William G. "Bill" Dooley (1979) - Hall of Fame

William G. "Bill" Dooley

Induction:
1979
Class:
1955

William Dooley played football at Mississippi State from 1953 to 1955, where he played offensive guard. In 1956, he earned All-SEC honors as an offensive lineman.

He is best known for his coaching accolades, which started at Mississippi State from 1957 through 1960, where he served as the team's freshman coach and an assistant offensive line coach.

He got his first head coaching job at North Carolina in 1967. He spent 10 years leading the Tar Heels, helping them win three ACC titles, including the program's first-ever outright conference title in 1971. He left UNC as the program's all-time winningest coach.

After his tenure at North Carolina, Dooley served as the athletic director and head football coach at Virginia Tech. He led the Hokies to three bowl games—as many as they had attended in their entire history before his arrival. His best team was the 1986 unit, which went 9–2–1 and won the Peach Bowl.