By Tom Mattingly
“Just Keep Jumping” is a testimony to the enduring spirit of a true trailblazer. If there ever were a man born to leadership, it was Douglas Adair Dickey.
As I perused Dickey’s book, I found that the seeds of personal and professional success were sown in abundance over the course of his life. Looking at his history, all signs pointed to a career filled with great accomplishments.
His book, published by The University of Tennessee Press, copyright 2026, is slated to hit bookstores in the middle of this month. He collaborated with his son, Don, and Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel in preparing the manuscript, one that is eminently readable and moves seamlessly from each stop to the next.
“This man is one-of-a-kind, who had a rich and singular story worth telling, a remarkable memory for detail, and had maintained relationships that would make this project possible,” said Thompson.
“I appreciate the relationship we have established and appreciate Coach Dickey involving me in a project so important to him.”
“He was encouraged by his family to write the book, so he just started writing,” said Don.
“Probably two years ago, we met with Katie Hannah at U. T. Press and showed her an early version of the book.”
That process led to an epiphany about his dad.
“What really moved me is how much he meant to so many people. I appreciate that more and more. The reverence and respect I have for him never goes away.”
Throughout the book, there is an overriding theme, one that has been a consistent belief Dickey has held over his 94-plus years.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” wrote Dickey. “My youth and early adult life prepared me for the opportunities that came my way.
“A favorite story of mine, which I told all my teams, is about a young man who goes to see an older, wiser man and says, ‘Old man, what is your secret to success?’
“The wise old man says, ‘Just jump at every opportunity that comes along.’
“The young man then says, ‘How do I know when an opportunity comes along?’
“The old man replied, ‘JUST KEEP JUMPING!’
“I am proud that so many of my former players, staff, and family have taken that wise old man’s advice. I am fortunate to have lived a full life with some good luck and quite a bit of jumping!”
The most illustrative passages from his Tennessee career came as Dickey discussed his time as head coach, from the time he first met with Tennessee Trustee Col. Tom Elam in either Memphis or Union City (depending on whose account you believe, Dickey’s or Elam’s) about the Tennessee job in late November 1963.
Another such moment was the December 1963 trip he and Jim McDonald, his predecessor at Tennessee, made to Cleveland and Pikeville, where Dickey signed Bob Johnson and John Boynton, each of whom became three-year starters at center and offensive tackle.
Vignettes with many of his former players from those years highlight the narrative. They add perspective to the question Marvin West asked when he found out Dickey was Bob Woodruff’s choice as head coach: “Who or what is a Doug Dickey?”
There were two defining moments when the Vol program was shaken to its foundations. Three assistant coaches were killed in a car-train wreck in West Knoxville in October 1965, and in March 1966, three players died in an automobile accident in Benton, Tenn.
During that time, Dickey more than lived up to his nickname, the “Tall Man,” leading the program through the Valley of the Shadow in both instances. His leadership and influence on those occasions helped define his Tennessee coaching tenure.
As Vol head coach from 1964-69, Dickey had to compete against such coaching greats as former Vol Bobby Dodd (2-1) at Georgia Tech, Paul (Bear) Bryant at Alabama (3-2-1), Shug Jordan (3-2-1) at Auburn, Paul Dietzel at Army and South Carolina (2-0-0, 3-0-0), Tommy Prothro at UCLA (1-1), Vince Dooley at Georgia (1-0-1), Johnny Vaught (2-4-0) at Ole Miss, and Ben Schwartzwalder (1-0) at Syracuse.
“Many of the people he coached against have had stadiums named after them. That’s pretty remarkable,” said Don. Many have also won national championships.
“Of all of Dickey’s players, Johnson, Tennessee’s All-American center, stood out and gave the most complete picture of the man,” said Thompson.
“Johnson was skeptical of Dickey’s hiring, given that he was in his early 30s and without head coaching experience, but he soon took to his hard-nosed coaching style, understated approach, and wisdom.”
When Dickey returned to Knoxville in 1985, there were more significant moments. The program was entering into another sustained period of success. There were SEC titles in 1985, 1989, 1990, 1997, and 1998. A consensus national championship came home in 1998. The Vol athletic program was again reaching for the stars.
Tennessee teams did nothing but win during Dickey’s tenure.
There were also moments of controversy, the transition from head coach John Majors to Phillip Fulmer in 1992 being a prime example.
When they read the book carefully, Vol fans will remember a man with broad shoulders, a man you always wanted on your side when the going got tough.
Dickey’s book offers a journey through the significant moments of a man’s life, particularly through his experience with the University of Tennessee.
It also offers Vol fans a closer look at Dickey’s perspective on two memorable eras in Vol football that are part of a great and still-evolving tradition that has enriched all of our lives.
