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An InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research poll conducted February 13 of 594 Georgians - 325 of whom identified themselves as individuals who “watch, listen to, or attend University of Georgia football games and are a fan” - showed almost no support for the approved statue and naming of a section of the university away from the stadium but nearer to athletic facilities and housing (the area of campus also to be named in Dooley’s honor.)
Given the choices of adding Dooley’s name to the stadium, naming the field at the stadium after Dooley, or erecting the statue and naming an entire section of the campus after Dooley but away from the stadium, support for a stadium related tribute was overwhelming.
Net Stadium Tribute: 93%
Add name to stadium: 48%
Name field for Dooley: 45%
Erect statue and name complex after Dooley: 7%
The survey was weighted for age, race, and gender. It also identified political affiliation. The margin of error is +/- 6%.
Those who identified themselves as Republicans were most adamant about adding the former football coach’s name to the existing stadium with support at 53%. Republicans dominate the state legislature and the state has a Republican Governor, Sonny Perdue.
Perdue expressed support for the statue and naming of the athletic facilities. Both Perdue and the university president have resisted efforts by the legislature to add Dooley’s name to either the stadium or the field, citing rules requiring a yet-to-expire period of time before university employees can have facilities named in their honor.
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