A trio of FBS programs are mourning the loss of one their former head coaches today.
The family of Bill Dooley confirmed that the long-time college coach passed away earlier today at the age of 82. The stated cause of death was natural causes.
Dooley, the brother of legendary Georgia head coach Vince Dooley, was a coach at the collegiate level for 36 years. For 26 of those years, he was a head coach at North Carolina (1967-77), Virginia Tech (1978-86) and Wake Forest (1987-92).
An offensive lineman at Mississippi State in the mid-fifties, Dooley finished with a career record of 162–126–5. He went 69–53–2 with the Tar Heels, 63–38–1 with the Hokies as Frank Beamer‘s predecessor and 29–36–2 with the Demon Deacons.
In addition to his head-coaching duties in Blacksburg, he also served as the Hokies’ athletic director during his nine years at the school.
After starting his coaching career at his alma mater, his next stop was as an assistant on his brother’s Bulldogs staff from 1964-66.
With 11 years at UNC, Dooley was the longest-tenured head coach in the program’s history, while his 69 wins are tied with Mack Brown for second all-time at the school. He’s also the coach to lead the Tar Heels to multiple ACC championships (1971, 1972, 1977).
“Coach Dooley was a great coach and an even better man who made a lasting impact on this university and on college football as a whole,” said current Carolina head coach Larry Fedora in a statement. “He touched the lives of the young men who played for him in a profound and special way. He proved that Carolina was a program that could produce a winning tradition and his legacy is something we strive to uphold each and every day. Our thoughts are with Marie and the entire Dooley family in this very difficult time.”