Former football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley has received numerous awards and honors over the course of his storied career.

Come September, he’ll receive arguably the biggest of all, thanks to a proposal to create Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, the university announced Thursday morning.

“Coach Dooley’s many contributions to this university can be seen across campus,” President Jere Morehead said in a statement. “From Georgia athletics, where he achieved unrivaled success, to the learning environment, where today many academic programs and initiatives bear his name, such as the Dooley Library Endowment Fund to the Dooley Professorship in Horticulture. The university community will continue to benefit from his service and dedication for generations to come.”

Once formal approval takes place by UGA and the University Board of Regents, a ceremony will be held prior to the Sept. 7 home opener against Murray State.

“I have immense respect and appreciation for Coach Dooley and all he has accomplished at the University of Georgia,” said USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley. “The Board of Regents and I look forward to reviewing the proposal to name Dooley Field during our May meeting.”

In 24 years as Georgia’s head coach (1964-1988), Dooley won six SEC Championships, along with the program’s last national championship in 1980, and is the school’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 201-77-10.

He also served as the school’s athletic director from 1979-2004, where he oversaw the expansion of Sanford Stadium to the its current capacity of 92,746.

During his time as AD, Georgia teams won 23 national championships and 78 SEC team championships.

“I can think of no better way to open the 2019 home football schedule than dedicating Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium,” said athletic director Greg McGarity. “The event will be a moment for the entire Bulldog Nation to collectively say thank you to a man who has devoted much of his life to making the Georgia athletics program one of the strongest in the nation.”

Current head coach Kirby Smart agreed.

“I'm pleased we'll have an opportunity to recognize Coach Dooley as we launch the next football season,” said Smart. “We'll use this exciting development to galvanize private support around our capital fundraising efforts to expand Butts-Mehre for our football program.”

Dooley has received a number of high-profile national awards and honors over the years. In 2016, he received the John Wooden Citizen Cup Award for positive influence on the lives of others. In 2010, he received the Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes excellence in coaching on and off the field, and in 2004 he was honored with the James J. Corbett Memorial Award for his devotion to intercollegiate athletics. Dooley was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He also has been inducted as a Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society.

“It’s a great day for the University of Georgia and its football program,” said former Georgia Bulldogs great and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. “Coach Dooley was such a great mentor to me during my career at Georgia and beyond. Congratulations to Coach on this well-deserved honor.”

Governor Brian Kemp echoed those thoughts with some of his own.

“Coach Dooley is one of the most celebrated leaders in Georgia athletics,” said Kemp. “He knew how to win on the football field and inspired generations of young men and women to live with purpose, passion, and integrity. I applaud the University of Georgia for honoring Coach’s decades of service and success. I look forward to watching the Dawgs compete on Dooley Field in the near future.”