HOUSTON — The Paul Bear Bryant Awards committee of the American Heart Association has announced that former University of Georgia Head Coach and Athletic Director, Vince Dooley has been named the 2010 recipient of its’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dooley will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Paul Bear Bryant College Football Coaching Awards Dinner Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 at the Omni Houston Hotel. The award recognizes excellence in coaching on and off the field during a career, allowing recipients to take their place in history alongside legends such as Bryant. Recent Lifetime Achievement recipients include Barry Switzer, Tom Osborne, and Glenn “Bo” Schembechler.

Dooley served as head football coach at the University of Georgia from December, 1963, to Jan. 1, 1988, and as Director of Athletics from 1979-2004. Dooley is the most successful coach in Georgia history. He guided the Bulldogs to a career record of 201-77-10 becoming only the ninth coach in NCAA Division I history to win over 200 games. The Bulldogs won one national championship (1980) and six SEC Championships under his direction. He took his teams to 20 Bowl games and coached a Heisman Trophy winner (Herschel Walker, 1982), a Maxwell Award Winner (Walker, 1982), an Outland Award Winner (Bill Stanfill, 1968), 40 First Team All-Americans and 10 Academic All-Americans.

Under his watch as athletic director, Georgia teams won 20 national championships (ten in his final six years) including an unprecedented four during the 1998-99 year (women’s swimming, gymnastics, men’s tennis, men’s golf). During Dooley’s tenure Georgia athletic teams won 78 SEC team championships and numerous individual national titles in both men’s and women’s sports.

- Georgia Sports Communications