a Georgia fan from Jesup who had met Dooley last year, said of Saturday’s Georgia-Florida game. “It was almost like it was God’s timing, almost, so that we can celebrate him (Saturday). I feel like he deserves it.”
