Yes and no, though as I've said, I can see the "deserves" part.
Let's consider some contemporaries of Mr Dooley:
Charles McClendon (Cholly Mac) - A reminder that Dooley had a .715 winning pct for his entire career of 25 seasons. Mac had a winning pct of .692 during his 18 seasons at LSU. But Mac had to face Coach Bryant every single year. Mac was 2-14 against Bryant, Dooley was 2-4. Simply take away having to play Alabama every single year from 1964-1979 and Mac's winning percentage jumps to .740.
If Vince Dooley had not benefited from the "cooldown period" following the allegations of a fix in 1962.....if he plays Bryant every year......he gets fired because "he can't beat Alabama." (And Cholly Mac pointed out he's the only former Bryant assistant who ever beat him twice).
Most folks today have never even heard of Cholly Mac. They have no idea who he was or how good he truly was. Most LSU fans have forgotten him as well.
Johnny Majors - Majors's record is substantially worse than Dooley's (.645). He also took over the Vols because Bill Battle got fired because (wait for it) he couldn't beat Coach Bryant. Majors played Alabama every single year he coached at Tennessee and wound up going 4-12 against the Tide (and all four wins were narrow Vols escapes that easily could have gone the other way).
Oh.....and who did Majors beat to win the same number of national championships Dooley had? Why, Vince Dooley himself. Dooley went 3-0 against Majors......two of those being the Herschel Walker years.....when it was UGA-Tennessee. But a reasonable argument could be made that Majors was actually the better coach. Majors's career numbers are held down because: a) he began at Iowa St and had some lean years; and b) he came back later on a second run at Pitt and wasn't very good.
Pat Dye - I not only think Dye is a better coach than Dooley, I think he's a MUCH better coach than Dooley. For starters, Dye was 6-3 against Dooley head to head and (key point here) TWO of his three losses came when: a) Dooley had Walker; b) Auburn was coming off probation. Dye's Auburn career pct is .711 vs Dooley's .715. When you consider Dye won six of nine games, this "almost even" record against balances out. Remember - Dye (unlike Dooley) played Alabama every single year and went 6-6 (Dooley 2-4). Yes, Dooley has a national title and Dye doesn't but only because Auburn got jobbed in 1983. (Go back and look at that 1980 UGA schedule and subtract Notre Dame - it makes BYU's 1984 schedule look like an NFL experience by comparison).
What's bizarre is that Auburn "lucked into" Pat Dye because......Vince Dooley turned them down!!!! Dye was one of many names in the coaching search, and he even resigned his other job (he'd only been at Wyoming for a year) after being threatened by the school President but before he even had the Auburn job offer. Dye won 4 SEC titles to Dooley's 6, but he also only coached less than 1/2 as long, too.
Some folks may mention Johnny Vaught, but I think he's an overrated "legend" whose entire reputation is based upon not having to play Alabama. Go look at his record prior to 1964. It's sensational. But then the conference forces Alabama and Ole Miss to play every year, he goes 2-6 against Alabama, and WHOEVER is to blame (the admin, Vaught, whoever)........Alabama makes civil rights progress, Ole Miss resists, and the rest is ancient history (coinciding not so much with 1964).
One final note: Dooley also benefited from Ga Tech leaving the SEC right about the time he became a head coach. I realize he's not to blame for circumstances, but they must also be taken into account when analyzing these things. (Hank Aaron didn't get stronger as he hit his mid-30s....he moved from a pitcher's park in Milwaukee to the easiest home run park in MLB. It doesn't diminish Hank to admit that fact - it simply sets his accomplishments on a more accurate field of evaluation). The same is true with Mr Dooley.
