Mark Richt’s pay tied to incentives, as it should be
Mark Richt will need to have a high degree of success to increase his paycheck at Georgia. (AP photo)
Mark Richt won 10 straight games last season, brought Georgia to the SEC championship for the first time in six years and generally allayed fears that the football program was starting to circle the drain.
But he is not going to get a raise, and that pretty much indicates where the bar has been set in Athens.
Richt’s contract extension is still not finalized. It unofficially has been stuck on “almost finished” longer than any document in American history.
The most intriguing part of the new deal won’t be contract length but the amount of Richt’s buyout, which is the best indicator of somebody’s job security. (It’s much easier to fire a coach with a $2 million buyout than a $10 million buyout.) But athletic director Greg McGarity confirmed Thursday that Richt won’t be receiving a raise in the new deal.
Speaking to the UGA’s athletic board at annual meetings in Greensboro, McGarity said Richt’s contract will include increased bonuses for SEC and BCS championships and simliar accomplishments. But the coach’s salary will remain at about $2.8 million.
“We want to reward excellence,” McGarity said, and if you have been paying attention, those words won’t surprise you.
McGarity recently fired gymnastics coach Jay Clark after only three years. Last football season, when many fans were going gaga over the Bulldogs’ 10-game winning streak, McGarity pointed out that the team was benefiting in part from a soft schedule. He was correct. But it nonetheless was surprising and refreshing to hear an administrator be so candid.
A recent story on McGarity by Chip Towers examined how he studied under Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, who dismissed at least 15 coaches while McGarity was in Gainesville.
Foley was quoted in the piece, saying: “All I know is when Greg and I worked together, one thing that he and I talked about — and I’ve got to think it’s part of his management philosophy — is you don’t necessarily judge a program on where it is today. I think you judge it on where it’s going to be or if it’s as good as it can be. Sometimes you evaluate programs and they may be OK. But there are certain places in the country — and Florida’s one and I think Georgia is one — where being OK isn’t satisfactory to people in leadership roles.”
Georgia has a chance to be pretty good this season and again will benefit from a schedule that will avoid Alabama, LSU and Arkansas. But high expectations means a higher bar for success. The fact Richt won’t be given a raise indicates McGarity believes he still has something to prove.
By Jeff Schultz
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135 comments Add your comment
Game Changer
May 25th, 2012
8:18 am
A title using name of Richt and yet McGarity makes the article about himself:
McGarity should be fired immediately and a Business Professional be hired:
At no time did McGarity mention what the mission statement is, what is required of Mark Richt and his job requirements and what the future holds if he does not achieve these goals and objectives.
Idle threats and gray matter talk does nothing but cloudy the issue more, at no point has McGarity stated what the Mission Statement and Goals for Richt are: Oh wait a minute, he fired a girl volleyball coach and a girls softball coach to put pressure on Richt, everyone is laughing their ass off at such child play.
McGarity, either you go on record with what is totally expect in stone of the UGA football program and Mark Richt, on and off the field, or you will find yourself with a pink slip at the end 2013.
Volleyball, Gymnastics — You cannot make this up!
roadrunner
May 25th, 2012
8:38 am
Why are the gay Techies on here?
5150 UOAD
May 25th, 2012
8:51 am
Because it is a story about the HomoRicht and ChokeGrantham.
Let us stop and look at our cousin, GT
May 25th, 2012
9:17 am
G Techers, you belong to a conference that is gasping for air. Brand awareness for ACC football beyond Fulton County, Ga and Raleigh, NC and Charlotte, NC. or Richmond, VA. is non existent. Too bad ……………….GT football RECRUITING is going to continue to struggle, year after miserable year and so will the on the field results.
BulldogBen
May 25th, 2012
9:21 am
Totally agree with what McGarity is doing. Last years record was smoke and mirrors. Didn’t beat a single team in the Top 25. I think we’ll be pretty good this year but it’s clear that management is taking a wait and see approach, much like a lot of the fanbase.
See also: Season Ticket sales
harold
May 25th, 2012
9:41 am
READ HAROLD’S COMMENTS FROM MAY 24 @ 12:41.
Evansdawg
May 25th, 2012
9:58 am
This is a GREAT move. I’m liking McGarity more and more everyday.
Tide Rising
May 25th, 2012
10:50 am
Great article Jeff.
10-2 looks like a great year but when you avoid the 3 behemoths of the west and your 2 traditional foes in the east UF and UT are at there lowest ebbs in decades its really not very impressive.
Add in a loss to a middling Big 10 team like Michigan State that got blasted by Bama 49-7 in the same bowl a year earlier and the season actually looks pretty unimpressive.
Tide Rising
May 25th, 2012
10:51 am
Richt does have one great tan in this pic though. Thass gotta count for something to the dawg nation.
HighTech
May 25th, 2012
10:51 am
I can’t believe UGA fans are okay with treating a coach like Mark Richt like this. If Texas fires Mack Brown, Richt could be on the next plane to Austin. No raise after going to a conference championship game? Wow.
Snake Doc
May 25th, 2012
11:06 am
So the CEO and his team of misfits will play 10 cupcakes next year and the CEO will earn more money for actually accomplishing nothing?
Only in the land of Bone headed maroons!
Snake Doc
May 25th, 2012
11:09 am
@harold – couldn’t have said it better my self!
LHarding Dawg
May 25th, 2012
11:24 am
Snake Doc – You mean you actually read HAROLD! Funny.
Myers
May 25th, 2012
11:48 am
I guess there will be more thugs on the field this year, and more head hunting!
Walker34077
May 25th, 2012
1:00 pm
UGA hasn’t had a quality win since 2009, going 0-9 since against teams that finish the season ranked in the top 25. Throw in 2 consecutive bowl embarassments for good measure. I have to wonder if McGarity simply thinks “good enough” is truly good enough?
Red Stick
May 25th, 2012
1:01 pm
The bowl game against Mich St was a bad loss for the Georgia program. A win would have given the Dawgs 11 wins and momentum for 2012. Unfortunately the 10 win streak doesn’t look so great sandwiched in between 2 losses to the best 4 teams on the schedule.
I think McGarity did what he had to do. Really with the schedule Georgia has, I don’t think any Dawg fan is being unreasonable to expect to go 12-0. However, the OL is an issue which may be the difference in beating USCe. Florida, Auburn, Missouri and UT aren’t sure wins either at this point.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
Hockeyfan
May 25th, 2012
1:45 pm
Does he get a bonus for how many players get arrested?
Rampdawg
May 25th, 2012
2:17 pm
5150 UOAD
May 24th, 2012
5:21 pm
GHOST…………….How many BCS & SEC Championships does Richt have with that Great record? ZERO BCS and 2 SEC. How many BCS & SEC Championships do UF, AU, UA, LSU have in that same time period?
————————————————————————————————————————————–
Hey Toad, how many does Tech have ? 0 How many Ws does Tech have against CMR? Uno
If UGA is a cesspool, then it’s filled with Tech turds seeing how UGA makes a meal out of that pathetic team of yours every year.
harold
May 25th, 2012
4:37 pm
READ HAROLD’S POST @ 12:41
old dog
May 25th, 2012
5:30 pm
Get a good o-line that is SEC caliber, and all else will take care of itself. Defense will be good, and we have skill players….but our whoppin’s (all of them) last year came due to our o-line gettin’ their butts handed to them by Boise State, Michigan State, and LSU. We got stacked up front….period. Murray was running for his life and even though our backs could have played better, our run blocking (x-cept when we played bad teams) was awful. Often times they caused our defense to be on the field too long. We’ll get better, but we can harp on any and everything and until that line is up to snuff we are BEHIND Alabama and LSU…period. Incentives, no incentives, etc. Get a 1st rate o-line, and watch all the coaches (magically) earn their bonuses!!
Paul's Johnson
May 25th, 2012
7:00 pm
I admit it folks…. I just CAN’T beat Georgia. My high school option attack doesn’t work against the DAWGS but I’ll keep trying it. I’ll have folks wishing for Chan Gailey to return after this year.
Paul's Johnson
May 25th, 2012
7:06 pm
You might RUN this STATE but we run this STREET. Well wait a minute… no coke and the varsity run this street. I’m off to see John Smoltz’s shrink.
Florence
May 25th, 2012
7:12 pm
Dog fans should all be proud of our coach – one of the few concerned with the overall education of his student athletes.
What utter tripe. 90% of Richt’s recruits are illiterate “special admits” who will spend 3-4 years stumbling through remedial studies and still won’t be able to read.
Ther’s a reason UGA is known far and wide as The Cesspool of the South.
A little reminder for dawgs with short memories...
May 25th, 2012
7:15 pm
GEORGIA TECH OWNS THIS STATE!!!
Chris
May 25th, 2012
9:02 pm
If the coaches are being paid based off job performance, Bobo’s salary should have been cut in half.
Summmer is nearing and with that, are the arriving editions of College football magazines
May 26th, 2012
8:40 am
GT’s CPJ will be the poster boy for all of the football magazine covers in this part of the USA. His face will be there with the caption HOT SEAT in Atlanta.
The problem though, is that beyond Dekalb/Fulton County and metro Atlanta, no one has ever heard of the guy, because his record has NO ACCOMPLISMENTS.
ESPN will soon do their preview of the 2012 football season upcoming and they will probaly do 10 minutes on Why Coach Pual Johnson IS on the coaching HOT SEAT and how that likely IS HURTING Tech’s recruiting.
The next GT football coach will inherit wishbone kids and likely, he will employ the spread attack or a pro attack and it will take him 2 or 3 years to purge GT of the triple option kids (chop blockers) and get his type of kids …………….then he too WILL BE on the Coaching Hot Seat carousel. Sad.
sense of worth by others is insane
May 26th, 2012
10:26 am
Since when is a $2.8 million base chump change? He’ll make PLENTY in additional income with media deals, commercials, and gaining those incentives. He’s not losing sleep and neither should anyone else.
Things are out of whack, when this thinking becomes the norm.
I’d like to see all contracts heavily incentive based, from all pro sports to general businesses.
Shankit
May 27th, 2012
1:24 pm
Richt has third highest winning percentage of active coaches, Ahead of Satan, miles and sputtered.
01HAWK
May 27th, 2012
10:27 pm
I guess CMR can ask MR. SABAN for a loan…………………………………Since Nick makes a bit more cheese than the CHOIR BOY……………..LOL
It is all about winning the BCS , and CMR is showing a BIG ZERO.
SHANKIT…………………………..All of the coaches you mentioned have won a BCS TITLE.
I hope you are happy with CMR, because BAMA is pleased with him and his staff and hope he stays forever.
Sabanstampon
May 30th, 2012
2:49 am
Just stopping in so the Tide folks can lap up some of my menstrual flow. Suck it boys.
LemonThrower
May 30th, 2012
6:18 pm
How long will it take to fire mark richt web site?
trey
May 30th, 2012
7:45 pm
FACT: UGA owns the N. Ave program of yellow
FACT: there are more GeeTee fans on the dawg blogs than there are UGA fans (lmao)
Jeff — good article. Richt doesn’t deserve a pay raise into the upper echelon of coaches as that area is maintained by coaches who win NCs. BTW, do you know what the buy-out is on Richt’s new contract? In fact, if you know the current buy-out it’d be interesting to know.
Thomas Brown
May 31st, 2012
7:25 am
After 2008 :
Steve Spurrier is not in the Top 25 Won/Lost Record :
27-13 Won/Lost Steve Spurrier South Carolina after 2008
24-16 Won/Lost Mark Richt Georgia after 2008
whiskey breath
May 31st, 2012
8:53 am
Big schock, Jeff is a CMR homer! How about listing the games he flat out blew it? Michigan State was the last game he was ahead at half time and State wanted it more.
It is true about Ga, it’s ok to be ok. McGarity has no love for CMR, but he has no other choice.
He can get away with firing the gym coach, but CMR is untoucheable and what is sad, is CMR knows it
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