UGA selects new athletic director
(Other UGA news: Branden Smith cleared to play.)
ATHENS — Greg McGarity, the University of Florida’s No. 2 athletic official, will be named the new athletic director at the University of Georgia, a person who spoke directly with McGarity told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday night.
The person, who asked not to be named because an announcement hasn’t been made, said McGarity told him he will travel to Athens for a news conference on Friday afternoon.
(UPDATE, 8:20 A.M. FRIDAY: Georgia announced this morning that UGA President Michael Adams will hold a news conference on the AD matter at 4 p.m. at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. In addition, the UGA Athletic Board, which would approve the hire and contract of a new AD, called a special meeting for 3 p.m., also at the Georgia Center.)
McGarity didn’t return repeated phone calls from the AJC on Thursday. UGA officials had no comment.
Georgia has been searching for an athletic director since Damon Evans resigned in the aftermath of a June 30 DUI arrest in Atlanta.
McGarity, an Athens native and a 1976 graduate of UGA, began his career in the Georgia athletics department, serving in a variety of roles –- administrative assistant, women’s tennis coach, assistant sports information director and assistant athletic director -– before leaving for Florida in 1992.
At Florida, McGarity’s current title is executive senior associate athletic director, meaning that he is the right-hand man to highly regarded athletic director Jeremy Foley.
McGarity applied for the Georgia job in a July 16 letter to UGA’s associate vice president for human resources.
“I have been very fortunate to work alongside the very best in collegiate athletics at two outstanding institutions, the University of Georgia and the University of Florida, over the last three decades,” McGarity wrote. “I know what it takes to lead and direct an athletic program at the highest level, and am ready to lead the University of Georgia Athletic Association into the future.”
Rumors swirled around Georgia’s athletic department on Thursday about an impending hire, but there was no official word.
Associate athletic director for communications Claude Felton said he had not been informed of an impending announcement. Football coach Mark Richt said he had not been informed who his new boss will be.
“I’ve been hearing rumors, like everybody else, but I’ve not been told,” Richt said as he left the third floor of the Butts-Mehre athletics building Thursday night. “I’ve just been coaching ball, really.”
Richt said interim athletic director Frank Crumley told him Thursday that “there would be an announcement soon, but he didn’t tell me who.”
Crumley did not return calls from the AJC.
Georgia’s search committee and UGA President Michael Adams are believed to have considered a number of candidates, including Crumley, businessman Mark Lewis and others.
Lewis, a former Georgia football player who is now president of JetSet Sports, a leading provider of Olympic hospitality packages, told the AJC Thursday that he’d heard a decision had been made on a hire and would be announced Friday. Lewis said he didn’t know who the hire would be. He said he did not interview for the position.
Forty-nine people applied for the position, according to documents obtained by the AJC in response to an open-records request last week. A 50th, sports-marketing executive and former Georgia football player Chris Welton, confirmed earlier this week that he had added his name to the list.
McGarity got some high-profile support for the job, including a letter to “enthusiastically recommend” him from U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga.
“He is ready to get back to his hometown and to serve his alma mater in this distinguished position,” Kingston wrote to Adams. “I hope you will give him the fullest consideration possible.”
McGarity also interviewed for the Georgia AD job before Evans was hired in 2003.
McGarity lettered on Georgia’s tennis team in 1973 and first worked for the UGA athletics department as a student assistant while earning a degree in journalism.
(Staff writer Chip Towers contributed to this article.)
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247 comments Add your comment
light
August 12th, 2010
11:53 pm
Let God will be done thru this blog http://lightoftheearth.blogspot.com/
GoDawgs24
August 12th, 2010
11:57 pm
Grateful – I am going to support Greg bc he is the UGA AD. However I am just a touch disappointed that we did not go after the best. I hope he does well and I will pulling for him. GO DAWGS!
Gratefuldawghead
August 13th, 2010
12:00 am
Agreed GoDawgs42! Good Night and GO DAWGS!
Gratefuldawghead
August 13th, 2010
12:00 am
24 not 42..my bad GoDAWGS24!
SatillaDawg
August 13th, 2010
12:27 am
Welcome home, Greg!
Give that Dawg a bone!
2010’s shaping up to be fine year!
Go Dawgs! How ‘Bout Them Dawgs!
Tide Roll
August 13th, 2010
12:47 am
This new guy knows better than to ride around drunk with red panties between his legs, right?
Paddy
August 13th, 2010
2:51 am
Does anyone know if Damon has found work yet?
Paddy
August 13th, 2010
2:53 am
Oscar, I thought your kind died off in the ’50’s? Guess there is always one closet racist.
Robert W. Patrick
August 13th, 2010
5:57 am
Congratulations, Dr. Adams. Great choice.
Ansilex52
August 13th, 2010
6:00 am
Oscar-
I am up you idiot. As a matter of fact, I am getting ready to go to work to make sure the 63 men that work for me are making money to support their families. Many of whom are Techies. Oh I know that it probably gets you all upset that a “Tech” Man has to work for a “UGA” man. Guess what…When you grow up and get a life that stuff doesn’t mean a whole lot to you.
barneyb
August 13th, 2010
6:25 am
What a great choice! Congrats, Greg!!!
Just be careful- you are stepping into a snakepit of biblical proportions-
GoDOGS1
August 13th, 2010
6:41 am
Seemd like a good guy, but it still makes me nervous whenever POS M. Adams is involved in ANY UGA decision. Fingers crossed!
» SEC: Greg McGarity to be new AD at Georgia John Clay’s Sidelines
August 13th, 2010
7:17 am
[...] More on the McGarity hiring from Tim Tucker of the AJC. [...]
bob
August 13th, 2010
7:30 am
I hope he steals that Jacksonville voodoo doll when he leaves.
Red Panties
August 13th, 2010
7:33 am
Well, it’s bad enough for the Gators to stomp us in Jacksonville annually, now they
are sending a Gator to fire Mark Richt.
FBI
August 13th, 2010
7:37 am
Can we say Damon screwed himself out of a great job?
UGA finds new A.D. : ChuckOliver.Net
August 13th, 2010
7:40 am
[...] http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2010/08/12/mcgarity-expected-to-be-named-georgia-ad-on-friday/ [...]
Dawg Man
August 13th, 2010
7:46 am
An obvious choice and good one. We don’t have to worry about infidelity or red panties here. The man is straight as a gun barrel. There will be no ethical problems with this AD.
Red Panties Rick
August 13th, 2010
7:48 am
If Damon had only optioned off instead of deciding on the keeper….
Gatorbait 17-3
August 13th, 2010
8:00 am
Congratulations to UGA, you are getting an outstanding AD. Best wishes to Greg.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2010
8:00 am
24, what makes you decide that he cannot raise money. That he has tried and failed, or that you just have no knowledge of him doing that? I have no idea if he can, I’m just wondering why you are certain he cannot? And who would have been a better choice in your opinion and why?
guy
August 13th, 2010
8:14 am
Good choice! Just keep the blue and orange panties in Gainesville,Fl.!
Seriously,this man will be a class act and we all welcome him home.I’m sure he’s proud too.
EmoryDawg
August 13th, 2010
8:15 am
If it is true, McGarity’s selection is disappointing. While he is a fine person and has excellent experience at UF, he is limited. He is also too tied in with the UGA-UF Jacksonville game. It’s been fun but it’s old hat now. I would like to see it switch either to campus sites or one year in ATL and one year in JAX. That game has very little to do with recruiting in this day. It is always a home game for UF. A different AD selection would have better understanding and UGA deserves a candidate with national portfolio. If it is McGarity, I’ll enthusiastically support him and always UGA.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2010
8:16 am
Damon Evans certainly was not responsible for raising money in his official capacity, before he as hired as AD. He was more of a compliance officer. In fact I would say that he would not have been the obvious candidate if extracting money from fat cat white guys was the main criteria. And yet, a bumper crop of cabbage, more than ever.
I Could Have Put Some Lame Name Here
August 13th, 2010
8:18 am
I Have asked the question a million times on here with no response: If McG is SOOOOO Great why is it that NO-ONE else was willing to give him a chance at an AD position in the last 20 years. Not even a small d1 or d2 skill.
Was he turning them down waiting on UGA or was he never offered, but I would have to think that somewhere some how he shoul have been offered if he is the best thing since sliced bread.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2010
8:19 am
Good point, he would (assumed) be a fan of the J-ville game. Hadn’t really thought about it. For that alone he gets my seal of approval.
CLEVON LITTLE
August 13th, 2010
8:24 am
Considering UGA kicked FLA’s a$$ reguarly until McGarity arrived in 1992, I hope he brings that luck back to Athens in 2010!!! GOOOOOOOO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
CLEVON LITTLE
August 13th, 2010
8:31 am
EmoryDawg , While I’d like a home & home series every now & then, the truth is contracts are hard to negotiate when you need to skip a year every third game. Hopefully, if McGarity thinks that the Jacksonville site is a major disadvantage to the DAWGS it would be in his best interest to move it. However, it didn’t bother UGA for many years as we used to pounce on FLA regularly. Bottom line, you can’t make everyone happy.
SOS Dawg
August 13th, 2010
8:36 am
Hope McGarity first order of business is to nix the new pregame rap crap video. I pay to watch a football game not a rap concert with some vulgar overtones.
Tech Sucks
August 13th, 2010
8:41 am
What a great hire. DAWGS.
FRED
August 13th, 2010
8:52 am
IF WE CAN ASSUME THAT COMING FROM A WINNING PROGRAM HE WANTS THE SAME FOR UGA THAN SO LONG COACH MR.
Paddy
August 13th, 2010
8:55 am
SOS DAWG…..Ditto that pre-game noise. It is all about football when you hit those gates at Sanford Stadium. Go Dawgs 11-2 IMHO
Paddy
August 13th, 2010
8:57 am
Fred I believe we have a winning program! One of the best in the country. Where have you been? In jail?
How2fish
August 13th, 2010
9:00 am
Great hire..the man seems to have all the experience to lead a major program..lets give him some time and see how it shakes out…Go Dawgs!
Mayo
August 13th, 2010
9:04 am
Congrats to UGA on a great hire and having yet another “son” ready to step up and take the reigns.
A UT tool posted above about “owning” this state: hilarious. Rather than 45-19, how about, “450-12?” That’s probably your “score” on all the football players, coaches, assistants and at least one former AD from this state going to UT versus the other way around. Try doing it with Tennessee talent.
Oh and TideRoll, good one buddy. Here’s another: remember a certain coach that ‘Bama hired (then fired) when he went nuts in a titty bar with a university credit card?
Table daintz inybidy?
Yellow Fuzz
August 13th, 2010
9:09 am
Can’t wait to return to Athens this November.
Can’t wait to defend our last ((((((((((((((((((((((((( 45-42 ))))))))))))))))))))))))) bitc slapping there and more importantly, our (((((((((((((((((((( 26-0 ))))))))))))))))))))) 3rd quarter, total butt whoopin, beat down. I look forward to experiencing that erie silence of dog fans in TOTAL shock. Priceless.
GoDawgs24
August 13th, 2010
9:10 am
Altamaha – First I have met Greg personally and he seems like a nice guy. However, all of his previous experiences at UF have been with internal operations. He had never gone on the road and beat the pavement to raise money. Thus he has little experience cultivating big donors and building strong relationships. He has never ran a major capital campaign. What really concerns the most is not fundraising though. He was at UF for almost 20 yrs but he was never given the opportunity to be solely in charge of a major revenue sport. Why is that? He only assisted Foley with football and mens basketball. Look I hope he does well and I support him 100% but I think there were some sitting ADs that would have been better. Dave Hart (even tho he is not sitting but was at Florida State) would have been a great choice for UGA esp in this transition. He knows how to run a department. But Greg is our guy now so I am with him. Go Dawgs!
'94 UGA Grad
August 13th, 2010
9:11 am
good choice.
30
August 13th, 2010
9:16 am
to 24
8 of 9
60-39-5
eBuzz
August 13th, 2010
9:18 am
Excellent choice. Congrats to Mr. McGarity.
OTL
August 13th, 2010
9:18 am
Wonder if Yellow Fuzz would like to put a wager on “silencing” the UGA fans this season and “defending” their…”‘bitc’ slapping?” What is a bitc? Is that tecky-talk?
50,000
August 13th, 2010
9:20 am
unfilled seats
“Athletic” program in the red
only 39 wins against the real State University
Student members of Al Qaida
Muggings a daily way of life
Trek is a joke
OTL
August 13th, 2010
9:21 am
The dumb dawgs
August 12th, 2010
10:35 pm
I didn’t know there were any smart dawgs. That’s news to me. My subordinates are all UGA grads and they all clean the toilets, take out the trash and clean up the office. Perfect job for a UGA grad.
This is his fantasy: probably works at McDonald’s or sacks groceries in “real life.”
Yellow
August 13th, 2010
9:21 am
is the color you get when you mix vinegar and water
What a douche-a-palooza trek is
30-24
August 13th, 2010
9:23 am
or 73-66
Which hurt more?
UGA Bass Fisher
August 13th, 2010
9:26 am
Great timing and great choice … I love it!
'94 UGA Grad
August 13th, 2010
9:26 am
Hey UT,
I hope you enjoy your victory over us last year for the next month or so because it’s the last one you are going to get for a long while. Trust me….UT has some rough days ahead of them….no returning starters on the OL….new coach….new QB….and no more Eric Berry. UT will be lucky to go 6-6 this year and next year too.
Mayo
August 13th, 2010
9:33 am
Knoxville: what a great pool of talent! Unfortunately for UT, the biggest talents to ever come from Knoxville were Chet Atkins and Patricia Neal.
Yellow Fuzz
August 13th, 2010
9:48 am
How2Flush
The only thing more humorous than us tearing down what was left of the hedges the last time we were in Athens (45-42) is that you guys went from preseason number 1 to post season number 50 in less than two years and I am glad that the new coaches at tech and the new Tech nation played a decisive role. Put that in your Copenhagen and dip it little man.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2010
9:55 am
Thanks 24, I appreciate the response. I am often left a lonely man when I ask simple questions in here.
I guess we will see. It just seems to me that AD from all over the nation, including our past 2 probably got hired without an awful lot of actual fundraising experience. I have serious doubt that the gravy train is anywhere close to derailing at Georgia.
Considering that all the blowhards vowed to NOT give a dime to the fund when Adams didn’t hire this guy (and a few year later they had to literally stop accepting any more contributions) imagine how well its going to go now that he did.
I too was openly advocating a national search, but with 29 applicants, I feel confident that we did our due diligence. I didn’t really see any other names that blew me away, did you?