Bill Dooley (1934 – August 9, 2016) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1967–1977), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1978–1986), and Wake Forest University (1987–1992), compiling a career college football record of 162–126–5.

Early life and family

Dooley was born in 1934, in Mobile, Alabama. There, he attended the McGill Institute, administered by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Dooley then attended Perkinston Junior College in Perkinston, Mississippi from 1952 to 1953. In 1953, he moved on to Mississippi State University and graduated in 1956, where he was an all-SEC lineman for the Maroons/Bulldogs. Dooley's brother is former University of Georgia head football coach Vince Dooley. His nephew, Derek Dooley is the former head football coach at the University of Tennessee. Dooley lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was married to Marie Dooley, and has four sons: Jim, Billy, Sean, and Ashton.

Coaching career

With the North Carolina Tar Heels, Dooley won three Atlantic Coast Conference titles, including the school's first outright conference championship in 1971. He left North Carolina as the winningest coach in school history, since been passed by Dick Crum. He is still tied for second on the school's wins list, behind Mack Brown, and is still the school's longest-tenured head coach. He also achieved the school's first 11-win season in 1972. Only two other Tar Heel teams have ever won 11 games.

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 prior to his arrival. His best team was the 1986 unit, which went 9–2–1 and won the Peach Bowl.

His tenure at Virginia Tech, however, ended shortly afterward amidst allegations of NCAA recruiting violations. After resigning from his positions at Virginia Tech, he sued the university for $3,500,000 alleging breach of contract. The lawsuit was settled out of court. At the time, he was the winningest coach in school history, though he has since been surpassed by his successor, Frank Beamer.

Finally, Dooley served as the head coach at Wake Forest where, as of 2015, he is third in the football program's history for all-time wins and tied for fourth in longest tenure.