Georgia football coach Mark Richt has full support of Adams, McGarity, athletic board
Georgia AD Greg McGarity (L) and President Michael Adams will have the most to say about coach Mark Richt's future as the Bulldogs' football coach. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
St. Simons Island — Truth or fiction, reality or perception, the general thought on Georgia football is that this is a critical season for head coach Mark Richt. Virtually every preseason story that has been written on the Bulldogs so far, has placed Richt on the proverbial “hot seat.”
But there are only a handful of people whose opinions really matter on this subject, chiefly UGA President Michael Adams and Athletic Director Greg McGarity.
It is them, and to some degree the Georgia Athletic Association executive board gathered here at the King & Prince Resort this week, that will ultimately decide Richt’s fate. So I asked them how they felt about things.
“First of all, the guy that has the most to say about it is the AD,” said Adams, presiding over the board’s annual end-of-the-year meeting here the past two days. “Despite what sometimes gets written, I haven’t done one of these things, pro or con, without heavy consultation with the AD.
“That said, I think you look at a person’s whole body of work. And I think the whole body of work by Mark Richt the last 10 years is very strong. We have very high expectations at the University of Georgia. We didn’t meet them last year. But I’m pretty confident that we’re going to spring back, that he made the kind of adjustments in staffing that needed to be made. Now we’ll do what we always do with every coach every season; we’ll sit down at the end of the season.”
The reason for the speculation is Georgia is coming off a 6-7 campaign — its first losing season since 1996 — and a two-year stretch in which it is just two games over .500 overall (14-12) with a losing SEC record (7-9).
But when you look at Richt’s “body of work” before that, it paints a totally different picture — 82 wins over eight seasons, two SEC championships, four first-place finishes in the SEC East and two second-place finishes.
“Our first requirement is to run the program properly,” Adams said. “You will get in trouble at Georgia more for failure to do that rather than for having a bad season once a decade. But we do think with our resources, with our recruiting base, with our fan base, it’s not unreasonable to expect us to have a winning football program. And we have for 13 of the 14 years I’ve been here. I fully expect we will for 13 of the next 14.”
Richt made some significant changes after last season. He replaced his longtime strength and conditioning coordinator, Dave Van Halanger, with Joe Tereshinski Jr. Tereshinski, a former All-SEC player and strength coach under former head coach Vince Dooley, brings an old-school training approach. The strength staff was also expanded and nutritionists are now overseeing the year-round diets of all the players.
“I think we got off to a wonderful start in January,” McGarity said. “I’ve said many times, how you perform in September and October comes down to what you do in January. You set the tone, you set the expectations, you say this is the way we’re going to run our operation. There’s no question – and I think Mark would acknowledge this and I think the players would acknowledge it— that they’ve gotten off to a good start with nutrition and strength and conditioning.”
Board members who were asked about the direction of the football program all expressed support for Richt while also acknowledging that 2011 will be an important season.
“He’s not in my hot seat; he’s still in my lap,” Bob Bishop, an executive board member for 29 years, said with a laugh. “I love him. I don’t think you can find a better human being anywhere and he’s a fine football coach. He’s proven that time and time again. But we all know it goes in cycles. He had a bad cycle last year and he made a lot of changes to improve on that. If you have a real bad season again there’s going to be a lot of turmoil all over the state and on campus and behind the scenes.”
Said board member emeritus Gary Hill: “I’m firmly in Mark Richt’s corner. I want him to succeed. Everything is in place for him to succeed and I’m pulling for him to do so. Who wants to go through the turmoil of changing coaches and changing staff?”
Bishop was asked if the board would have to respond to alumni or fan dissension.
“You’ve got to listen; that’s why we serve on the board. But most of that doesn’t play into it,” he said. “You evaluate the program independently and how the program is progressing. We’ve had a couple of down years. It will be very nice if he can improve that 6-and-7, at least modestly. But I think our program is in good shape.”
McGarity agrees and expressed confidence in the prospects for this coming season.
“I think there’s tremendous leadership on this team and I think that’s one thing that gets lost in the conversation,” McGarity said. “Individuals like Orson Charles and Aaron Murray and Christian Robinson and Ben Jones, you’ve got some guys like that are taking it upon themselves. If we have problems internally, they’re going to take care of it before it ever reaches anyone anywhere.”
That has been another criticism of the program under Richt. Off-field issues, such as 10 arrests of football players last year, made it appear there was a lack of discipline on the team.
So far there have been no arrests this year.
“Are we always going to stay out of trouble? No, chances are we’ll have our bumps in the road,” McGarity said. “But I think the things that you look at from a leadership standpoint, I feel very good about that. How will that translate into wins and losses? I think sometimes winning is a byproduct of what you do, just like in any other walks of like. If you work hard, you pay attention to details, then winning is going to be a byproduct of that.”
McGarity said he was impressed with the way Richt and his staff responded to last season’s disappointment, particularly by going out and signing a Top 10-ranked recruiting class.
“There’s no question that Mark feels invigorated about the season,” McGarity said. “I think he’s excited to go. All of the sudden it’s going to be June 6 and everybody comes to campus and they’re going to be under our wing at that point.”
Bishop has presided over four football coaching changes in his time on the board, so he knows the realities of today’s high-stakes college game. But he scoffs at the criticism of Richt’s ability to coach.
“I remember back when Bear Bryant was coaching, he had a bad year and everybody was saying the game has passed him by,” Bishop said. “Biggest joke I’ve ever heard. He had a few bad years, but he had a few good years, too. All we need is one more point than Boise State and we’ll be on the road.”
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304 comments Add your comment
51WTGW50
May 27th, 2011
9:48 pm
@Buckhead
3 yrs.? Do you really think Richt will get 3 more years? If he don’t do well this year there will be no Next year.
boots
May 27th, 2011
9:52 pm
I think McGarity has a strong idea of what needs to be done. He is as strong as a Linden Tree and will make great decisions to lead us forward. I’m glad we have both him and CMR in our corner.
Georgia football coach Mark Richt has full support of Adams, McGarity … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | USA Baseball America
May 27th, 2011
9:55 pm
[...] post by webmaster@technorati.com and software by Elliott Back Comments [...]
kb
May 27th, 2011
10:03 pm
LOl at the tech fans on here, CMR may have trouble with Florida , but he owns GT, as amtter of fact GT has been Georgias bitch for 5 decades. Big 15 wins vs UGA since 1957.
Snoop Dawg
May 27th, 2011
10:06 pm
Here’s the bottom line. Richt lucked out with the early wins with folks like Greene and Polack and DJ. He’s not a coach, not a leader, just a logo, an image. That is why we are losers ten years down the road. UGA football is in shambles by any quantitative or qualitative measure. Yet all these ignorant homers want to keep da Preacha Man and run the ship right into the iceburg. Just look at almost any statistic over the past four years and you will see a Terry Bowdoin in red and black. UGA football will just sink deeper and deeper into the morass until Richt is finally fired. How long will that misery be? Longer than it needs to be with so many ostrich fans and alumni…
hind tit
May 27th, 2011
10:11 pm
I wish Adams was on Deltas hot seat
kb
May 27th, 2011
10:13 pm
Snoop do you know anything about Georgia football, you make the same idiotic posts daily.
ugaclassof2004
May 27th, 2011
10:14 pm
@Dawg Tired
Good points.
@Big Dawg
Good points.
@He Better be on the Hot Seat
Good points.
@ LoganvilleDAWG
A positive comment: I think Aaron Murray is good.
@ Altamaha Dawg
You’re a moron.
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
10:21 pm
A moron huh? That really hurts my feelings.
Just wondering, is it because I embarrased you with YOUR own words? OR did I say something before that you disagree with? Surely you could correct me. Me being such a moron.
51WTGW50
May 27th, 2011
10:28 pm
I don’t know but I don’t really think Richt cares if he is the UGA coach after this year or not. I bet he learned a lot from Bowden. Richt is good with what he has done and is doing in his life. UGA Football is NOT WHO Mark Richt IS. It is just his job right now. I am sure he feels some pressure, but not nearly as much as DIEHARD UGA fans would wish him to. I don’t think his job at UGA means as much to him as it does to Bobo for damn sure.
SugarHillDawg
May 27th, 2011
10:28 pm
Buckhead Bulldog, who is CMR gonna be coaching in three years? You must be clairvoyant.
51WTGW50
May 27th, 2011
10:30 pm
Altamaha
realize 2004 is just about 30 yrs old & he/she is still too young to know much.
rocketfuel
May 27th, 2011
10:46 pm
Wonder if Leeburn feels the same way Adams and McGarity feel.CMR is gone after this year.Like someone stated earlier,3 million a year for 8 and 9 wins is Horsehockey compared to what Saban and Meyer have accomplished.
Nub
May 27th, 2011
10:56 pm
2 wins 10 losses against the gators …. .3 out of the last 21…. If you think for I minute that what be tolerated at AU or UA……. Or UT …. LSU…
sports
May 27th, 2011
11:03 pm
Georgia is just fine, it’s the jealous filthy media the problem!
Ed
May 27th, 2011
11:27 pm
2-8 against Florida, with three of those losses coming against some of the poorest teams they’ve had since the 80s. 7-9 against the SEC in the past two years, 11-12 against real competition when you take out the non-BCS conference cupcakes. And a slew of off-field problems. I don’t buy it, this sounds like the dreaded vote of confidence. There’s a football season ahead – what are Admans and McGarity supposed to say?
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
11:30 pm
Enter your comments here
AltamahaDawg
May 27th, 2011
11:36 pm
51, what is so odd is that a couple of weeks ago when I offered agreement, and defended a point he was making, I just don’t recall being called a “moron” for that. Appearantly, agreeing with him are all good points. Not agreeing…… moron. Hmm. That’s so unexpected.
Harold
May 28th, 2011
12:13 am
Finally a REFRESHING article! Thank you!!!
MARK
May 28th, 2011
12:20 am
I guess if everyone is happy with us being a mediocre football team then we are Great! If you want chamionships like Alabama, Auburn and Florida then get rid of Richt! S.EC Championships mean nothing to other conferences, I want a National championship which nobody seems to care about!
Jonkdawg
May 28th, 2011
12:37 am
You fall down 99 times then you get up 100 times, you just don’t give up got it? go dawgs!
rocketfuel
May 28th, 2011
2:01 am
MARK,I guess the powers that be are happy with mediocrity.Thsy will be happy with 8 or 9 wins and going to the PapaJohns Bowl
ES
May 28th, 2011
4:29 am
We need new OC!!!!!!!!!!!! And to stay with Richt.I remember 20 years playing for nothing!
E-money
May 28th, 2011
6:55 am
Like some of the other comments, Richt may have the administrative confidence, but doesn’t have the confidence of he big money doners. We’ll see how long the admins stay with Richt if he goes 0-2, looking to head down the same path as last year. My guess is the confidence follows the money
Nerd Furgeson
May 28th, 2011
8:03 am
Go Coach Richt! I think we’re going to have a great year.
Gsoutherngrad
May 28th, 2011
8:16 am
Maybe Winnpeg would want to buy UGA too!
Paul N Destin
May 28th, 2011
8:29 am
Don’t mention Mark Richt and Bear Bryant in the same sentence. If Mark were to ever…ever..ever win a NC then think it but don’t say it! If he wins 5 then talk all you wish.
Wes
May 28th, 2011
8:36 am
I am glad the board is looking at long term plans instead of short term like ignorant fans. Richt is a great coach and is has won more games than any coach in the SEC. We can’t be # 1 every year! Fans let emotions get the best of them and don’t think things out. God bless Mark Richt. I hope he is at UGA for years to come!
Paul N Destin
May 28th, 2011
8:48 am
#1 every year? The AD and President of UGA is a bigger hypocrite than anyone other than the President of UF. They speak of oversigning and greyshirting as evil while UF and UGA lead the world in arrest!!! Using the county jail to cull players is the plan of these two fine colleges. Just STFU about greyshirtting and oversigning until you can keep you players out of jail. Do these fine educated people every think before they speak? You can be damn ignorant to life and have a PHD.
chilidawg
May 28th, 2011
8:51 am
I, for one, am hoping that the poblem in recent years has been that too much has been placed on CMR’s shoulders. If this is the case, having McGarity for a year now will pay dividends.
ugab
May 28th, 2011
9:01 am
MR can not fix a sunken ship in one season. We have to run the ball to make a living in the SEC. MR does not have a OL or a FB. It is going to be a long season. We start with Boise State. Boise is going to pick the dawgs apart with our weak secondary. New lbs, safeties suck, no proven dl, we can not stop the run. Jenkins and Geathers are not our saviors.
Breaking News
May 28th, 2011
9:04 am
They will ” sit down at the end of the season.”
Man, I feel a lot better now!
ugab
May 28th, 2011
9:06 am
We need to recruit diehard ga fans to play for us. Not big headed 4 to 5 star recruits. We need Pollacks and Greens.
joe taxpayer
May 28th, 2011
9:08 am
No support for CMR from me. Remember dog fans you can love the school and the team and still wish CMR would go away. CMR teams have been trending downwards for 4 years. He has been an absent CEO and now is butt is on the hot seat and he’s more involved. He has had discpline issues, a bad Def-coor. who hung around way too long, O-depth has been a problem it seems like forever, he will not play players early, etc. etc. However he is a fine Chrisitan man, as if that has any thing to do with wins and losses.
joe taxpayer
May 28th, 2011
9:10 am
thats O line depth
It Ain't Rocket Science
May 28th, 2011
9:12 am
Paul,
I think UGA has done pretty well in off field incidences by their players.
Below is the latest update to the fulmer cup standings.
http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2011/5/26/2191505/fulmer-cupdate-if-a-mississippi-cop-says-youre-drunk-then-youre-drunk?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+edsbs%2Frss2+%28EDSBS%29
The over signing issue will be straightened up if the SEC West teams vote on the proposed changes.
Beast from the East
May 28th, 2011
9:13 am
Paul N Destin,
A Bama fan talking about hypocrites? Been on probation lately? You Bammers and Barners sure do deserve to live amongst each other. Kissin cuzins.
joe taxpayer
May 28th, 2011
9:18 am
Why is CMR able to run a taunt ship this year and not in years past?
Steve Spurrier
May 28th, 2011
9:23 am
I sure hope yall keep Mark…makes my job easier
drsoul
May 28th, 2011
9:43 am
As stated, it is not the same as years ago when there were dominating teams….CMR has had several winning seasons, which few colleges can really boast of anymore… there has been a flux of off-field incidents with athletes, which with the caliber of recruiting almost predicts the character of these people off the field (hard to change a kid’s character overnight….this will take stronger leadership within the team members than coaches)…. the truism is that GA fans are disappointed not to have a national championship or two for the decade… that is understandable… but, remember there again is little dominance anymore… there are a lot of schools with alums and fans that would trade GA any day of the week… no school can sustain very long and it is a vicious cycle… there were two years in the mid-60’s when the BEAR had 6-5 seasons and they were ready to burn him at the stake, where the drugs, long hair, etc were influencing everything around him and everywhere… if you look at the years after that, there is no question that a program will cycle out when there is a proven winner… Richt has proven himself a winner…he is no BRYANT, but does not need to be to succeed… he has the ingredients that it takes… a program really fails when the alums and fans do not support a program rebuilding and that is the biggest GA fault… the whiny attitudes will only bring your program down… would you do your best in any environment when the people who are supposed to be your best supporters continually whine and bitch and give you an automatic ‘thumbs down’…. we all need affirmation from those who we perform for, no matter the stage..!!!!
Mark
May 28th, 2011
9:48 am
McGarity said, “Ten arrests of football players made it appear that there was a lack of discipline”. No sir, what made it appear that there was a lack of discipline was more than ten penalties per game. Oh and the lack discipline that made it appear that there was a lack of discipline.
hmmmmmmmm
May 28th, 2011
10:13 am
Lack of discipline, this coach has NEVER had ANY discipline……. Florida State had the SAME problems….. I mean Richt wasn’t the head coach at FSU, but it sure is a coincidence that the same crap that was going on there is happening at UGA….. Let’s face UGA people, he is a GREAT man, but Richt is NO leader of MEN….
dawgfan13
May 28th, 2011
10:26 am
I think Richt’s record warrents another chance this year, but if Georgia struggles early and lose the first 2 games of the season which they may be picked to do, then Athens will burn! All of this crap about suppurt will be out the window and the coaching search will be underway. These people who support him cant come out and say they dont support him that would be stupid! I am not really sure what the purpose of this article is. Of course everyone is going to say they support him. Wait until after the SC game. Its at home to, all he** will break out if UGA dont win and then you will have somnething to write abiout
gt
May 28th, 2011
10:45 am
These same people hired Evan. I thought I would never say this but I see more intensity in the Tech program than I do the Georgia football program. This is not good because at Tech we purposely try to put the whole person in the equation which is not always the formula of winning but matches our purpose. At Georgia it is just plain lack of focus. The results are not intended nor expected. No athlete is handicapped getting into Georgia or no more than any SEC school. Do you really believe that Spurrier or Saban or a half dozen other coaches in the SEC with the same talent as Georgia’s couldn’t get better results. Most all have won a national championship with less since the one won by Georgia. I think at the other schools they can figure out who doesn’t have legal driver’s licences and actually do something about it. The team and the assistant coaches ,at other SEC schools, just work harder. Some people including ex players thought Dooley was a jerk, but I will tell you one thing he was smart and he was mean and we didn’t want to play him. We got one of his legacies at Tech through Erk Russell’s side of the family, he is real stick around and you will see. Georgia invented good coaching in this modern era. Look at all these programs in the SEC and you will see Dooley’s fingerprints. Your arch rival Florida just hire one and you are staring at his son at Tennessee, lots of good assistants out there too. I hate to say it but our state school desires better. When you wake up Smart will be head coach at Mississippi and that will only leave Ky. and Vandy as schools you can beat.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
May 28th, 2011
10:47 am
WOW!!!!!!
I like this quote
“We have very high expectations at the University of Georgia”
What is the expectation
An SEC Championship every 30 yrs or so
3-20 against FL
Arrests galore
A BCS appearence once every 30 yrs or so
This is laughable and this is our leadership at UGA
We have become Miss St, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2011
11:09 am
The 20 losses to florida span 7 coaches, and 5 AD’s. Obviously its not just in a name as you suggest. What exactly do you propose we do about it? Please help the guys in Athens figure it out smart guy.
Although deep down wouldn’t you be a little sad, since you seem to have take such pride in letting losing to Florida defines who you are?
suwanee dawg
May 28th, 2011
11:24 am
2 championships in the last decade is up there with Auburn and Alabama. Only LSU and Florida exceed. The only real issue is 3-20 against Fla. Fix that and all is good. I think the world of Richt as a man and think he is a solid coach but I am afraid the OL recruiting will be his demise as coach. Too many 5 stars with speed and not enough horses up front or guys who can tackle. Yes, I know you cannot coach speed, but it does you no good when you are on your back.
funny...
May 28th, 2011
11:43 am
The first post states something along the lines that “fans” forget what Richt did two years ago.
No, we didn’t forget, we remember the GIGANTIC dissapointment of a season that started with a preseason #1 ranking.
You need to go back to 2005 to start talking about when Richt was good. Guy can’t put together a full season of good.
Louise
May 28th, 2011
11:58 am
Two years ago RIcht had future #1 pick Stafford and future #4 pick A J Green, He did nothing then, how do you expect Richt to win without extremely top players?
Kendell Jones
May 28th, 2011
12:24 pm
Does anyone on this board think that the Reaper could call a game as well as or better than Bobo. By the way Reaper, Have you ever played football, and have just been an onlooker.?