UGA’s turnaround year began with a nudge from AD McGarity
Greg McGarity: Sounding the right tone at the right time. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
A different athletic director might have done too much, or too little. Greg McGarity got it right. He met with Mark Richt at the beginning of the first workweek of 2011 and, rather than make demands, McGarity asked a question.
“It was not adversarial or confrontational,” said McGarity of the meeting. “It was heart-to-heart. I asked him, ‘What do you need to get the job done?’ ”
When McGarity gets around to writing his book on management, that deft twist surely will be Chapter 1 — how to make a salient point without pounding the table. By asking Richt what he required, McGarity assured his coach that he and his input were indeed valued, but sent the message that more was expected.
Sure enough, more has arrived. Richt has presided over 10 consecutive victories and an SEC East championship, and this Saturday his Bulldogs will play for their first SEC title since 2005. Credit the coaches and the players, and credit the AD as well. McGarity supported Richt publicly at a time when administrative waffling could have undermined the program, but in-house he delivered a push so gentle as to seem the merest nudge.
A Bulldog born and bred, McGarity apprenticed in Georgia’s athletic department under Dan Magill and Vince Dooley, but it was in his time away that he grasped the ways and means of a cutting-edge athletic department. “It really hit home at Florida,” said McGarity, who worked as Jeremy Foley’s Gator aide-de-camp for nearly two decades. “Jeremy’s attitude toward all his teams is that being mediocre is unacceptable.”
When McGarity was appointed Georgia’s AD in August 2010, some wondered how this famously nice guy would handle Richt, who’s himself a nice guy but whose record had begun to slip. On cue, Georgia went 6-7 in McGarity’s first season back in Athens, the final indignity being delivered on New Year’s Eve in a dreary Liberty Bowl loss to Central Florida.
Said McGarity: “That was not a very good day. That was not a very good night. I don’t think anybody around the program slept very well. But we used it as a positive. We said we weren’t ever going to go back to that. That wasn’t Georgia football.”
The Liberty Bowl was on a Saturday. By the time McGarity and Richt met, rumors were flying that the AD had seen enough and was prepared to fire his coach. Said McGarity: “That was not even on the radar. It would not have been fair. I’d just started the Monday of the first game of the season. It wouldn’t have been fair to him or the institution or the players.”
Over those four months on the job, McGarity said, he chose “to sit back and look and listen and learn. There would be a right time for a discussion with Mark, but it’s hard to do that during the season because you’re always focusing on the next game.”
When Georgia’s first losing season under Richt was done, McGarity shared his thoughts but let Richt talk, too. “Being accessible is so important, and it goes both ways,” McGarity said. “Me to him and him to me.”
McGarity’s key observation: Richt needed to free himself of all administrative work that could be delegated. “Mark has talked about ’studying the game,’ ” McGarity said. “I call it ‘coaching ball.’ I wanted him to get back to what made him successful, to being a creative offensive mind. And you see him back in the meeting rooms [where game plans are concocted].”
As part of his “studies,” Richt visited Falcons coach Mike Smith in Flowery Branch, and Smith suggested a book — “The Energy Bus,” by Jon Gordon. “On the bus” became Richt’s rallying cry for 2011, and two of those soon ushered off were Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, Georgia’s leading holdover rushers. Perhaps not coincidentally, a summer passed without a player arrest.
For all that, the season began with Georgia losing to Boise State and South Carolina. Here again McGarity served his coach well, offering support and counseling patience. But did he really foresee such a complete reversal after 0-2?
“I thought it was probably 50-50. It wasn’t to the point that people were jumping off the ship. Inside the building it was, ‘We can only control this week.’ ”
The AD’s verdict on this season: “What has happened since the first two games has been very satisfying. It’s what we all hoped would happen.”
Does “very satisfying” mean Greg McGarity is satisfied? Not quite. “I hope to have a Dream Team every year,” he said. “That’s what the best teams do. We’ve got to back that up with another great recruiting year.”
Another nudge, deftly delivered.
By Mark Bradley
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581 comments Add your comment
UGA Insider
December 1st, 2011
11:24 am
Everyone can thank myself starting now………….
CMR says competition of the Dream Team really was a great force to help motivate his UGA team. However people like me were used to motivate CMR with Chris Peterson breathing down his neck. Rumors that Peterson and McGarity were to have a secret meeting during the Boise week were everywhere in Athens. I was even told that Chris Peterson’s wife was checking into Athens Academy….. I said this all summer on this and other AJC blogs and I was scolded often and people said horrible things about me. I was only stating what everyone “in the know” was talking about. My point is that McGarity’s strategy worked!!! Competition is a great motivator… and I was used as a motivational tool if you will…..
I would appreciate everyone giving me my due and saying thank you and apologizing for anything that was said about me negatively.
FLA DAWG
December 1st, 2011
11:28 am
I am the first to state The Dawgs have played weak teams since SC (actually Garcia tried his best to give us that game too but we were too inept to take it) but also realize The Dawgs improved at seasonend (well, with the exception of the KY game which we tried hard to give to KY but they were too inept to take it).
It’s amazing that an entire season has been played and we still do not know if this is a Good Dawg Team!
In a couple of days we’ll find out for sure though.
The Dawgs are juiced and ready. There should be absolutely no excuse for poor execution or lack of intensity. If we get blown off the field and lose by more than 10 points then the 10 wins and The SEC East Champ Title mean nothing.
bubba4dawgs
December 1st, 2011
11:30 am
I have this feeling about the DAWGS in this game!! They are hungry for this game! I believe they will come to play and leave it all on the field. I recall in Athens a few years ago when the superior LSU team visited and UGA had the game in hand until the last play of the game when the LSU tailback slipped thru the left side of the line and took it to the house. Remember too, when South Caroline came to Athens this year and the DAWGS actually controlled the game and had them beat then Cordy Glen failed to even touch Javedon Clowney as he simply walked thru the line next to center and shook Murray like a rag doll, the ball came loose,was picked up a a walk to the end zone. That was the game and the difference in their ranking right now at #14. Otherwise, I bet they would be in the top 10.
As for Boise State, they simply weren’t ready to play them. Boise State was seasoned with a load of seniors and five year players. UGA was playing with a lot of freshmen but still made a fight out of it. They fought til the bitter end and that’s all you can ask. I honestly believe, the results with Boise State would be different today! Let’s hope that LSU will be in for a surprise! If they expect a pushover with the DAWGS, they may well be in for that surprise!! GO DAWGS!!!!
destin dawg
December 1st, 2011
11:32 am
Glad to see that the Athletic Director from the Aisle 10 Crew is finally getting this deal turned in the right direction. Greg did a great job for us back in the 80’s up in the North stands, we were devastated when he left us for Florida. We are happy he realized the error of his ways and is back home to lead our athletic teams with dignity and class. GO PUPS!!!
whatever
December 1st, 2011
11:58 am
No, MB – UGA’s “turnaround” began with their very soft schedule that they had after SC. Just look at the conference records of the feeble teams that they beat (and most of those wins were very unimpressive). That soft schedule gave UGA the time it needed to gel – like having 2 months of spring practice. That schedule has to be the softest schedule I’ve seen for a so-called “top 25″ team in my 50+ years of watching college football.
ARdawg
December 1st, 2011
12:01 pm
“No, MB – UGA’s “turnaround” began with their very soft schedule that they had after SC”
whatever
Wahhhhh wahhhh wahhhhh
Where is Tech playing this week?
okfornow
December 1st, 2011
12:10 pm
To bubba4dawgs – you state “UGA was playing with a lot of freshmen but still made a fight out of it.” – Well Whose fault is it that a supposed nationally ranked team – year in and year out – with the type of “talent” UGA recruits (year in and year out) has to resort to playing a lot of freshman?? Could it be the coaching?? A team that supposedly is in the top 10 of recruiting in every year (sometimes within the top 5) has to resort to playing “a lot of freshman” – is a pretty bad indicator of how bad the coaches (esp CMR) is at utilizing and developing talent.
As far as the comment about beating BSU now – well – UGA had their shot and blew it. It’s like saying that if LSU played Oregon today – Oregon would have likely won – Oregon was playing a very young team (and without top 2 running backs and star corner) and had 5 turnovers (2 from a true freshman). Still – Oregon out gained LSU (so called lofty defense) 338 to 273 in total yards. So – we could always play that “what-if” – which UGA is a master of.
whatsgoingon
December 1st, 2011
12:17 pm
I just read that Boykin’s academic major at UGA is Magazines – what the he!! type of major is that?? It’s like a third of UGA players are majoring in Housing – and we aren’t talking construction here – but how to manage public housing. WOW – with majors like these – it’s no wonder Tech can’t recruit the same talent (though I’m not a Tech fan – just saying…)
ckgator
December 1st, 2011
12:42 pm
McGarity is a great AD, but there is very little he can do “shift the winds” towards Georgia’s favor over their biggest rival.
Florida is again looking at a top 5 recruiting class, and adding. Georgia is not even in the top 25, per Scout.com: http://florida.scout.com/a.z?s=168&p=9&c=14&yr=2012
Mobile Dawg
December 1st, 2011
12:44 pm
bubba4, I’ve had that feeling before only to realize they and the coaching staff didn’t realize the difference between “hunger” and “preparation”. It was clear they weren’t prepared vs Boise and didn’t know how to react when punched.
I still don’t know if the Dawgs are ready for the big stage and all the attention that comes with it. It takes maturity to handle the challenge, maturity comes with experience. Don’t get me wrong, the Dawgs are where I thought they “could and should” be, but I had my doubts due to state of the program, and coaching questions.
McGarity has brought focus to where it needs to be, in an extraordinary way. We used to coin his management style as using “gentle positive pressure”. I don’t think we’ve arrived, but we’re on the way, hopefully.
Half Century Dawg
December 1st, 2011
12:50 pm
ckgator
December 1st, 2011
12:42 pm
way to early to be worried about recruiting rankings.I assure you, we will be near the top when all is said and done.
Gators Eat Boogers
December 1st, 2011
12:53 pm
ckgator,
This is December. We still have 2 more months so don’t start bowing your chest just yet. I know Muschamp and he is scared because he has NO qb or pro-style RB for next fall. Look for Driskell and perhaps the other kid to transfer soon. Also expect Brown to transfer as well. Those 2 little midgets you had last year as RB’s are running out of eligiblity. Please note I did not say graduate as Meyer’s recruits are mostly thugs and high school rejects. Isn’t one of those midgets the one who texted “time to die biaaacch”? I’m sure that looks good on a resume.
Muschamp is a UGA plant and UF will be down for atleast 3 years!! I love it too!! Have fun at the Weedeater Bowl this year!!!
K Conway
December 1st, 2011
12:54 pm
Herb and the lame coach both picked Tech to win last week on Game Day! Shows how little they know!
Ohio State Coach
December 1st, 2011
12:58 pm
How dumb can you be? Yeah..those Gators! Brought in a Dawg to coach the team! How’s that working for you?
Gators Eat Boogers
December 1st, 2011
12:59 pm
ckgator,
Didn’t you have the best 2 recruiting classes in the nation in 2009 and 2010. Boy has that worked out well for you. Recruiting rankings are meant to get people like you exited.
DawgfaninJackson
December 1st, 2011
1:05 pm
Are the rumors true that CMR showed interest in the Penn State HC job?
Gamecocks lost to Auburn...HAHAHAH
December 1st, 2011
1:10 pm
@Gamecocks win SEC! : Y’all lost to Auburn…enough said
DawgfaninJackson
December 1st, 2011
1:13 pm
Here are the names of the individuals that BWI has been told are at the top
of the list to be interviewed.
That list includes: Chris Peterson [Boise State], David Shaw [Stanford],
Tim Murphy [Harvard], Darren Perry, Gary Patterson [TCU], James Franklin
[Vanderbilt], Mike London [Virginia], Pat Fitzgerald [Northwestern] and
possibly Mark Richt [Georgia] and Dan Mullen [Mississippi State].
BWI has been told, Peterson, Shaw, Perry and Murphy have serious interest
in the job and appear to want to be interviewed. At this time it is not
known what Penn State’s interest level is for Richt, Patterson. Franklin,
London and Mullen.
BWI has been told Richt first got in contact with Penn State 10 days to two
weeks ago, but BWI does not know where those talks stand.
FRED
December 1st, 2011
1:20 pm
WE CAN NOT WIN THIS KIND OF A BIG GAME WITH CMR AT THE HELM.
OoltewahDawg
December 1st, 2011
1:26 pm
Gamecocks win you are forgetting that the record counts first. Only in a tie do they look at head-to head. The Dawgs are 7-1 in SEC match-ups. The Chickens are 6-2. UGA would beat SC quite handily in a rematch now.
UGA Insider
December 1st, 2011
1:27 pm
DagfaninJackson,
No there is no truth to that. The job is all Mullen’s. It’s not smart to follow a legend like Paterno and Richt can’t recruit Pennsylvania.
If you will read my earlier post CMR can play a similar role with McGarity to push for his extension. All Richt has to do is have is agent leak a rumor that he is interested in the Penn St job. That gets boosters fired up then pushes McGarity into extension talks with the agent. CTG has already used this approach 2 weeks ago. He wants an extension but said some NFL teams are interested. Let me ask you…who in the NFL is worried about hiring D Coordinators for next season? Nobody. It’s just a game. Everyone plays it……it’s actually a VERY dirty business.
OoltewahDawg
December 1st, 2011
1:27 pm
Insider, don’t give us that malarkey. Most of the stuff you have said turned out not to be true.
OoltewahDawg
December 1st, 2011
1:30 pm
Insider, I was referring to your post at the top of this page before I saw your last post.
UGA Insider
December 1st, 2011
1:35 pm
OooltewahDawg,
That’s not a very nice thank you for this seasons tun around.
whatever
December 1st, 2011
1:43 pm
To ARdawg – Your response that I must be a Tech fan is way off base – what makes you think I am a tech fan? You – like so many other UGA fans – must have a Napoleon Complex – when it comes to measuring your team – you always refer to tech. No – I am – and always have been – a ALABAMA fan – a team that if you played this year – would have left the game with your tails tucked. But – no – your soft schedule allows you to waltze into to the SEC Champ game – though you couldn’t even beat BSU (who TCU did what YOUR DAWGS COULD NOT DO) or even South Carolina.
CMS
December 1st, 2011
1:45 pm
Insider, what’s the deal with Isiah Crowel. Is he gonna play or what? Does his heart pump blood or coolade?
yo mama
December 1st, 2011
1:47 pm
for those who said the dawgs are playing soft schedules, look at the attempts to play outside the conference to gain points for bcs standings. home and a away with arizona state, when they were good(stafford played against them) then, home and away with OSU(okla st), now boise. i dont think that is an attempt to play softies. that takes balls. who is florida playing?
Bucknutz suk!
December 1st, 2011
2:17 pm
OSU new football philosophy…if you cant beat em…hire their coach instead!!
Time for many other teams to sit down and eat some humble pie for awhile! Thats what you get with your cocky attitudes.
And for my fellow dawg fans…either make a commitment to your team..or go shop elsewhere like meyer and saban does!!
Bulldog59
December 1st, 2011
3:17 pm
ckgator, 2 full months until NSD, pace yourself!
Since you like to talk about Florida in a Georgia article, here is what happened just this week. Not only did Florida’s recruiting coordinator (Pantoni) resign to rejoin Meyer at OSU, 2 more players are transferring. With 11 players gone since Will’s arrival, Florida is now down to 68 players left on scholarship, and 8 more seniors leave after the bowl game.
From cbssports.com
The latest bad news in Gainesville: two more Gators have elected to transfer out of the program, bringing the total number of departures since Muschamp’s hire last December to 11 and reducing the Gator roster for their upcoming bowl game to 68 players–17 fewer than the NCAA maximum of 85.
Here is the link so you can enjoy the entire article:
http://eye-on-college-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/33598371.
Bulldog59
December 1st, 2011
3:24 pm
As for the PSU job, this week I’m in the Philadelphia area. The local news channels this morning were reporting their sources claim that Mullen was the leading candidate for the job. That could have changed an hour later, who knows……..
Richard Johnston Jr
December 2nd, 2011
10:13 pm
Greg McGarity is, in a phrase, a complete class act. I have had the pleasure of knowing him as part of the Gator management team. I know he was a complete manager and leader [to call him simply a manager makes him sound like a caretaker - which he was not]. He was part of a team at UF that excelled year in and year out. The SEC demands the best of every single AD in the league. Greg brings to UGA talent, heart, mind and soul. Those are the ingredients for success. I am only sorry I did not get to say ‘Well done, good luck’ when he was tapped for the UGA job [I am in SW Florida and this happened out of the football season]. So instead I commend the Georgia leadership and faithful for bringing home an extremely talented and able leader. We will definitely miss him at Florida but I am gratified that he can ply his trade for the Bulldog Nation. Best of Luck against the Tigers. The are fierce this year.
rj