Mark Richt on UGA in 2010: ‘We want our fans to be proud’
The Georgia coach as a big-screen TV star: Mark Richt at the Galleria. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Should Georgia go 1-11 this fall, Mark Richt wouldn’t just be in trouble — he’d be gone. But that’s thing: Georgia isn’t going to go 1-11, and at this moment Richt is in fine fettle, job-wise and otherwise. And it is, truth to tell, harder to imagine the Bulldogs headed to Shreveport again anytime soon than it is to foresee them winning the SEC East.
And that’s all Richt needs to do to coach Georgia another 10 years: Win big again.
The notion was driven home at the annual convocation of the Bulldog Club of Greater Atlanta on Monday night. The masses didn’t brave a thunderstorm to file into the Cobb Galleria with teeth gritted. No citizen of Bulldog Nation wants Richt to fail. He is liked and respected by his constituency, same as it ever was.
The only problem Georgia fans have with Richt is that he hasn’t won a championship since 2005, and even that differentiates him from his predecessors. Folks liked Ray Goff — he was a Bulldog born and bred, you’ll recall — but grew skeptical of his coaching acumen. The same folks believed Jim Donnan knew his X’s and O’s but never quite warmed to him personally. And neither could deliver a title.
Richt has — two of them, in fact. There are no questions about his bona fides. There’s only the question that tracks every coach in every sport: What have you won for me lately?
No fool, Richt knows what has (and has not) happened. Of 2010, he said Monday: “It’s a big year.” Then this: “I do think it’s got the team excited and feeling like they have something to prove. We want to get back in consciousness of college football — with the voters. That’s a big thing with our sport designed as it is.”
That’s a major concession a coach whose program had become a Top 10 staple — whose 2008 team was ranked No. 1 in preseason — to make: That Georgia these past two seasons hasn’t been Georgia-good. The good news is that UGA under Richt hasn’t ever stayed down long. Coming off 8-4 in 2001, it went 13-1 and took the school’s first SEC title it n a quarter-century. Coming 8-4 in 2006, it went 10-2 and finished No. 2 in the land.
There is, lest we forget, a deep reservoir of pride that runs beneath the Red & Black. Even with all the headlines of summer — arrests and suspensions and a pending NCAA investigation and Damon Evans’ resignation –this isn’t a program that sees itself as a throw-rug. And the season that commences Sept. 4 offers the chance for a large measure of redemption.
Said Richt: “The players feel the buzz. The coaches do, too.”
Speaking of coaches: Richt did something remarkable last winter. He fired most of his defensive staff, including a coordinator who was among his best friends. Bulldog-watchers weren’t sure he would, but he did. This told us that, for all the perceptions of loyalty as a weakness, this coach is steely enough to put his program first. And that’s what you’d want in a coach, is it not?
There were no shock-the-world revelations dispensed Monday night: Richt lauded Todd Grantham, his new defensive coordinator; said Aaron Murray, the new quarterback, “has ‘it’ “, and offered a hearty endorsement of Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich. (Which shouldn’t be interpreted as coach lobbying to appear in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.) He even got a bit testy when someone mentioned Gator “dominance.”
Richt: “We need to get you in the locker room to fire the guys up.”
Richt wasn’t a Bulldog born, but from Day 1 in 2001 he has known what it means to coach these Bulldogs. He sees himself as the steward of a program that was beloved before he arrived and will be after he steps aside. He knows what Bulldogs want, and it’s more than just to win — it’s to feel good about winning.
“We want our fans to be proud,” Richt said. Then this: “We want to be proud.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
259 comments Add your comment
SickandTired
July 26th, 2010
9:50 pm
I’m so glad Coach Richt is a good man. It’s been 5 years since he won an SEC Championship. Jim Donnan coached Georgia for 5 years, didn’t win an SEC Title and he got fired? Why? Because he lost to Georgia Tech. Mark Richt has lost to Florida 7 times in 9 tries and one of them was against a Ron Zook team the week after he got fired. That’s not exactly a stellar record against the team you have to beat. Heck he lost to Florida both times he won the SEC. Mark Richt is a good man. That’s the best thing you can say about a man. The best thing you can say about a football coach is that he’s brilliant and wins big games. Sorry but you can’t say that about him. He’s a lightweight. A blind fool can win eight games a year at Georgia with all the advantages it has. Mark Richt averages around ten…he’s slightly better than average, but as long as Urban Meyer is at Florida, he will never be the best coach in the SEC East.
LSUser
July 26th, 2010
9:50 pm
Richt voted for Obama, I think.
Larry
July 26th, 2010
9:51 pm
http://ijustwanttofitin.com/category/sports/
started to get excited about this Murray kid
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
9:51 pm
Urban, glad to know you’re on the UGA blog. SO, heard you added ‘Kleenex’ Girl to your staff.
DAWG07
July 26th, 2010
9:52 pm
Great article
Blackberry Cobbler
July 26th, 2010
9:52 pm
To be completely accurate now, CMR didn’t do a damn thing that he wasn’t TOLD to do. He didn’t make the defensive changes, it was Adams and Evans and pressure from fans that finally forced the issue. A year or 2 too late, by the way.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
9:53 pm
LSUser , Anyone who voted for Obama isn’t capable of ‘thinking’.
TheAntiMe
July 26th, 2010
9:54 pm
Said Richt: “The players feel the buzz. The coaches do, too.”
Um, so did the former Athletic Director and we all no where that got him.
Time Out
July 26th, 2010
9:54 pm
I wonder if Bobo is going to call that screen pass?
frank james
July 26th, 2010
9:55 pm
Sick and Tired – why don’t you go to bed. Nobody gives a damn about what you have to say. Remember, you are sick and tired.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
9:56 pm
TheAntiMe, SO, Urban now in bed???
Glass Half Full
July 26th, 2010
9:56 pm
I think it’s a 10-2 season….. The 2 losses being South Carolina and of course Florida.. I won’t stop expecting a Florida loss until the dawgs can win back to back seasons. However we should just own that god awful Tennessee for the next 6 years.
TheAntiMe
July 26th, 2010
9:57 pm
*know where*
Looks like I’m feeling the buzz too. Alas, no red panties on the horizon for this evening.
Herschel Talker
July 26th, 2010
9:59 pm
SAMMY DAVIS JR:
I’m not a fan of programs where the inmates are running the asylum. How ’bout we clean up the jailbirds and scumbags? BTW, I applaud your trailblazing efforts as a black Jew. You and Rod Carew. Kudos to you.
HT
Pete
July 26th, 2010
10:02 pm
TampaGator,
You need to find a job, a girlfriend, the gator blog…something. Just find it.
Bride of Chucky Knapp
July 26th, 2010
10:02 pm
Nice article, Mark. I like your closing: “He knows what Bulldogs want, and it’s more than just to win — it’s to feel good about winning.”
That’s exactly how I feel about the Dogs. It’s okay to lose, as long as you get beat by the other team and not by yourself. Looking forward to the season!
SugarHillDawg
July 26th, 2010
10:04 pm
I just wish he would get a mean streak. He MUST have one to beat Meyer and Saban on a regular basis. I’m not saying he needs to develop a SMARTA$$ mouth like the Tub O’Goo at North Avenue, just when you got Tennesse down next year in the 4th quarter, score one more time and REALLY tee off Barbara Dooley. They would do the same to us!!!!
Bull
July 26th, 2010
10:06 pm
See Mark Bradley…I knew you could create a “down the middle” type of article with substance without scathing UGA
frank james
July 26th, 2010
10:08 pm
SugarHillDawg – Alot of truth to what you said. We don’t need to worry about pissing anybody off. Just like when the team went on the field. Whether he called it or not things like that are good. Who gives a darn about what Meyer thinks. Anybody that lets a kid claw eyes of another player and only suspend him a half. What a joke!
Ted Striker
July 26th, 2010
10:13 pm
Donnan deserved another year, Goff deserved one less year. On Richt, he runs a clean program, is a proven winner, and does his best to pull off the impossible — have a crystal ball in recruiting.
I’m in his corner no matter what happens this season. But if he has a bad season and something happens (doubtful), then I’ll attribute it to a cold hard fact about UGA fans: They’re some of the very worst in the conference. GIve me the average South Carolina fan over the average UGA fan any day.
That was even true in the Herschel Walker years. UGA fans weren’t even pleased then, even when UGA was winning SEC titles. They always found something to criticize. I know because I was in the stadium listening to them.
DOO DOO LEE
July 26th, 2010
10:26 pm
well how can it get any worse, just keep the players out of jail and find an AD who isn’t driving around with red panties between his lap..no lsu or bama, honestly if you lose games..you and your 5 stars are going to look like chumps
Nub
July 26th, 2010
10:27 pm
Class ….. Most of you lack it!!!!!!!! Because it’s hard and the road is long….. Look in the mirror when is the last time YOU finished anything much less a drill….. Bunch of boys!!!! Man up!!!! Support CMR or defect to meyer and saben ….. The choice is clear !!!
Vick=Dog killing Thug
July 26th, 2010
10:30 pm
All this talk is good but I hope it translates to the field. No more 41-10’s …. EVER
Cut penalties by 70%
Knock off the shuck and jive on the side lines. Starters when not playing should be with their unit and their coaches. Reserves should be standing with the helmets in hand cheering on their teammates.
Turnover and even loses are going to happen. Let’s make them happen less and not happen stupid.
I’m behind CMR and the dawgs 1000% but these things need to happen.
30-24
CEPH
July 26th, 2010
10:32 pm
Richt is beginning to sound like Donut Donnan. Donnan got pissed off when someone questioned his coaching, so he yelled at the guy, ” have you ever coached football at any level?” the fan said no but I did play football and I also contribute $25,000 dollars a year to this program so I think I have the right to ask you a question!!! This is the same when Richt bristled when someone asked him about the Gators and he said “we need you in the locker room to get them fired up” (WRONG AMONDO) Richt was hired to be in the locker room to get them fired up not some fan who is just asking a question. Someone needs to ask Richt about the Gators because he is clueless about them! He nuts up the minute he walks on the field with them, I quess he is questioning God why he can’t come down and help him out because he sure can’t do it on his own!!!!!!!
Nick
July 26th, 2010
10:33 pm
I think when you look back on Richt’s top three seasons, 2002, 2005 & 2007, what sticks out to me is the +14 to +19 scoring margin. Same with 1980, big + scoring margin.
The guys played with confidence.
The games have been too close the past two seasons, last season’s scoring margin was all the way down to +1, the margin for error has consequently shrunk, and things that Georgia used to get away with, start costing games. Confidence shrivels.
When you’re scoring margin is so low, a bad call, a few penalties, or a couple of turnovers can cost you several games. You can’t play with confidence.
Georgia needs to dominate teams, with a swagger, and realize that confidence and scoring margin, go hand in hand.
If the offense can average 35-40 points a game,
and the defense can hold to an average of 14-20 points a game,
gonna be a great year.
I want to see:
1) 1st quarter dominance- building confidence early
2) Dominating 1st 3 games by +20 scoring margin
3) Finish the season with a +20 scoring margin like Florida & Bama are doing–scoring margin = confidence.
dan
July 26th, 2010
10:33 pm
LSUer
A lot of people voted for Obama: 365 electoral votes to 173 to be exact. You can blame George W and 8 years of Republican incompetence for that one. They have no one to blame but themselves.
Gratefuldawghead
July 26th, 2010
10:36 pm
Agreed Nub…GO DAWGS!
TampaGator
July 26th, 2010
10:42 pm
northwinds….wow…don’t hide your racism even a little bit. Why don’t you through in a little homophobic to top of the hate cake?
Lookingforasportswriter
July 26th, 2010
10:46 pm
Sept 4th, please hurry up and get here so this sports page will end. The writers and bloggers are the worst. Nowhere else in the country does this exist. Let them play and go dogs.
GO DAWGS
July 26th, 2010
10:46 pm
Tampa get out of here all you do is instigate. But there must not be much to be happy about when your coach refers to himself in the 3rd person and your fan base wears jorts and k-swiss.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
10:47 pm
Herschel Talker, Not a fan eh? Then why are you on this blog? I know, I know, dumb question. SO, fine a program that has no arrests, no underage drinking & are all saints & join that fan base. Or move to Europe & watch Soccer.
The Red Panties are like St Christopher to me, can't travel safe without 'em
July 26th, 2010
10:47 pm
Please UGA keep Richt, I love to see him on the field because I know he gives your team the best chance to lose every game with his lack of coaching ability.
We Drink This State
July 26th, 2010
10:49 pm
Its been a proud summer to be a Dawg…….bottoms up!
TampaGator
July 26th, 2010
10:51 pm
Pete…
Thank you….but I’ve had a great job for a long time now…but soon I will retire with my wonderful wife to the good life at the beach home in Florida…and make your wish come true.
NoahArk
July 26th, 2010
10:51 pm
Careful, now, frank james. You know more trouble is comin’………..better not criticize the suspension policies of other ’schools’ until your own are clear. Urban’s stance on that clawing thing was a joke. And Dooley’s flirting with it at UT. But be ver-r-r-ry careful with the righteousness……or you may get stuck with it.
northwinds
July 26th, 2010
10:52 pm
@TampaGator who wrote: “northwinds….wow…don’t hide your racism even a little bit. Why don’t you through in a little homophobic to top of the hate cake?”
You are cracking me up dude…so I’m “racist” for wanting more “diversity” on the UGA team…..wow, that’s funny…I don’t care where you’re from. In your world you are not racist because you support a team that does not recruit white athletes to play defense…Like I said you are friggin’ funny.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
10:53 pm
Dan, Bush was a bad President. Obama is much worse. People were pissed –understood….but voting ’scared’ is not (obviously) the answer. That’s like firing Richt for losing to FL & hiring Damen Evans.
northwinds
July 26th, 2010
10:56 pm
@TampaGator: Have you ever read any of George Orwell’s books….it would really be good for you.
DooDawg
July 26th, 2010
10:57 pm
Noah – You don’t know nothing about righteousness. We are righteous. And we will beat the Gators and the Jackets and the Tide and the Buckeyes and then you’ll see who’s righteous. We could do this with our second string. So just shut up and watch it happen.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
10:58 pm
TampaGator , So, did you write letters to the editor when GA was handing it to FL in the 80’s? (and 70’s, 60’s, 50’s, 40’s, …you get the idea). Stab while you can….. Once Meyer quits (or did he retire??) again HOPEFULLY GA can turn the Tide (no pun intended). Hopefully you’re retirement will be miserable (no offence)……
TheAntiMe
July 26th, 2010
10:58 pm
You make a very good point, Nick, because margin of victory is what separates the 5-0 #1 ranked team from the 5-0 #12 ranked team in the polls.
As long as college football refuses to do what every other sport does and decide the champion via the playoffs, margin of victory is the yardstick that determines who plays for a national championship.
In most other sports it is looked upon as a non-classy behavior to run up the score but in college football it is a necessary evil, although there are limits, as in anything.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 26th, 2010
10:59 pm
Have at it…..I’m gone………
Georgia Pride
July 26th, 2010
11:00 pm
Proud of Jan Kemp’s exposing Dooley’s cheating , proud of Jim Harrick, and proud of Damon Evans. Yes, there is much to be proud of for UGA fans. They rightfully should be proud to be “The Cesspool of the South”!
TampaGator
July 26th, 2010
11:10 pm
northwinds….
I think your first post was deleted. Tell you anything?
DawginOH
July 26th, 2010
11:11 pm
Great post, Mark. And, Coach, I have every bit of confidence that we will be proud. Go Dawgs!
dan
July 26th, 2010
11:12 pm
SAMMY DAVIS, JR.
No Bush was a HORRIBLE President! Worst 2 term president we’ve ever had! No contest! Not saying Obama is great, but he’s not as bad as Bush was, at least not yet. Its just like in football: it all comes down to leadership. When UGA finished 8-5, everyone blamed Willie or Bobo, but at what point does it become Mark Richt’s fault too, you know? He’s the one that is putting these guys in these positions. When they underachieve, it doesn’t speak well of his evaluation of personnel.
I mean 365 to 173 is a butt whipping for the Republicans, just like how the Democrats used to get their brains beat out by the Republicans in the 80’s. When you lose an election that badly at what point do you say” ” You know what, we need to reevaluate what we are doing because it is clearly not working”. I’m so sick of the blame game from both sides. Except responsibility for your own actions, good or bad; and then learn from them.
dan
July 26th, 2010
11:15 pm
Whoops, meant to say “Accept” instead of “Except”. Hooked on Phonics clearly didn’t work for me! LOL.
Dawglasville
July 26th, 2010
11:16 pm
Most of us will be proud of Coach Richt no matter how the season turns out. All of this down time is making bloggers crazy. We only have one month to go.
Gratefuldawghead
July 26th, 2010
11:18 pm
Georgia pride.. Proud of Richt and his two SEC championships. Beating Tech 8 of 9 times. Proud of a FULL stadium every Saturday.Proud of being ranked in the top 10 in contributions. Proud of Kirk Herbstreet ranking GEORGIA as having the Hottest girls on campus! Proud we don’t have to OBSESS over other teams and Thier blogs!
HOW BOUT THEM DAWGS!
Ugakev
July 26th, 2010
11:19 pm
Have all the confidence in the world in coach Richt and for the fans that continue to ridicule him i dont to hear a word or see you in here when things turn back around. Defense wins championship!!! Charlie strong got meyer championships and Saban Lets face it knows his Crap on defense. Texas has MuschamP . Georgia has a really good one i believe now too