About 30 Georgia football fans received an early Christmas present Friday as they sat down to lunch with legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley at Dawsonville City Hall.

Dooley, in the middle of a state book signing tour, spent much of the afternoon smiling for photos and recalling stories of Bulldog football history.

A member of the National College Football Hall of Fame, Dooley served as head coach at Georgia from 1964-88 and athletic director from 1979-2004.

He led the Dawgs to six Southeastern Conference titles, 20 bowl games and the 1980 national championship.

As with many of his guest appearances throughout the state, questions about UGA’s rivalry with Georgia Tech took top billing.

“We got four retired jerseys at Georgia,” Dooley said. “One is a fellow named Fred Sinkwich, who won the Heisman trophy. The other is a guy named Charlie Trippi, who was probably one of the greatest players of all time.

“Then next is Herschel Walker. But the last one is Theron Sapp, who ran 1 yard for a touchdown to beat Tech and break the drought.”

The “drought” was an eight-game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets that ended in 1957.

“They got so excited they retired his jersey,” he said.

Dooley signed copies of his two newest releases, “Dooley’s Play Book: The 34 Most Memorable Plays in Georgia Football History” and “Hairy Dawg’s Journey through the Peach State,” aimed at a childhood audience.

Angora Foods of Dawsonville sponsored the book signing and luncheon, proceeds from which benefited the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.