Mark Richt holds press conference over firing
By John Buhler
Mark Richt and Georgia Bulldogs athletic director Greg McGarity met with the media during their press conference stemming from Richt’s surprising firing Sunday.
The Georgia Bulldogs held a press conference at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Monday morning over the news that head football coach Mark Richt will not coach the Dawgs after their holiday bowl game. Mark Richt spent the last fifteen years building a program on high character, but was unable to win the big game while leading the Bulldogs.
Richt and McGarity met yesterday morning and had a conversation that McGarity kept insisting that it would remain between him and Mark Richt. McGarity admired Richt’s class while at Georgia and his calmness in receiving the news of his dismissal as the head football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs.
McGarity made a point to make the entire press conference be about Mark Richt out of respect for all the he accomplished while leading the Georgia Bulldogs. He did say that the University of Georgia will use a searching firm to find Mark Richt’s replacement and that the head coaching vacancy is “wide open”. Many speculate that Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen are the two strongest candidates for the job.
Richt thanked Dawg Nation for the love and support the Athens and Georgia community showed he and his family over the last fifteen years. He said that he wanted to coach the bowl game and would have asked to had he not been presented with that option. He’s very keen on his seniors getting their 40th win as members of the Georgia football team.
Mark Richt said his only regret while being the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs is that he misses coaching quarterbacks. He relinquished that responsibility to former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo nearly a decade ago.
Richt says that since he won’t be on the recruiting trail for the final month of his tenure as head coach that he will weigh his options carefully. McGarity said that the athletic association will honor Mark Richt’s handshake agreement on a contract extension set in place early this summer. McGarity said that those type of agreements “still mean something.”
Mark Richt has been offered an opportunity to stay at the University of Georgia in a goodwill, athletic ambassador type of role, where he would work directly with the athletic department. Some have speculated that he may end up replacing McGarity as athletic director. However, Richt may still want to coach again, as he would be open to all possibilities of being a head coach, an offensive coordinator, or even a quarterbacks coach.
Overall, Richt seemed at peace with regards to the press conference over his firing. He spoke Sunday with his players about continuing to do the right thing as they “audition” for their new head coach. Mark Richt is a man of class and it’s tough see a man of character have to leave his gig as head coach. All eyes on McGarity about what he’ll do with the best vacancy in all of college football.