Richt is coaching through pain as SEC East title nears
Mark Richt has been coaching through pain of a hip that requires surgery. (Bob Andres/AJC)
ATHENS – Over the past several weeks, Georgia has lost three senior starters to season-ending injuries, accumulated various ailments that left other players without a full-set of functioning body parts and played four games without its projected starting defense because of four player suspensions.
As it turns out, Mark Richt also has been playing – or coaching – hurt.
Richt, a few days away from coaching his potential second straight SEC East-clinching game at Auburn, likely will have hip-replacement surgery after the season. He is often in excruciating pain, particularly after standing and pacing on the sideline for three-plus hours on game day.
The injury is something Richt has managed to keep quiet for the past year. Even athletic director Greg McGarity wasn’t aware of his coach’s condition until last week, and McGarity only became aware of it because he was trying to schedule postseason meetings with Richt and he needed to check on his availability.
There are two reasons Richt wanted to keep this quiet: 1) No coach wants to draw attention to himself when it’s a health matter, particularly when a “play hurt” mandate is stamped on every player’s forehead; 2) The genesis of the injury is rather embarrassing.
An old football injury?
“No,” Richt said. “ I think it’s a swing set injury.”
When asked to tell the story, he initially balked, then said, “I might as well,” in that I-know-it’s-going-to-get-out-anyway tone.
It was a Richt family picnic in Indiana. Richt said he was in his mid-20s. His wife, Katharyn, recalls it being in the early 1990s, which would put Richt in his early 30s.
We’ll side with Katharyn. She has no football or swing set injuries, therefore is less likely to have a concussion.
Richt was “trying to show off” for his wife.
“I was trying to show her what a good swinger I was,” he said. (For most people, that comment would have a completely different context.)
“I was swinging really high on a big heavy swing set with those big heavy chains. Sometimes if you go super high, on the way back you get a little bit of that lag. You’ve got those big S-hooks on top, and you’re swinging, and I swung enough to where the one on the left came out. So it comes out, but I didn’t know. I’m still on the swing. So when I come back down, the chain on [on the right] stayed taut and the other one just goes. I turned sideways and the first thing that hits the ground is my left hip. Just smashed it.
“It was traumatic. I mean, when I hit I was like, ‘I think I broke it.’ I couldn’t hardly breathe. Sometimes with an injury like that you get a full-body sweat and a little nauseous. But the pain kind of went away and I went about my business, until about a year and a half ago.”
When asked if the pain just suddenly came back, Richt paused before answering. (More humiliation coming.)
“P90x,” he finally said, referencing the DVD set of workouts. “I thought I just had a hip-flexor injury. But I said if I quit now I’m just going to get fat. So I just kept doing it.”
The pain grew. Richt couldn’t sleep at night. He finally went to a doctor and was presented with a surgical option: “They said to just go as long as you can stand it, and when you want you can get a new one.”
The story is still a source of humor in the Richt house. Katharyn Richt laughs every time she tells it.
“That was typical of him,” she said. “Mark always has to win at something. Even swinging became a championship pursuit.”
The Bulldogs have been on such a pursuit. Since starting last season 0-2, they are 18-1 in regular season games (13-1 in the SEC). They followed last season’s 10-game winning streak with an SEC title game loss to LSU. Should they beat Auburn as expected Saturday, they will be underdogs to Alabama in a few weeks in the Georgia Dome.
The regular season success has been helped in part by a schedule devoid of Alabama and LSU. But a team still has to win games, and Georgia has. Players still have to overcome adversity, and they have. A coach still has to be doing something right, and Richt has. And he has done so with a hip in need of replacing.
Those swing set injuries just don’t go away.
By Jeff Schultz
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194 comments Add your comment
RxDawg
November 7th, 2012
8:49 am
” can understand. When I was in my late 20’s and playing in a volleyball league l broke my foot. When people asked how I broke it I said, “going for a ball”. The truth was that I dropped one of those big Ivory Soap bars on it in the shower.”
LOL. I got a similar story. Except I didn’t break my foot. And instead of a bar of soap, it was a shampoo bottle. But that dang thing fell on my foot and split it wide open. I was amazed at how much blood there was and all I kept thinking was “this is going to be a funny story to tell…”
BMOC
November 7th, 2012
9:09 am
Anyone else notice that Schultz had to slip that ’suspension’ word in at the beginning of the article? Comparing coaching with an injury to playing with an injury, where does the suspension part come in to play??? Schultz… what a joke. I bet Richt rolls his eyes everytime he anticipates a question from this clown.
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
9:10 am
Not be allowed after January 20 ?
Why not just move to Colorado and learn how to get high all the time, and forget about everything ?
Waldy Butts
November 7th, 2012
9:20 am
If you were being paid what he is I think the pain would be tolerable.
Vince Love Joy
November 7th, 2012
9:29 am
To you Mr Cry Baby…Richt has living with this hip problem for years. You think he is a cry baby.?.Most of the people around him didn’t even know he had this problem.Just because you are probably a Tech fan . Don’t give you the right to call him a cry baby.If you were half the man he was u could see that he never thinks of himself in any situation.
So you go cry on somebody else ’s shoulder u has been.
WDE
November 7th, 2012
9:35 am
If we beat Auburn the trolls are going to start eating their own..just the idea that we are poised to REPEAT as SEC East Champs is already driving them round the bend…lets go Dogs !
If I Were Mark Richt, I’d Just Quit « The Grit Tree
November 7th, 2012
9:38 am
[...] mean come on! Then I see this article that the man is prolonging having hip surgery. If you really thought Mark Richt didn’t care about winning, would he be putting himself [...]
After further review...
November 7th, 2012
9:51 am
Thomas: you are really showing your ignorance. I admire your enthusiasm for your team, but you simply have no idea. Let’s put the cards on the table. Georgia’s schedule so far is against teams that are a combined 39-43 right now. Take out the loss to 7-2 Carolina (a 28 point thrashing, by the way), and the combined records of the teams they have beaten drops to 32-41. Not exactly world-class opposition. Five of the teams they have beaten currently have losing records, and two of them, Florida Atlantic and Buffalo, play for non-BCS automatic qualifying conferences, They have beaten one currently ranked team, primarily because they were handed six turnovers by that team. OF the three opponents left on the schedule, only one, Georgia Southern, has a winning record right now, and they play in the FCS, not the FBS,
You contend that ND has beaten nobody, but the combined records of the teams they have beaten is 48-34. Only two of those teams, Purdue and Pittsburgh, currently have a losing record. Two of the teams the beat, Oklahoma, and Stanford, are still ranked, Two of the three opponents they have left currently have winning records, and one of them is ranked in the top 25 and likely to stay there.
Look, 8-1 is a fine accomplishment, but bragging about other teams that were beaten by the one ranked team your team beat is really foolish, especially since one of the teams that ranked team beat cleaned your clock pretty thoroughly. And to have compiled that 8-1 against teams who are a collective 39-43, while saying that the 9-0 team just ahead of you in the standings that got there against competition that is a combined 48-34 hasn’t played anyone is really quite ridiculous.
Fair n Balanced
November 7th, 2012
9:52 am
Good article Jeff. But it wasn’t necessary to take a shot at the schedule.
My wife had hip replacement surgery in Athens. She endured the pain for a year before replacement. When you get to the point of needing that surgery……you are in a lot of pain. Our coach is in a lot of pain and I’m sure he has trouble sleeping. Glad he is going to get it fixed.
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
9:52 am
Well, Mark Richt says of course I want to win the national championship. He puts forth this today to tell us this. We ended up 2002 and 2007 where we are today. There are all kinds of scenarios for Mark Richt to take advantage of this 2012 opportunity with a better QB than Notre Dame has 2012 that’s for sure. And, 2012 we have a top 25 defense that just put it to Florida taking the ball away from them 8 times and coming up with 6 of the 8 take-aways. The offense put it in the end zone 2 times, once to begin the game and once to put the game away. Florida could not score a TD all day on our Defense. Kansas State is going to lose. Notre Dame, Kansas State nor Oregon have a win to match our win over # 6 Florida and we have a heck of an opportunity to draw even closer in our all-time record against Alabama, already as good a record against Alabama as any team ever.
This is the year because we beat Florida, or Florida would be playing for the national championship right now. They are not. We might be. Hang in there. If Kansas State loses, and they do. If we play Alabama as best as we can, Alabama has freshmen at their key positions on the field. We’re in very good shape already matching our Florida win judged far better than any team on the schedules of Notre Dame, Kansas State and Oregon. And, we get to play Alabama. I am thinking Texas A and M can beat Alabama. I don’t really think we will, but I like our chances. And, this is what we have all wanted, including Mark Richt.
GymJacket
November 7th, 2012
9:58 am
Coach, hope you can make it through the season. You are a good man for college football.
Blessings for a smooth recovery.
OrlandoDawg
November 7th, 2012
10:08 am
Good Luck CMR! Go Dawgs!
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
10:19 am
Thomas Brown
(aka Columbus) drop the national title talk it isnt going to happen
Dawglasville
November 7th, 2012
10:19 am
Wouldn’t it be great just to see him win it all once. I felt the same way about Dan Reeves and Jim Ferguson. Just to see a really good man win it all, to me, would be wonderful. I like Bill Curry a lot. I wouldn’t have been thrilled to have to listen to my Tech brothers, but I would have been happy for him if he had won it all. I can’t stand the Yankees, but it is nearly impossible not to love Jeter (especially after they added A-Rod, the anti-Jeter). Well, trolls, here is something to feast on. Go Dawgs.
Alphare
November 7th, 2012
10:24 am
“Since starting last season 0-2, they are 18-1 in regular season games”
That’s a nice way to swing it. Or you can say it nicely in another way: they started the season with 2 losses, and ended the season with another 2 losses.
SEC FAN
November 7th, 2012
10:28 am
@Vince Love Joy,
Your a joke! I’m not a Tech Fan but if I was i would probably mow his A$$ over for being on the sideline. You act like he’s the only person to ever have hip problems, get a life loser. He is NOT St Mark, he is coach richt at best and no he is not the only christian in athens – DUMBA$$!!
WDE
November 7th, 2012
10:29 am
@GymJacket classy comments thanks !
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
10:35 am
I am not Columbus. Aren’t you happy we beat Florida ? I am. Florida would love to be where we are. So would South Carolina. So would LSU.
WDE
November 7th, 2012
10:42 am
SEC FAN dude check your meds you need to calm down your going to blow a blood vessel even before UGA repeats as SEC East Champs, I mean we still have to beat Auburn and they are our oldest rivals so its anything but a lock …so deep breath and let it all out…there all better??
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
10:44 am
Yea Im happy we beat FL more than any person on this blog
But can we stop with the National Title garbage
Im mean when is that theme going to stop with this fanbase every year; every pre-season, every week;
We arent playing for the NC under this coaching staff much less win one
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
10:56 am
I hear you I-95. Now hear this. 2013 regular schedule plus LSU and have lost 15 seniors and 1 junior all who have started here off this 2012 team. Kansas State is going to lose. Ok, so are we to Alabama, but Alabama has freshmen all at key positions. Something sure looked to me like UGA can play with Alabama this season, looking at their Ole Miss game and their LSU game, for example. Neither of those teams has Aaron Murray, neither does Notre Dame. Oregon plays no one and neither does Notre Dame. I am sorry, but we CAN win the nc 2012 today. Sure have to beat Alabama. That’s why I and the rest of the DawgNation yanked on the team to go out there and beat Florida. So, you’re not happier than I about it, since I absolutely would accept nothing less. We gave the team and coaches hell to go beat Florida. Don’t tell me we cannot beat Alabama. And, don’t tell me if we do, that we don’t JUMP-UP 2012.
stomperoar
November 7th, 2012
11:01 am
I thought cmr could heal himself.
No, well he just needs to hang around his players more in the off season. You get free medical care in jail.
Dawglasville
November 7th, 2012
11:03 am
This national title thing is an odd deal. What would you do if we won a national title? Do the Bama fans or the Florida fans make it look so attractive? Do you want to get on the blogs and beat your chest and claim superiority because the18-23 year olds you cheer for are better than the 18-23 year olds they cheer for? Why the anger? You expect Richt to be the best in the country. If he is not, he has failed you some how. Are you the best in the nation, the state, your office at your job? Aren’t you getting paid good money? Should you get blown out of your position or have your faith called in to question? I really don’t know what goes through some of your heads. Hopefully, some of you will grow out of it one day.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
11:06 am
Yea Ive said we could beat AL with the talent we have but can the coaches and then can the coaches beat a decent team in the bowl game; I dont see that happening
They always have gotten up for a big game; win it then turn around and have game like WVU
I dont see three of the 4 unbeatens losing out; the only one I possibly see is ND losing to USC if USC decides to play ball but with 3 losses that is doubtful
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
11:10 am
You don’t need 3 of the 4 teams ahead of us to lose. What you need to do is to beat Alabama, which you say we could.
Robb Dawg4
November 7th, 2012
11:16 am
Richts wife said that he always wants to win. He doesn’t act like that on the sideline usually
WDE
November 7th, 2012
11:18 am
@stomperoar there are trolls and the there is you and you give trolls a bad name……dismissed.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
11:21 am
Thomas Brown
If 2 teams are still left unbeaten out of those 4 they will be playing for the national title and not UGA even if they win out and beat bama
I guess then the coaching staff will be wishing they took SC more seriously and did what Shawn Williams did and fired the team up to play
GABULLDAWG47
November 7th, 2012
11:22 am
Will keep CMR in my prayers. Go Dawgs!!!
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
11:25 am
That’s just not true I-95 and you know it. Say Notre Dame is undefeated and so is let’s say Oregon. Say Texas A and M does not beat Alabama so they are # 1 when we play them. Say Kansas State loses. That makes us # 4, and this year unlike last year, Alabama would drop to # 3 not # 2. Say 1 of the 2 unbeated is # 1 and Alabama drops to # 3 and we at # 4 beat # 1 and get BUMP-UP. All you have to do is go from # 4 to # 2.
Doable.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
11:30 am
Thomas Brown
Do you not watch ESPN or Fox Sports or any of the CFB radio on XM;
they have already talked about this scenario and they have all stated UGA would not even be considered 1. Because those other teams were undefeated 2. SEC fatigue. 3. UGA’s schedule was much easier and 4. The embarrassing beat down they recieved by SC
now Columbus; Sammy; etc or Thomas Brown imposter thats the reality of the situation
John boy
November 7th, 2012
11:33 am
Coach Richt, I feel your pain, seeing that I had my left hip replaced 3 years a go. I was in no pain when I came out of surgery and was feeling great in 3 months. Now when I am working out at the gym, I have to think which hip it was that I had replaced. Coach may the hip replacement be with you. Oh…Beat Auburn!
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
12:04 pm
Two 1-loss teams played each other last season, 2011.
TCU was undefeated the year before that, and did not play for it in 2010.
Boise State was undefeated in 2009 and did not play for it.
Utah was undefeated in 2008 and did not play for it.
LSU had 2 losses in 2007 and played for it.
Boise State was undefeated in 2006 and did not play for it, yet Florida had 1-Loss and played for it.
Auburn was undefeated in 2004 and did not play for it.
There is no rule that you have to be undefeated to play in the game. There is no gentleman’s agreement that you have to be undefeated to play in the game. It is not true that an undefeated team gets to play while a 1-Loss team must be out.
That is not how this works, and to blindly state that the 3 undefeated teams ahead of us have to have you say 3 lose. No, not 3. We really only need to BUMP-UP to # 2 from # 4 that week. Because Kansas State will have LOST, moving us up to # 4. Now you have to say that beating # 1 and # 2 as we would then have done will BUMP us up vs 2 undefeated teams whose best win is over already 3-Loss Southern California as their best win. By the way, that gives Southern California 5-Loss Season losing to Oregon 2 times and to Notre Dame once. And, that is the “BEST” win Oregon can muster and the “BEST” win Notre Dame can muster compared to AGAIN us beating # 1 Alabama and # 2 Florida.
Not only no way is your scenario the ONLY way it can work out, but HELL NO.
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
12:10 pm
Yeah, I watch ESPN. What does that mean ? If someone tells me to jump off a cliff, is that what you do ? Or, do you sit there and decide ? Nuremberg trials, we told all those men that THEY were responsible. And, by the way, you must not be listening to what the people on ESPN have been saying when they announce the games and what they say when they interview people at the games. Absolutely, no undefeated team has to play for the NC while The SEC has # 3 UGA in your scenario, # 4 Alabama, # 5 Florida, # 6 LSU and # 7 South Carolina.
OF ALL YEARS
__________________________________________________________
2012 IS NOT THE YEAR SEC GETS LOCKED OUT OF BCS NC GAME
__________________________________________________________
It’s not happening.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
12:11 pm
Columbus
ND K-State Oregon are considered better programs that play better competition than Boise St Utah and TCU
Thats why they didnt get a shot
Thomas Brown
November 7th, 2012
12:15 pm
No need call me Columbus. Columbus I ain’t. Notre Dame’s best win 2012 ? Name it ? Oregon’s best win 2012 ? Name it. Go ahead. It’s the same issue with all these UNDEFEATED TEAMS who did not play for the nc. They didn’t beat ANY top-ranked BCS Teams.
Last year a team who beat 3 teams who made the AP Poll Top 10 played a team who beat 2 teams who made the AP Poll Top 10.
Name me a team Oregon, Kansas State or Notre Dame has beat who makes the AP Poll Top 10 ?
Go ahead.
I’ll wait, while you SAY they played great teams.
Go ahead name them ?
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
12:17 pm
Columbus/Thomas Brown
Please be on this blog for an entire day so I can say I told you so; if UGA wins out and beats Bama and 2 of the 3 undefeated teams still remain undefeated and they get to play in the NC game and we once again get to watch
i cant wait to have fun if that scenario takes place which it wont cause whats going to probably happen is 2 of those 3 teams will lose allowing us to get to the championship game if we beat bama but unfortunately our ENERGY VAMPIRE coaching staff will get embarrassed on national tv yet again by a better coached team and not have the team motivated to play
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
12:20 pm
also
I dont need to name any teams;
what you dont realize is they play in a respected conference Boise St still doesnt Utah now does and so does TCU but at the time they did not when they were undefeated
keep living in delusion land
Obama #1
November 7th, 2012
12:29 pm
richt thinks he’s a tool when he is actually a bladeless knife with no handle.
auburn may not be MAN enough to beat the dawgs, but the dawgs are undiscplined enough to beat themselves!
waaaaaar eagle – 2010 national champions
Preston Thompson
November 7th, 2012
12:46 pm
A friend of mine had the hip replacement surgery. It was bad but my neighbor had knee replacement and that did seem to be so much worse. My buddy said the worse part was the muscles be torn away to get the joint in place. The rehab from that was the bad part. Richt has to be in much pain. My hat goes off to him to stick it out for the team.
Get after it Dawgs.
SSIgator
November 7th, 2012
12:48 pm
Thomas Brown -
November 7th, 2012 – 12:15 pm
No need call me Columbus. Columbus I ain’t.
_________________
Maybe not, but whoever you are, you are certainly not Thomas Brown
Real Dawgs Fan
November 7th, 2012
1:01 pm
Do you not watch ESPN or Fox Sports or any of the CFB radio on XM
————————————————————————————————————
Flat tire you just showed how dumb you are, How often is ESPN right about anything, they all said that we couldn’t beat FLA, Falcons weren’t going to make playoffs, plus a number of other way off base predictions. They get paid to run their mouths, and they change their minds every week.
I hate all the NC talk as well, but the scenerio is out there for the dawgs. DON’T B A HATER
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
1:08 pm
Real Dawgs Fan
I just showed how dumb I am
Really???
Well first I didnt just say ESPN was saying it dummy everyone is saying it
So you are delusional enough to believe a 1 loss UGA team who was embarrassed by SC will jump an undefeated ND K ST; and Oregon and cause 1 or 2 of those teams to be left out
wow
I guess its about time for your meds ;roll:
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
1:10 pm
dont be a hater???
How about dont drink delusion kool-aid
Rod and Todd Flanders
November 7th, 2012
1:12 pm
He seems as cool as our dad Ned!
Timmers
November 7th, 2012
1:32 pm
Auburn Tigers 24, Georgia Bulldwags 20
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
1:35 pm
Timmers
You must be in Colorado
DawgNole
November 7th, 2012
1:35 pm
Thomas Brown
November 6th, 2012
11:56 pm
I wanted this chance. I insisted on this chance. We needed this chance. We maybe deserved this chance. And, despite whole lot of people saying we have no hope, we beat Florida who beat Texas A and M, LSU and South Carolina.
Go Mark Richt.
_________________________
You’ve been as hard on Richt as anyone on these blogs, TB. The Dawgs’ victory over fla appears to have been a life-altering event for you–based on the abrupt reversal of your stance toward Richt in your posts. And that’s not a bad thing, because it certainly was disappointing to see a Dawg fan continually berate his team’s coach and QB.
Hopefully, UGA can thwart any temptation to become overconfident/complacent this weekend at desperate Auburn (where many a Dawg dream has died), and then take care of business with Ga Southern and Tech. Against Bama, who knows? We’ll be heavy “underdawgs,” and that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 7th, 2012
1:37 pm
DawgNole
Thats not the Thomas Brown you are thinking of
its Columbus aka Sammy aka Columbus
DawgNole
November 7th, 2012
1:39 pm
BobbyDawg
November 7th, 2012
5:19 am
The main cause of the pain is inflamation as I’m sure coach Richt knows. After all these years battling arthritis I’ve found Mobic to be by far the best anti-inflamnatory. If anybody can get this message to coach Richt he needs to get Mobic from his Dr. It really, really makes a big difference in the pain, GO DAWGS !
____________________
Mobic is effective–but costly (not that that would matter much to the coach). Its generic equivalent is Meloxicam; equally effective but at a fraction of the cost.