Grambling State Tigers

Dooley moves across SWAC to become Prairie View coach

Published Dec. 22, 2017 12:30 p.m. ET

(STATS) - The SWAC race got much more interesting with Prairie View A&M's hiring of Eric Dooley as its new head coach Friday, and potentially much tougher for two-time reigning conference champ Grambling State.

Dooley has served as Grambling's offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach the last four years, guiding high-powered offenses that have helped the Tigers go 35-3 against conference opponents. They've won three straight SWAC West Division titles in that time.

In 2016, Dooley was named the American Football Coaches Association's assistant coach of the year.

"It's kind of bittersweet, because he's a personal friend of mine," Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs said, "but he's also a really exceptional football coach and football mind."

Dooley, who played wide receiver at Grambling from 1985-88 under legendary coach Eddie Robinson, has significant experience in the SWAC, having also been an assistant coach at Southern for 14 years and Arkansas-Pine Bluff for three years.

Prairie View has been seeking to get over the Grambling hurdle, going 21-11 overall and 19-6 over the last three seasons under coach Willie Simmons, who resigned earlier this month to become the head coach at Florida A&M.

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