McGarity: It’s ‘unfair’ to give coach specific win mandate
New Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity says he won't tell Mark Richt he has to win "10 or 11" games.
New Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity is coming from a school (Florida) that won two BCS titles (2006, 2008) and two Final Fours (2006, 2007) in a span of three years. So the man is accustomed to success.
Amid media speculation that Mark Richt is feeling some heat for the Bulldogs’ disappointments of the last two seasons in the SEC, it seemed logical to ask him what his own expectations were of Georgia’s season. Without putting a number on it, McGarity said more than I expected. His expectations are high.
“We want to compete for championships,” he said. “There could be circumstances that lead you to not be in the hunt a certain year. But you want every sport at the university if Georgia to be in the conversation. In swimming, I think it’s safe to say Georgia’s in the hunt. You talk about tennis, softball, Georgia’s in the hunt. Football, I think Geogia’s in the hunt,. Some sports, Georgia’s on the way up.”
McGarity wasn’t asked directly about Richt, but he clearly then veered in that direction with this comment: “I think it would be unfair to coaches to tell them, ‘You’ve got to win 10 games, 11 games,’ or whatever that number is. It’s how people go about their work. Do you see improvements made? Do you see people giving 100 percent effort every day? Those are things I would look at more than number of wins. This conference is a meat grinder. There are so many great teams. I don’t know how many teams went to Birmingham [for SEC media days] feeling they can win the SEC championship. Nine schools, maybe? It’ll be interesting to watch.”
McGarity also had an interesting answer when asked about how, as the new athletic director, he feels the impact of the DUI arrest by former AD Damon Evans.
“It’s a huge responsibility — probably a life changing responsibility,” he said. “Regardless of what happened in the past, now with the advent of cellphone cameras and things of that nature, your life totally changes. I’ve been in sort of the shadows for 18 years. I could go into restaurants and nobody would know me. You didn’t know about some of the public things. Things have gotten out of hand. It’s a different set of eyes, and I knew that coming in. There’s no surprises there. You have to deal with it the best you can. We’re not all perfect. In the situation we’re in, you just have to do the best you can do in the way you conduct yourself.”
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150 comments Add your comment
Larry
August 31st, 2010
5:30 pm
JRHD,
Touché!
I can tell by his blog name he is classless and is anti Georgia. Funny thing, I attended neither but I respect the coaching of both Georgia and Georgia Tech football, and love SEC Football and ACC Basketball. Anyone that tries to make a juvenile argument that the SE isn’t the best football and ACC the best overall basketball conference is, in fact, stupid! Not that there’s not quality at the top of other conferences but top to bottom they’re the elite conferences in their respective sports.
Furman Bishop
August 31st, 2010
5:43 pm
McGarity said nothing, but who expected him to say anything? If Richt goes 9-4 this year and beats the hell out of another nobody team in a nothing bowl, it’s what McGarity says then that will count.
jerry
August 31st, 2010
6:07 pm
The success of a coach, as measured by the fans, is wins, not if he gave 100%, and not if he showed improvement, unless it was in wins. We want wins, period. If he doesn’t win, don’t let the door hit him in the …..
Nesbitt for Heisman
August 31st, 2010
6:30 pm
`
Georgia Tech has a good chance of jumping from eleven
to fourteen wins this year.
MATHDAWG
August 31st, 2010
6:42 pm
THE MATURITY AND COMMON SENSE OF GREG MCGARITY IS COMING THROUGH! WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE HIM AND IT IS SO SATISFYING TO KNOW THAT HE IS “ONE OF OUR OWN”. GREAT THINGS ARE IN STORE FOR UGA ATHLETICS!!!
Shaquandralishanickra
August 31st, 2010
6:47 pm
first!
Ed
August 31st, 2010
6:47 pm
I like McGarity already. I found this quote interesting: “Do you see people giving 100 percent effort every day?” It seems to me (and at least some of the Georgia fans that I talk to on a regular basis) that Richt has lost some fire in recent years. I’ve thought for some time that Richt might simply have burned out. He’s had high-profile, high-pressure coaching jobs for about 20 years now – more than a decade as an offensive coach at FSU and almost a decade as head coach at Georgia. He’s not much younger than Dooley was when he retired in his mid-fifties in ‘88.
Richt sure seems to have a hard time motivating his team in recent years, and has resorted to gimmicks that we didn’t see at all from ‘01-’05: bizarre endzone celebrations and uniform changes, including those I-AA monstrosities that were unveiled at last year’s WLOCP. I like Richt, but if he’s run out his string then hopefully McGarity is the right man to recognize that and make the tough call.
PaulieOldschool
August 31st, 2010
6:48 pm
Actually, I disagree with the new AD, even though I like the hire. I think it is completely reasonable to expect a certain number of wins from Coach Richt. Maybe not publicize it, but I think you’d have to be crazy not to expect a team that basically gets everything it wants to lose. I think most (rational) fans are good with teams that show the effort. There will be teams that are just flat better. But there shouldn’t be a ton of teams that are better than Georgia, otherwise it’s time to change coaches. You beat the people you’re supposed to beat, be competitive with the rest, and continue to recruit well. Otherwise, and maybe it is time, you change coaches.
Ed
August 31st, 2010
6:56 pm
Another good point that McGarity makes is about not having win mandates. For example, Georgia was only 8-4 in Richt’s first year but played everyone tough and showed a lot of heart. In ‘08, Georgia was 10-3, but underachieved with top-level pro talent in the offensive backfield. We were humiliated in the first half of the Alabama game that year and the second half rally only prevented the final score from being embarrassing. In the Florida game, UGA quit after things didn’t go their way early in the second half (down only 14-3). In the Tech game that year, UGA played hapless defense and blew a 16-point halftime lead. It was the worst 10-3 season I’ve ever seen because Georgia beat teams it should have beaten but layed down against teams that stood up to it and punched it in the mouth. I’d take a gutty 8-4 season over a gutless 10-3 season every time, and I think that’s what McGarity was getting at.
May Be on the Bandwagon
August 31st, 2010
7:00 pm
You know UGA is in trouble when we start worrying about the Arkansas and South Carolina’s of the world. The only team that should be a threat to this team is Florida. Folks we always get top 10 recruiting classes. We are like Texas, USC, Bama, Florida, Oklahoma, FSU, Miami and UGA. A very good coach should win against the others! Period!! Our talent and depth has few equals. So why is Richt the only coach to have a ranked team lose to Vandy? EVER!!! How in the world did we lose to UT and UK last year? How did we blow the game against Yech in Athens two years ago up by 16 and heading away? Something needs to change if we can’t win 10 or more with this schedule. Period.
Concur
August 31st, 2010
7:07 pm
May Be… we did not have a top 10 recruiting class last year but I understand what you mean. The lowering class rank may also be a signal that he has been passed by. When hired he was top notch in the SEC. But today’s top programs have upgraded and it seems the middle pack teams and even some of the lower tier teams like Vanderbilt have started threatening to win more against us than normal. That has to affect the psyche of our players and lower their confidence. They have lost the swagger except when partying apparently.
Beast from the East
August 31st, 2010
7:11 pm
I don’t think it’s appropriate to set a number of wins as the barometer for a program. Too many variables like injuries, suspensions, bad calls, etc. If McGarity sees that they have put themselves into contention for an SEC East title and they lose a close game on a bad call or due to some key injuries then you have to take those things into consideration. If you set a number out there then you have to hold true to your word, or be questioned for second-guessing yourself. He’s way too smart to put himself in a position like that. I’m sure each coach will soon know what is expected of them. Those things are better dealt with behind closed doors…..not in a press conference.
Duck a Fawg
August 31st, 2010
7:40 pm
Larry….really? you don’t know how many conference games each SEC team plays? 6-7…I think that’s what you said….come on “know-it-all”….try 8…and 5150 knows what he’s talking about
5150 P.O.A.D.
August 31st, 2010
7:54 pm
MAY BE you have to look no further than Bobo for your problems now. Not a single team needing a head coach has even looked at Bobo and no Higher profile teams have looked at Richt. When Richt gets canned by UGA no team will hire him either. Richt and Bobo have done so little with so much talent. Why didn’t UT call to ask about Bobo before going to Dooley?
are you kidding me?
August 31st, 2010
7:55 pm
http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/sports/sec-football-0831/
So 30% of Dawg fans think Ga will go undefeated this year!!! Could you guys possibly be more insane? When it comes to talking trash- you guys are just too too easy!!!
Nesbutt4Hyman
August 31st, 2010
8:07 pm
The only thing Nesbutt will win is the Hyman award for the fattest lips!!
black sheep
August 31st, 2010
8:09 pm
Nesbutt4Hyman What a classy guy you are. Pretty pathetic pal.
Long Offseason
August 31st, 2010
8:10 pm
117th!!!
Nesbutt4Hyman
August 31st, 2010
8:12 pm
@ black sheep
thanks for the compliment. now back to the tech board!
FLA DAWG
August 31st, 2010
8:15 pm
Of course he won’t say 10 or 11 wins – because he knows we can’t do it this season!
Paul Has A Small Johnson
August 31st, 2010
8:21 pm
If Mcgarity can teach Richt how to beat FL consitently
I will shut up
Football U
August 31st, 2010
8:36 pm
At GA, football runs the school. McGarity will be richt’s gofer.
black sheep
August 31st, 2010
8:55 pm
Nesbutt4Hyman You wouldn’t recognize a compliment if it bit you in the butt
Same with class-
Nesbutt4Hyman
August 31st, 2010
8:57 pm
@ black sheep
you’ve made 2 posts and its obvious that I’ve crapped more compliments and class than you will ever have!
Now shut your pie hole!!
AltamahaDawg
August 31st, 2010
9:02 pm
Ed that 10-3 was from the most beat up team in the nation too. I would say the most beat up team in the history of college football to win 10 games unless you can think of another. Interesting angle though that present a 10 game season as not as good as it seems. Others are at the other end of the spectrum and thought it was absolutely horrible to “merely” win 10 games. I would say a disappointing 10 game season, certainly some games, but better than it shoulda/coulda been, and a good job to get it to that. In the middle I suppose. As you point out all in the perspective.
FLA DAWG
August 31st, 2010
9:06 pm
Alta,
What………!?
AltamahaDawg
August 31st, 2010
9:06 pm
are you kidding me, since you are just going to repost that on every blog that comes out, I’ll ask again. Is that Dawg fans or respondents? Can we conclude that 90% of tech fans are childish and obsessed based on the respondent in our blogs everyday too?
AltamahaDawg
August 31st, 2010
9:07 pm
which what? FD
George
August 31st, 2010
9:20 pm
Another “Richt on the hot seat” article. Good work schultz. Maybe you can squeeze one or two more in before the season starts.
Maybe you should be on the hot seat. Seems you lack originality.
AltamahaDawg
August 31st, 2010
9:23 pm
Enter your comments here
Beat Florida or Beat It!
August 31st, 2010
9:37 pm
If Richt doesn’t beat florida in the next 2 years when they are way down, he better pack it up and head back to florida state for an assistant’s job. UGA fans are sick of losing to the obnoxious florida gators and their redneck fans.
ryan
August 31st, 2010
9:39 pm
The haters just don’t like the fact that McGarity is going to clean the program they want the lighting rod Evans back.
5150 P.O.A.D.
August 31st, 2010
9:44 pm
Beat Florida or Beat It What SEC team besides Vandy doesn’t have a bunch obnoxious redneck fans?
ryan
August 31st, 2010
10:06 pm
Its not a lock that Nesbitt is going to win the Heisman he lost a lot of his weapons Dwyer and Thomas Miami and VT are dangerous teams for Nesbitt so don’t count your chickens before they hatch Techies who come on UGA blogs .
college football
August 31st, 2010
11:04 pm
THe techies live in their stupid world with this nesbitt for heisman crap. He has two chances, slim and none and slim left town. There are 7 quarterbacks in the SEC alone that more deserving. These idiots pushing that crap know nothing about what a real quarterback is.
Mobile Dawg
August 31st, 2010
11:14 pm
Good post Ed, show up and give 100%. Nobody in this country should run the Dawgs off the field, UF, UA, UT, nobody. Anyone can have a bad day ocassionally, the Dawgs have made a habit out of it the last 4 years. I like MaGarity, hopefully he will rejuvinate Richt. Seems like he has that demeanor.
Mobile Dawg
August 31st, 2010
11:20 pm
Give Tech their due. They are the ACC champions. I wish Mr. Nesbitt the best. Let’s put their best against our best, and kick their best’s, well you know what. That’s what college football’s all about. To me “good old fashioned hate” is only about “ONE” game. My Brother was/is a Yellow Jacket, my Grandparents were Yellow Jackets. Damn, my wife is a “War Eagle”, her folks “Crimson Tide”. Gotta love the South and some CF on Saturdays…..
5150 P.O.A.D.
September 1st, 2010
12:53 am
College Football and how many UGA QBs have won the Heisman? O. Name 7 SEC QBs that are more deserving. The Last SEC QB to win the the Heisman? Florida’s Tebow in 07. The SEC QB to win before that? Florida’s Wuerffel in 96. Please don’t tell me about SEC QBs. The last Option QB to win the Heisman? Nebraska’s Crouch in 01.
12-2
September 1st, 2010
3:08 am
2 days on the job : 2 statements from our new A.D.
“We want to compete for championships,” Greg McGarity said. “There could be circumstances that lead you to not be in the hunt a certain year. But you want every sport at the university if Georgia to be in the conversation.”
The last time we even went to The SEC Championship Game was 2005. This is 2010.
He is as accountable for this as he is accountable for having a 10-10 Record vs SEC East the last 4 years, and having never beat a Top 10 Final AP Poll team in ANY bowl game EVER.
Greg McGarity said: “I’m going to learn about our structure, what we have set up as far as education of student-athletes. I want to learn exactly, why is this happening? Yeah, I think there are too many arrests. I think when it happens, it’s embarrassing to the institution [and] it takes away from team unity. . . . I think it’s a problem, and I don’t like the excuse, ‘Well, that’s going to happen [with] college students; it’s just part of the deal.’ I don’t buy that.”
All-time scoreboard for the Fulmer Cup :
All-Time Fulmer Cup Standings starting 2006 :
# 1 Illinois Fighting Illini 51 points 1 Fulmer Cup 2007
# 2 Georgia Bulldogs 48 points 1 Fulmer Cup 2010
# 2 Florida Gators 48 points
# 4 Penn State Nittany Lions 42 points
# 5 Arkansas Razorbacks 38 points
# 5 Missouri Tigers 38 points
# 7 Alabama Crimson Tide 37 points 1 Fulmer Cup 2008
# 8 Iowa Hawkeyes 36 points
# 8 Tennessee Volunteers 36 points
#10 Marshall Thundering Herd 35 points 1 Fulmer Cup 2006
#11 Nebraska Cornhuskers 33 points
#12 Florida State Seminoles 32 points
12-2
September 1st, 2010
3:26 am
Good try by the way, to try to get the New A.D. to say that 10-win seasons in 14-game seasons nowadays, is sufficient. 10-win seasons in 14-game seasons nowadays is 10-3, meaning we missed The SEC Championship Game for the 5th year in a row, were that instead to be the Goal for 2010 with 15 seniors and 4-5 juniors leaving after 2010. Next season, 2011, yes 10-3 would be a realistic goal with that schedule – not this season, not with THIS weak schedule. This is the 10th Season for this Regime. Goals have to PICK UP AROUND HERE on the field and off the field. You cannot say that we were trying against Kentucky last year, not looking at the Georgia tek game. The vols game either. The year before, 2008, we played 3 good teams and had we started out # 13 where we ended in the Final AP Poll 2008, we would have dropped 13 places to NOT BE RANKED in 2008, giving up Consecutive Points against us in all 3 of those games of 29 Consecutive Points, 31 to nothing and 42 Consecutive Points against us in those 3 games : That was WITH Knowshon Moreno, AJ Green and Matthew Stafford. Don’t give me that B.S. that we gave our best efforts in ANY of those 3 games 2008. 2007, we were out of it in our own Division for the season really even got started with our POOR EFFORT vs South Carolina a 6-6 teams who DID NOT EVEN GO TO A BOWL GAME and against the vols AGAIN who beat us 35-14. 2007 this made then 6 Consecutive SEC East teams we LOST TO. 2006, there is likewise no way you can say we gave our best effort against Colorado a sorry football team that year, the vols another sorry team we played 2006 who slaughtered us at home, a sorry Kentucky team who beat us and we gave it our all tried as best we could, and Vandie an Intramural team who won 4 games all of 2006 and that INCLUDES their win over us at Our House.
If we don’t go 12-2 this season and instead ratchet-down expectations because Aaron Murray is not the phenom Coach Richt has been telling us up until now that he is and settle for 10-3 again being ALSO National Champions in the Fulmer Cup for Most Arrests including 2 little coeds, abused by 2 different Top 10 at their position recruits both signed by Mike Bobo and Coach Richt (along with Christian LeMay as well), then they were RIGHT.
AD Greg McGarity is NOT GOING TO PUT UP WITH IT.
Blue Dahlia
September 1st, 2010
6:52 am
Coaches CAN eliminate the arrests within their programs.
Yes they can, but they have to want to stop them, and they have to stop recruiting thugs.
Mark Richt doesn’t care, and that’s why McGarity must fire Richt.
Spirit of Saint Jan
September 1st, 2010
6:56 am
Attention, everyone, especially dawgtards. We will now observe a moment of silence in memory of Saint Jan Kemp, who exposed the shameful practices at UGA that were initiated and carried out by slimeball Vince Dooley. Dooley’s image as a coach and a nice guy were forever shattered during the trial, not to mention the one million dollars that dawgtards had to pay Saint Jan. These practices of recruiting morons and coddling them for four years, them tossing them out like garbage, are still going on, but at least the world knows what’s going on now.
And now, the moment of silence…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thank you, you may resume your normal activities now.
dagnabit
September 1st, 2010
6:59 am
JRHD: There’s a reason it never works. There I go using a word the intolerant neocons never understand!
AltamahaDawg
September 1st, 2010
7:18 am
…..as I recall you were pretty in Love with one on those little co-ed abusers, even wanted him to be named starter despite knowing what he had done. Until he got dismissed and then you changed your tune for the third time. (because as we all know you called him a complete waste of a scholarship just prior to calling him an NFL talent)
Or was that the BoWeevil talking?
James T. Kirk
September 1st, 2010
8:22 am
The mutts AD is scared because he knows they will be lucky to win 3 contests this year. While our AD has said it’s world championship or bust. Imagine that
Andy in WR
September 1st, 2010
8:23 am
so 5150 p.o.A.D. you are saying an 8 win season is pretty good in the SEC. Idiots, the SEC is a grind because of the talent each team brings to the table. Even Vandy is capable of beating anyone if you let up while playing them. never a rest-no gimmes. Yes, UGA should beat all of them but I’d rather play Tech and the Almost Competitive Conference on a weekly basis than the SEC. The SEC teams wear you down! That’s the difference–honestly hardly any of you even played the game it seems!
Andy in WR
September 1st, 2010
8:34 am
All of you crying that we havn’t been to the SECCG since 2005–before Richt what was our last SECC–1983! I will take Richt anyday as I definately remember what it used to be like. You johnny-come-latelys are as bad as the gator idiots that believe FL football began in 1990.
Andy in WR
September 1st, 2010
8:35 am
I’m glad I check my BP before reading these blogs.
mcdaviddawg
September 1st, 2010
11:54 am
He spook to the root of the problem, we 100%. In Richt we have a 3 mil part time coach. It doesn’t work in the SEC. Maybe with new department leadership, all these games we have not been prepared for will stop. The problem goes all the way back to 2003 when we lost a hopeful run for title on the fields at LSU. Little did I know that this would be a tradmark of CMR.
Top 3 of the ACC football teams in 2009, the online grading college football season
September 1st, 2010
8:06 pm
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