Mark Richt celebrates 50th birthday today
Happy birthday, Mark Richt.
Georgia’s football coach, born Feb. 18, 1960, in Omaha, Neb., turns 50 today.
Well, that decade flew by. Richt was 40 when named Georgia’s coach on Dec. 26, 2000.
Mark Richt (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Remember the other candidates interviewed for the job? Then-NFL assistants Chan Gailey and Ray Sherman and then-Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower. If my math is correct, Gailey has had four jobs while Richt has been at Georgia.
This will be a year of milestones of sorts for Richt. The 2010 season will be his 10th as the Bulldogs’ coach. He already is the dean of SEC coaches in terms of longest tenure at his current school. Check out this AJC photo gallery of Richt through the years.
My friend Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald celebrates Richt’s 50th birthday with a blog post this morning that offers 50 Richt facts picked up from covering him over the past seven seasons. Some of my favorites from Marc’s list:
4. The guy is meticulous. He will spot a piece of trash on the floor on his way out of a room and throw it away.
5. True story. Once a few years back, he noticed and pointed out that I missed a belt loop on a pair of pants. Much appreciated.
6. Sarah Palin has nothing on Richt, who is a walking post it-note. He regularly writes his own notes on his hand as a reminder.
14. Among his odd jobs before he got into coaching: bartender and selling insurance.
44. He needs 111 more wins to tie Vince Dooley’s 201 career victories.
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On a different note, click here to read about a recent Richt hire, Scott Lakatos, being ranked as the nation’s best defensive backs coach hired in this off-season.
Please follow me on Twitter for the latest UGA news and notes.
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245 comments Add your comment
Ga running backs
February 18th, 2010
3:56 pm
Biggest fear in the SEC is that these 3 new defensive coach’s improve our defense enough to put us back to being capable of winning every time we take the field, which has not been the case the last two years. I like the plan to attack rather than react. GATA
JB
February 18th, 2010
3:57 pm
Enter your comments here
JB
February 18th, 2010
3:57 pm
AMEN running backs
JB
February 18th, 2010
3:58 pm
Gator Nation…..you are correct.
Mark Richt
February 18th, 2010
4:07 pm
Thanks for all the Birthday wishes! Before all you fair weather fans and Classy Gator fans start ripping me a new one for not winning a National Championship in my first 9 years I have some interesting stats. Here is a list of some of the top coaches in all time wins and how many years it took them to win a National Championship at their school. Now there are a few coaches that have won a NC in 2 years or so of coaching at their school but that is not the norm. Here is the list….
Joe Paterno – Won National Championship in his 16th year at PSU
Bobby Bowden – Won National Championship in his 17th year at FSU
Tom Osborne – Won National Championship in his 21st year at Nebraska
Lavell Edwards – Won National Championship in his 12th year at BYU
Amos Alonzo Stagg- Won National Championship in his 13th year at Chicago
Frank Beamer – Going into his 24th season and hasn’t won a NC
Vince Dooley – Won National Championship in his 16th year at UGA
I don’t believe anybody can say that these guys aren’t good coaches because it took them on average 16 seasons before winning a National Championship. Now I know that I am heading into my 10th season at UGA and I have done some great things. But I know Bulldog Nation is waiting for that NC and I promise that I will get you guys one.
Go Dawgs!
Cobb Dawg
February 18th, 2010
4:10 pm
@ johnny ( 12:55 post ) Gee thanks for the short story about you and your family. Will there be a sequel about your family’s vacation last year. Or maybe about how Aunt Lucy waited on CMR over at the Varsity one time? I wasted 30 seconds of my life reading your dribble and I will never be able to get that time back.
The (half) Truth
February 18th, 2010
4:12 pm
Nice to see that my lessons on “Class” are in full exhibit here on the UGA blog. I have sold my soul for BCS aspirations and probably my health as well (you guess if that hospital visit was staged or not). Well, got ot go. Got lots of homework to do for my next angle on how to deceive 16-18 year old HS recruits. Happy B’day Richt I’ll administer your B’day spanking in Nov.
Sorry Guy!
February 18th, 2010
4:13 pm
Gator Nation – “because “spray on tan” and “too nice of a guy” sounds like a compliment compared to what you guys say about OUR coach!
That is because there is nothing worse you can say about CMR!
If you said the things that we say about CUM about CMR they would be lies. Spray on tan and too nice of a guy are true statements about CMR. Just like “Urban Crier” and “Urban Liar” or “scumbag” or “jerk” are true statements about CUM!
Sorry Guy!
February 18th, 2010
4:17 pm
The (half) Truth – You want to spank CMR? That is gross!
Coach Richt
February 18th, 2010
4:18 pm
Has Florida really beaten us 17 of the last 20 years? I think it’s more like 12 or 13 out of 20.
Cobb Dawg
February 18th, 2010
4:20 pm
The good news is my life sucks so wasting 30 seconds of it isn’t that big of a deal.
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:21 pm
Marcus Thomas and Jarvis Moss failing multiple drug tests and missing Coastal Carolina and Sisters of the Poor games to suspension washes with a National Championship. Jamar Hornsby using a dead girl’s credit card is washed again with another National Championship. Win at all costs, it’s not Coach Meyers fault that Ron Zook recruited all these thugs. While Georgia players are being arrested at the same rate as Florida, Florida wins Championships and Georgia wins what? God Bless.
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:24 pm
Cobb Dawg. I just wasted 30 seconds to tell you it’s spelled D-R-I-V-E-L not dribble. God Bless.
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:25 pm
But I will say that Georgia’s arrest are minor. i.e. Drunk in Public, Driving with a suspended license, DUI, etc. I think UGA needs to get some hardcore thugs like UF has if they want to win Championships. Guys who do drugs, shoot guns, steal laptops and dead girls credit cards, etc.
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:27 pm
Multiplicity much?
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:29 pm
God Bless
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:30 pm
Am I talking to myself? God Bless.
CLEVON LITTLE
February 18th, 2010
4:31 pm
Happy Birthday Coach!!
Gator Nation
February 18th, 2010
4:31 pm
To “Sorry Guy”…and yes, you are, apparently. Well, at least we know which “typical fan” is classless. You have pretty well made my point. Just because YOU or some of your delusional fan base BELIEVES something about someone doesn’t make it so. Just like many of you believed (and sweared that) Meyer was going to Notre Dame. And I have even heard (read) some “Dawg” fans themselves accuse Richt of being too nice and too soft and my God, even too religious(!). Don’t believe me? Just go back to some of these very comments on AJC after the Tennessee game last year when Richt was getting BLASTED by his own fan base.
ga gator
February 18th, 2010
4:31 pm
My you boys are uptight today; Happy B-day Coach.
Sorry Guy!
February 18th, 2010
4:35 pm
Gator Nation – Thanks! You have truly changed my perspective and pretty much my entire outlook on CUM and life itself. Your job is done now you can leave the blog!
Typical Gator Fan
February 18th, 2010
4:36 pm
Yes! God Bless.
Gator Nation
February 18th, 2010
4:44 pm
Sorry Guy…. You seem to be very happy with your situation and your coach. Good for you! As long as you’re happy, that’s a good thing! Tell you what, you keep yours and we’ll keep ours. Then we’ll ALL be happy!
12345
February 18th, 2010
4:45 pm
Who cares about this nobody, it’s like wishing some bird in Colorado Happy Birthday,
Who gives a Total $HIT !!
Sorry Guy!
February 18th, 2010
4:53 pm
Gator Nation – All that sounds great but your coach is slowly dying, so I don’t think that is going to work!
678910
February 18th, 2010
4:54 pm
I care! Happy Birthday Coach Richt!
ga gator
February 18th, 2010
4:58 pm
There’s no real reason to kick a dawg when he’s down. Turning 50 should be enough without everyone adding he’s a mediocre coach. That’s just piling on.
dawgfan
February 18th, 2010
5:02 pm
Happy B-Day coach Richt. Haters have been trying to dig up some dirt on you for years. “Can this guy really be THAT better than me?” they ask themselves. Oh yes haters, he can. The outcry over the 2007 Florida incident was simply hilarious. You would have thought he ordered his entire team to attack Florida with chainsaws. To this day desperate haters are still trying to milk what they can out of that one. Outside of the now tired spray tan jokes, its really all they’ve got.
Mark Richt is better than you.
col fot
February 18th, 2010
5:08 pm
Happy Birthday coach Richt, your a class act, thanks for coming to Georgia.
termigator
February 18th, 2010
5:09 pm
dawgfan, better than what? Going to church, maybe but who knows. Better than the Gators? I wouldn’t say going 2-7 is better.
termigator
February 18th, 2010
5:10 pm
Oh, Happy B-day coach, we hope you staty around at least 10 more years.
ga gator
February 18th, 2010
5:10 pm
How’s it going other ga gator?
Va Dawg
February 18th, 2010
5:15 pm
Happy birthday CMR! Man what a wonderful present an SEC Championship would be from the boy’s!
HotDawgette
February 18th, 2010
5:19 pm
Happy Birthday Coach! A class act all the way around and he’s very nice to look at!
dawgfan
February 18th, 2010
5:41 pm
I thought I made myself fairly clear termigator. He is better than YOU. How many orphans from 3rd world countries have you adopted lately? That’s what I thought. Thanks for playing.
Mark Richt is better than you.
Brent Forshee
February 18th, 2010
5:53 pm
Happy Birthday sir! I hope you have a great one. Brent Forshee- I think a good late birthday present this year would be for the Dawgs to win you, me, and the rest of the Bulldog Nation a Sec Championship in 2010.
termigator
February 18th, 2010
5:54 pm
dawgfan then I guess he is clearly better than you too since you don’t know me. If adopting children is your qualifier for a successful person, then hire Angelina Jolie as your HC.
ga gator
February 18th, 2010
5:56 pm
dawgfan, I think if you asked CMR about the endzone celebration; it wouldnt be as funny now. I think UGA has paid for it with bad officiating.
BuLLdawg
February 18th, 2010
5:59 pm
Coach Richt is not burned out yet.
He has gray hair.
But, his heart is fine.
He doesn’t cry when he loses.
He doesn’t run the score up on anyone. No one. Ever.
He knees the ball EVERY time when he is ahead and gets the ball back.
He does NOT call time out when he is AHEAD.
He doesn’t beat Florida.
I would say he pretty much beats everyone else.
He is a good guy.
He is the best Coach UGA Bulldogs have had in my lifetime, and I am slightly more experienced in LIFE, than he.
He is a better football coach than I am; he is not a better baseball coach than I.
The kids like him. I think the Offense, which is his CALLING in life, has been needing a lot of work for the whole time he has changed his CALLING in life from Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks’ Coach to CEO.
I am confident that his Special Teams feature the 2 best kickers in America, ever, on any team, ever.
I am confident that his Defense will be the Best Defense in The SEC this season.
That is saying something.
I think he has his kids under wraps about them NOT being Arrested/Suspended, as we saw that last year. We also saw him try to do something about the Penalties. He struggles with that. He actually likes Penalties, and probably is the only coach ever to order up 1 penalty please.
Stick that where the sun doesn’t shine, Florida.
He does NOT want to play the game in Jacksonville. You can sit there and say you LOVE Coach Richt and agree and believe in him TOTALLY all you want, but you have more excuses than a PREGNANT NUN that you want to go get DRUNK in Jacksonville and don’t care what Coach Richt says is best for his MEN in not playing the game EVERY year in Jacksonville while you TRY TO IGNORE than he is adamantly against playing the game in Jacksonville.
You are idiots to keep the game there.
Ask Coach Richt.
Coach Richt has NOTHING WRONG with his brain, either.
His coaching staff is the crappiest ever assembled in the history of CEO for head football coaches, of All-Time; but he absolutely has the right answer on Defense for as long as he can keep Todd Grantham.
His offensive coaching staff sucks the big one, the little one and all the hairs as they have been totally put in positions of coaching that which they NEVER PLAYED THEMSELVES, EVER, ANYWHERE.
And, the recruits on Offense in this state have run out on Coach Richt being now CEO and not QB coach and not Offensive Coordinator, and in fact the kids in this state and the fans boo Mike Bobo’s play calls.
He has to fix that.
Then, when he does, whether he wins a NC with UGA or not, everything will be fine. But, this blind loyalty that remains for the intact offensive coaching staff, also now MUST END.
Gator Nation
February 18th, 2010
6:04 pm
Sorry Guy, per your last post, I hate to tell you this but we are ALL slowly dying. But I know what you’re getting at and that you are trying to make light of Coach Meyers’ health situation…which is classless in itself and once again illustrates my point in regards to you and many in your fanbase.
Karl
February 18th, 2010
6:05 pm
a slow day at the ajc/atl
FL Dawg
February 18th, 2010
6:06 pm
Coach Richt, Glad you are a dawg. Happy Birthday and good luck on 51.
skyhigh
February 18th, 2010
6:15 pm
We have the best coaching staff in the country!!
We have more talent than anyone in the country!!
We have the best young quarterback in the country!!
We will have the best defense in both yards and in scoring in the country!!
Mark it down!!! 2010 is the year of the Dawg!!
WWOOOO!!!! HHHOOOOO!!!
Gator Nation
February 18th, 2010
6:18 pm
skyhigh, don’t bogart the kool-aid!
tree
February 18th, 2010
6:24 pm
CMR’S offense is like his spray on tan, very obvious.
BuLLdawg
February 18th, 2010
6:26 pm
Gator Nation
February 18th, 2010
6:04 pm
Sorry Guy, per your last post, I hate to tell you this but we are ALL slowly dying. But I know what you’re getting at and that you are trying to make light of Coach Meyers’ health situation…which is classless in itself and once again illustrates my point in regards to you and many in your fanbase.
Gator NATION, sir :
I am NOT on your WebPages. I am on MINE.
Urban Meyer is a crybaby.
He told his OWN KIDS that he was looking forward to being with them.
He LOST his offensive coordinator and his defensive coordinator.
They are GONE.
I don’t mind watching a NASCAR race and seeing the guy CRY when he WINS.
Urban Meyer teaches your children down there to CRY WHEN THEY LOSE.
He is the head coach.
He has a congenital heart valve muscle defect which millions of Americans suffer from. Coach Urban Meyer has brought 2 more National Championships to Florida added to the Bob Stoops / Steve Spurrier NC of 1996, 3 in a decade in a half. Coach Crier has had the additional issue of mental fatigue, mental breakdown, mental disorder, mental pressure to only win NC. He has a very good football team. He additionally signed the best recruiting class in the nation again. His team is great this coming season.
But, he not I, said to HIS KIDS not me to mine, that HE not I was stepping down.
That he could NOT HANDLE the pressure any more.
That he is going off in the sunset.
You make whatever you want of what I wrote, but what I write, whether liked or disliked, is the truth.
Urban Meyer for his own health CANNOT COACH FLORIDA.
So, get used to it.
You can find another better coach than Coach Richt to beat Coach Richt with. Don’t worry.
But, don’t give me this crap that I cannot talk about Urban Crier.
I damn sure can son.
Stick around.
I’ll give you a damn ear full.
Coach Richt will be here a LOT longer than Urban Crier is at Florida.
Cindy Hendrix
February 18th, 2010
6:27 pm
Happy B-day coach Richt & thanks for all your hard work great hire with Grantham can;t wait to see our new defense this fall hope you continue to stay & be our coach we are lucky & glad to have you at UGA!! GO DAWGS!!! Cindy
BuLLdawg
February 18th, 2010
6:40 pm
Gator NATION, sir, and I QUOTE you sir :
“you are trying to make light of Coach Meyers’ health situation…which is classless in itself and once again illustrates my point in regards to you and many in your fanbase”
END QUOTE
If, as you say, you are a Florida Crocodiles’ fan, do you NOT KNOW that your soon to be gone head football coach’s name who has won 2 National Championhips is
NOT
Urban
“Meyers”
but Meyer.
There is NO S in his entire name. D.A.
Don’t give ME this crap you are a Urban Meyer fanatic.
You don’t even know his DAMN NAME
Tailback U
February 18th, 2010
6:47 pm
Happy 50th coach! It is not reflected on enough the fact that
you genuinely care about your players. Many coaches make the claim
and it may or may not be up for debate with the fan base and players.
But no sincere fan would accuse you of not truly caring about the
those guys and I think that in itsslf speaks volumes about you as
a man as well as a coach. We are indeed fortunate to have you as
the HC in Athens.
Louie Jr.
February 18th, 2010
6:57 pm
Louie- What are your thoughts on all of thse Gator fans on here daily? Tech guys like you, I can see, but thesw Gators always trolling?