Georgia is planning to honor Hall of Fame former coach Vince Dooley by naming the field at Sanford Stadium in his honor.

A ceremony has been planned for Georgia’s 2019 opening game on Sept. 7 against Murray State to dedicate Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. The plan, announced Thursday by University of Georgia president Jere Morehead and athletic director Greg McGarity, must be approved by the University of Georgia and the Board of Regents.

The honor has been anticipated by many Georgia supporters since Dooley’s 25-year run as coach ended in 1988 and he retired as athletic director in 2004.

The 86-year-old Dooley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2008, former University of Georgia president Michael Adams unveiled a statue of Dooley at the entrance of the newly named Vince Dooley Athletic Complex. The statue shows Dooley being lifted up by players from his 1980 national championship team.