Q&A: Vince Dooley says Mark Richt will be at Georgia ‘for a long time’
Vince Dooley
Q&A WITH VINCE DOOLEY
With an 0-2 start on the heels of 6-7 season, UGA President Michael Adams and Athletic Director Greg McGarity have found themselves having to answer questions lately about Mark Richt’s long-term security as the Bulldogs’ football coach. Of course, they’re both very non-committal on the issue, considering there are 10 games remaining in the regular season. President Adams was asked about it again on Thursday at UGA’s cabinet meeting. “I think this is the time for all of us to come together and get behind this group of guys who played a heck of a game last Saturday and deserve our support,” he said. “I’ve never folded on anything 15 or 20 percent into it. That’s what we would be doing. . . . It’s time for us as a community to get behind this team.” Earlier this week, McGarity told me, “I’m not going to do a weekly scorecard on our football coach. We’ve got 10 more games to play.”
Vince Dooley is uniquely qualified to talk about the situation since he’s a former AD and head football coach at Georgia and actually was the man responsible for hiring Richt. Dooley was at both of the Bulldogs’ games this season and will be there Saturday as his 1971 team is honored on the 40th anniversary of its 11-1 season. So here’s what he had to say when I asked him Thursday to share his thoughts on Richt’s situation:
Q: Coach Richt has endured a lot of criticism lately in the wake of the Bulldogs’ 0-2 start and declining win totals the last three seasons. What are your thoughts on the job he’s doing?
A: “If you stay in this business long enough, you’re going to go through some down times. Joe Paterno had about four losing seasons in five years before he went on his run. Bear Bryant, in 1969 and ‘70, had some struggling times. He got beat by Vanderbilt up in Nashville. I remember his athletic director saying he was going to look for a new coach. At the end of the season he said, ‘I looked all over the country and can’t find one better than the one I got right now.’ I’ve been through it myself. In fact, we’re celebrating the ‘71 team reunion this week. That was an 11-1 team that finished sixth or seventh in the county. But the two years before that were down years. We won the SEC championship in ‘66 and ‘68 prior to that. So you have to be able to weather those down years and go forward. Every coach has to go through it. And usually you come out a better coach by having gone through it. So I’m confident Coach Richt is going to address it.”
Q: What were your impressions of the first two games this season and what do you think about the 2011 team?
A: “That first team we played this year, Boise State, is really good. They’re great, in fact. They’re great because of that defensive line and that quarterback. They can play with anybody. We played good enough to win that ballgame against South Carolina. They out-played them. But you have these turnovers – and they’re all bad – but these were disastrous because they resulted in touchdowns. They were touchdown turnovers. They weren’t turnovers that just gave them an opportunity to score touchdowns; they were touchdowns. So this team probably should have won that game and is very capable of ending up with a very strong year. You can look to the example of Virginia Tech last year. That was a lot worse than this. After they got beat by Boise they lost to James Madison. I think South Carolina is a little better than James Madison. So, anyway, it’s just what you have to go through.
“Coach Richt is a proven coach. He’s the type of guy you want at Georgia, the way he conducts himself, his character and the way he represents the university. I think he has the support of the greatest majority of people because they believe in him. I believe in him, too. So I think he’ll come out of it as other coaches have gone through it and have come out of it. He’ll be fine. He’ll be here a long time.”
Q: So what happened? How do you explain the downturn of late?
A: “I don’t think we’ve gotten quite the production from our players. Maybe we haven’t recruited quite as well. We haven’t been fortunate with some of these athletes. You can go back to that as well. And other teams have come on strong. It’s hard to think that other teams may have caused this but other teams are good. They’re trying to win, too. You’ve got new blood coming in every year and competitors each and every year that are all striving to make it. So everybody can’t be on top all the time.”
Q: Do you think giving up total control of the offense was a mistake for Richt?
A: “I don’t think so. The offensive production has actually been better. And I did the same thing after five years. As you take on more and more responsibilities as the head coach, the quarterbacks and offensive still demand more and more time and you’re not able to give it to them. I did the same thing and I think he made the right decision. He’s certainly still involved. You have to remain involved, but you can’t be totally involved. Even Steve Spurrier, as much as he’s involved, he’s got a guy who is coordinating and working with the quarterbacks. He still runs it from the sideline. So, no, I don’t think that’s the reason things haven’t gone as well. But people feel like they have to point to something when we’re not doing as well and that’s just one variant they point to based on the fact that it’s a change from what we’d been doing.”
Q: Let me ask you to put on your AD’s hat for a minute. Coach Richt will have only two years remaining on his contract heading into next season. So the decision is not just whether to keep him, but whether to extend his contract as well. So what has to happen for Richt for that to happen?
A: “My thoughts are we just started the season. People are talking about things we ought to be thinking about after the season. You just started. Yeah, there are some concerns. Coach Richt is concerned; we’re all concerned. But he’s got to be able to address the issues and he’s just getting started. At the end of the season, we’ll see where we are. The assumption is it’s going to be bad. Let’s wait and see. I think we’ve got a chance to have a good football season. I really do.”
– Chip Towers
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455 comments Add your comment
bulldawgbill
September 15th, 2011
6:22 pm
VINCE, A “LONG TIME” CAN BE ONLY 2 MINUTES WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PASS A KIDNEY STONE. IT MAY SEE LIKE A “LONG TIME” TO RICH, BUT HE HAS ALREADY PROVEN HE EITHER DOESN’T WANT THE JOB OR CAN’T COMPETE WITH TODAY’S NEW SEC COACHES. A “LONG TIME” FOR ME IS HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES TO GET US A CHAMPIONSHIP COACH AGAIN.
mike
September 15th, 2011
6:24 pm
Well said Coach Dooley, I would be very dissappointed if we lost coach Richt. As a long time season ticket holder I love the guy and he will bring our program back to prominance once again!
Joey
September 15th, 2011
6:28 pm
“There is no one out there that would be any better.”
*********************************************
kerryb, that’s just a matter of opinion, right? Well, my opinion is that there are probably a dozen college coaches that would have run the table in ‘07 or ‘08 with the talent UGA had. But that’s just a guess.
What I do KNOW for fact is, Richt has gotten beat in half of his last 28 games. 14 Losses. How many of those losses were to teams with more talent than UGA’s?
Probably only the ‘09 UF game, and the ‘10 AU (Cam). So either he has had a LOT of bad luck in the other 12 losses, or he (and his staff) are getting out-coached.
SEC Fan
September 15th, 2011
6:31 pm
What do you expect Dooley to say? He(and Adams) hired the guy.
kerryb
September 15th, 2011
6:36 pm
So Joey, are those guys available. My guess is no.
swami
September 15th, 2011
6:45 pm
PLEASE keep nRicht. the SEC needs UGA to drop so Texas A&M, Vandy and Ole Miss won’t be so lonely…………………prediction = Derek Dooley will be at UGA inside 3 years
kerryb
September 15th, 2011
6:45 pm
Joey, that 07 team at the end of the year WAS the best team in the country and should have played for a NC which they would have won but they were denied the opportunity. The 08 team was totally decimated by injuries. We lost Sturdivant the first time and Figgins early in the year they were having to patch the O-line together and moved Kiante Tripp to TE. The defense was really hit hard. The injuries is what happened to the 08 team. The 09 team had a 5th year senior QB that in the end showed why he should not have been a starter. The 2010 team had a new defense and a Redshirt Freshman at QB. They also were not counting on losing their superstar WR for four games. There are reason’s why UGA has struggled the last few years and it was not all coaching.
wastedyears
September 15th, 2011
6:47 pm
richt spelled backward is loser why does uga have a preacher for the coach they should have satan i think i will get on the LSU bandwagon les miles now thats a coach GO COASTAL CAROLINA !!!!!
Sharkman
September 15th, 2011
6:50 pm
6-9 under Murrary as Q.B.
GATA
September 15th, 2011
6:56 pm
Much as I respect Dooley, the comparison to programs 40 years ago don’t seem relevant. Look at how the competition has excelled and maintained their success – that is what UGA should be compared itself with. And I can’t believe his statement about recruiting. We get the players. They are studs that end up playing on Sundays. But what happens while they are here? Yeah I hope Richt can do something amazing this year and get this program winning, but I’ll throw out this question: What do you think Peterson and his staff would accomplish with the talent here?
PigIron
September 15th, 2011
7:14 pm
@GATA
What do you think Peterson and his staff would accomplish with the talent here?
He’d have whipped the hell out of Boise State — that’s a sure bet.
GATA
September 15th, 2011
7:28 pm
Well, I don’t claim to be an expert on Boise State football, I just go by what I’ve seen them accomplish since they were in Athens a few years ago. What I saw in the Dome was a Boise team that looked like they knew exactly where to be and what to do on every play, and they did it. I saw a Boise coaching staff that figured out what worked against us and stuck with it and we had no answer. I think if Peterson can take those players, who Spurrier said looked like Furman trotting out on the field, and play at that level, he would have UGA playing smart, tough, disciplined football and contend for SEC and National Championships.
Hoage Wild
September 15th, 2011
7:40 pm
Nice touch with the Vince Q&A Chip, still a class act and a Georgia man though he would have every right to be somewhat embittered the way he was unceremoniously shown the door by Adams. Sure, I’m disappointed, as are my friends and family. To tell you the truth I thought we would beat Boise and lose to SC, but definitely was looking for the split we almost got. The play calling was much more creative last week and this group of young receivers is starting to find an identity. Crowell is so smooth when he runs and has that extra gear come daylight. In other words, this is kind of a fun team to watch if you can stand the growing pains by Murray et al. Can you imagine how good these guys could be in a year if they all hang together and continue to improve? I sometimes have questioned whether Richt wants to be doing this, but I’m willing to stick with him certainly through this season. Worst case scenario: A loss to one of these upcoming cupcakes — already penciled in as Ws — and the mood around these parts will be as ugly as those hot-pink Nike unis. Best case: Dawgs continue to gel as a team, finishing strong and beating UF, then draw a tough bowl opponent and win. That would seem to be enough to recoup considerable enthusiam among coaches, players and fans. Though much has been taken, much abides.
Come on Vince
September 15th, 2011
7:56 pm
So Vince, what should Richt do? Follow what you did, go buy a player like Hershel Walker to save his job. And Vince, don’t dare say that all your boy Hershel got was room, board, books, tuition, and fees. No pun intended but…that dog won’t hunt!
Pierce CO Dawg
September 15th, 2011
7:59 pm
I agree TampaDawg DEAD ON IT,you are with us or not. Do not pretend to be another fan. Like Dooley stated,the majority of fans are for the Dawgs and CMR. GO DAWGS!! It is not about always winning or losing but how you play the game. I am proud of the team and coaches & proud to wear the “G”
Pierce CO Dawg
September 15th, 2011
8:06 pm
GO DAWGS
North Dog
September 15th, 2011
8:09 pm
Coach Dooly would not accept lack luster effort from his players or repeated confusion and and stupid procedural mistakes by his players or his coaches. Though I played the game I would never presume to judge the coaching decisions Coach Dooly or Coach Rich, but I do believe my own eyes and what i have seen over the past several years is reason enough for me to question what has happened to this program. Even in a terrible year like 1977 it was evident what was wrong and by the end of the 1979 season Coach Dooly had taken the steps necessary to turn it around, and look at 1080. My eyes tell me that other than last week, we keep on making the same mistakes, year after year. I am not for firing our coach in the middle of the season, but I still see a long standing problem, and it will not go away by playing like everything is great and that the fans are nuts…
.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
September 15th, 2011
8:09 pm
reality check; Nobody on here gives a fat rat’s A$$ what you are tired of. Get lost.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
September 15th, 2011
8:16 pm
North Dawg: You make the case for beleiving the fans are nuts. True fans don’t fill the spaces with negative crap day after day and most of you started before the season began.You, and many others, need to remove “Dawg or Dog” from your name because whether or not it is your intent, you are really hurting everything UGA and scaring off potential recruits.
kerryb
September 15th, 2011
8:19 pm
What the recruits have to understand is most of these idiots posting things with UGA type names are NOT UGA fans. They are trollers of other teams giving their opinions that no one cares for.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
September 15th, 2011
8:19 pm
Come on Vince: You are dumb/stupid enough to be triplets. Your 7:56 PM comments leaves no doubt.
kerryb
September 15th, 2011
8:20 pm
I think this team is about to go on a run leading into next year and that will shut all of these idiots up. They will then be saying that they wish CMR would leave because they are tired of him beating their teams.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
September 15th, 2011
8:22 pm
Pigiron: Ain’t NOBODY whipped hell out of Boise State lately.
bugsquacher
September 15th, 2011
8:23 pm
sorry vince (with all respect) You’re wrong in this case!
WHY GEORGIA SHOULD BE CONSIDERING A COACHING CHANGE.
1-Georgia is a combined 0-5 against Top 25 teams in 2010 and 2011
2- GEORGIA has lost 10 of its last 12 against ranked teams. (2-10 record)
2- GEORGIA is now 14-14 in his last 28 games
3-GEORGIA is 6-10 in the past 16 SEC games.
4- REMAINING SCHEDULE. Games they will probably lose: 1- Miss St. 2- Tenn 3-Florida 4-Auburn. Games we should win (if we don’t have an off week): 1- Costal Carolina, 2-Miss, 3- Kentucky, 4- New Mexico, 5-Tech, 6-Vandy.
LOOKS LIKE A 50/50 CHANCE OF ANOTHER LOSING SEASON.
5- Its been 30 yrs since our last national championship…. Can Richt get us there? Are we trending in the right direction?
THE ABOVE SAYS……. NO!
kerryb
September 15th, 2011
8:23 pm
Yea, I don’t think we were like Oklahoma and Barry Switzer buying players like Marcus Dupree. I saw an ESPN show where they said that Oklahoma bought Dupree’s mother a double wide trailer in Mississippi.
bugsquacher
September 15th, 2011
8:35 pm
SEVEN REASONS WHY GEORGIA SHOULD BE CONSIDERING A COACHING CHANGE.
1-GEORGIA is a combined 0-5 against Top 25 teams in 2010 and 2011
2- GEORGIA has lost 10 of its last 12 against ranked teams. (2-10 record)
3- GEORGIA is now 14-14 in his last 28 games
4-GEORGIA is 6-10 in the past 16 SEC games.
5- GEORGIA is 2-5 in their last 7 games going back to last season
6- REMAINING SCHEDULE. Games they will probably lose: 1- Miss St. 2- Tenn 3-Florida 4-Auburn. Games we should win (if we don’t have an off week): 1- Costal Carolina, 2-Miss, 3- Kentucky, 4- New Mexico, 5-Tech, 6-Vandy.
LOOKS LIKE A 50/50 CHANCE OF ANOTHER LOSING SEASON.
7- It’s been 30 yrs since our last national championship…. Can Richt get us there? Are we trending in the right direction?
THE ABOVE SAYS……. NO!
Joey
September 15th, 2011
8:40 pm
We’re both devoted Dawgs, kerryb. We just disagree on a few points. I want the best for my school and football program.
I am critical of both Richt and Bobo, but you will note that I have given Bobo his props for the SC game, all week. We lost that game due to trickery and turnovers, not the O & D.
But we still lost . . .
Go Dawgs.
But we still lost. I want to see Murray and Co beat a good team
Pierce CO Dawg
September 15th, 2011
8:41 pm
WASTEDYEARS i will pray for you tonight. Because people who make the comments like you really need it. Nothing you or anyone else can do will derail GODS plans for CMR & the DOGS. Go DAWGS!!
Dawg Fire
September 15th, 2011
9:05 pm
georgia fans need to get behind coach richt—a good man who does a lot of missionary work. Georgia can’t be expected to beat teams like alabama and florida that cheat all the time to get all these good players. Richt plays by the rules.
Pierce CO Dawg
September 15th, 2011
9:06 pm
GO UGA
Bring Back Vince!
September 15th, 2011
9:06 pm
At least vince could beat florida—if richt goes, get vince back for a few years.
BS Patrol
September 15th, 2011
9:08 pm
Pierce CO Dawg has just informed us that the doggies are God’s team. MY WORD!
PLEASE KEEP RICHT UGA LOSERS
September 15th, 2011
9:17 pm
AS LONG AS YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN MAN OF FAITH LIKE MARK RICHT YOU CAN GO 0-12
WITHOUT ANY NATIONAL TITLES!
glenn
September 15th, 2011
9:19 pm
well,well what can u expect. it seems to me that like goff,like donan…richt has found 2 or 3 teams to lose to every season and now he is adding south carolina( old enemy spurrier) to his hit parade of annual loses. hey if 2 yrs ago he had won a national titleor maybe a number 2 it would be different. but it seems to me now plans to win by voodoo trickery and west coast everyone go long. anyway richt is right turnovers are killing us.but its the lack in turnovers in the coaching staff.
You Already Know What You Have « Splice the Mainbrace
September 15th, 2011
9:21 pm
[...] This piece in today’s AJC with Vince Dooley is crap. I respect Coach Dooley a great deal. But the following logic is tragically flawed. [...]
Rich
September 15th, 2011
9:31 pm
If THE COACH says Richt can do it. Lets Roll. Boise was a nightmare before the game started. The Uni curse. SC was all on the players. Will win the rest and be a better team. Have a lot to work with need to look at what we need to fill the gaps and build depth on D. Will be needing new blood so lets get on it. Always look to the future. After last year and every one thinks we will be a top 10 team please. If no games won at all still MY DAWGS.
DAWG with two bags over his head
September 15th, 2011
9:49 pm
Do you really think Vince is going to say anything negative about Richt? He’s a true Southern gentleman. I kind of take what he says with a grain of salt.
Accept mediocrity and that’s what we’ll get and that’s what we’ve gotten. This season is just a tiny part of Richt’s recent body of work that is not acceptable. How many time have we started out the season or a bowl game completely unprepared or overwhelmed (remember the 2006 Sugar Bowl, the beginning of the 2006, 2007 and 2010 seasons, the Boise State game and of course my favorite, the mailed-in performance at the Libery Bowl?) The decision to start over should be made now, but not carried out until the end of the season. As I’ve posted many times before, the simple fact that this coaching staff has fractured the fan base speaks volumes.
BIGMIKE
September 15th, 2011
9:56 pm
To Football Insider……I know what “FOOTBALL INSIDER” means now……HOW DOES THE LARGE INTESTINE LOOK FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW. Can’t wait for your final ANALasis at the END of the season if you can get your head out…
JR
September 15th, 2011
9:59 pm
Dooley was a great coach in a different era. That does not mean that he does not have some good insight on certain things. But for him to compare himself to Richt is not relevant or valid here. He had only one losing season and really never stayed down for a long time. For whatever reason, the Georgia program is not experiencing the same success as it did in his first 6 years. Donnan never had a losing season and lost his job due to mediocre results for a few years. When Richt arrived it was a breath of fresh air for the program. And sometimes a new perspective and rejuvenation is needed. I think the same is true now. One thing I thought to be humorous were his references to Joe Paterno. Paterno should have been shown the door 10 years ago even if he is the entire reason for their programs success over the years. And the same was true for Bowden after so many years of mediocrity. The truth is that the athletic program at a university is bigger than any one person and actually a lot of people depend on its success. It is sort of like the Brett Favre syndrome for coaches. While once among the greatest of all time, they just don’t know when it is time to quit.
BIGMIKE
September 15th, 2011
10:08 pm
Just remember one thing knuckleheads….change doesnt’t guarantee success. That’s the platform Obama ran on and look how this country has flourished since his election. One thing can absolutely be said about Richt. He has brought discipline back to this team and that’s the first step in succeeding. I don’t think we have to worry about UGA being handed any Major NCAA violations like other schools with coaches under the same level of pressure Richt is being put under. He has integrity and that dam hard to find these days. If you don’t think UGA is winning your blind. Stop looking at the score board for a second and look at what’s going on, on this TEAM. .
Stevie Wonder
September 15th, 2011
10:18 pm
“If you don’t think UGA is winning your blind”
*********************************
You tell em, BIGMIKE!
We ain’t lost a game in years!
Dawgboy
September 15th, 2011
10:24 pm
I keep hearing that this team is going to get better every week because “it has some great young talent”. We’ve had great young talent the last several years, but our winning opponents didn’t seem to be paying much attention to talent levels. From 2007 through 2010, the University of Central Florida finished with an average recruiting class of 60th in the country according to Scout.com. Boise State averaged 69th. Georgia averaged 16th during that 4 year period, including 2 TOP 5 CLASSES (2008 and 2009). If you are going to talk about beating people because you have more talent than them, you might need to find another reason if you want to remain optimistic.
BIGMIKE
September 15th, 2011
10:27 pm
The point Stevie is that unlike your eyesight the scoreboard will soon favor UGA and their winning way will return, because they are doing what it takes to be successful and it shows. Forget the last two games, they were growing pains. They get to polish up for a few weeks against lesser opponents and then its on. You heard it right here..
BIGMIKE
September 15th, 2011
10:35 pm
DOGBOY….We haven’t had this level of talent at all positions since the recruiting classes of ‘79-’81. I was there and I can tell you, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. The perfect storm is arriving this year and it may only be here for 2-3 yrs, so stop self deprecating (nit pickiing over past failure) and enjoy what you’re about to see. Dooley was 6-5 the year before they recruited Walker. All the pieces are in place now. UGA tied CLEMSON anb beat FLORIDA with 1:12 left in the game to finish undefeated 10-0-1. SEC was a tough division then and its a tough division now. Any team that wins it has a bit of fortune on their side.
Chuck UGA
September 15th, 2011
10:44 pm
And his son is head coach at Tennessee. Why don’t we interview Will Muschamp’s father and see what he thinks UGA should do?
Chuck UGA
September 15th, 2011
10:46 pm
BigMike, glad you piped in with that. I thought we ere 0-2 and lost to the SEC East favorite last week. Must have been a bad dream. I’ll go ahead and reserve my seats at the Dome for the SEC Championship!
Zumadawg
September 16th, 2011
1:05 am
All you naysayers. When are you and the others of your ilk going to stop fanning the flame regarding the demise of CMR? Most of those jumping on the “fire Mark Richt” bandwagon don’t know their
@$$ from a warm rock. Stop trying to bury the man before he is dead. I, and I’m sure many others, are tired of the daily diatribe of all you so called “experts” and “others in the know” . Wait till Mark is gone to begin the crucifixion
Young Team
September 16th, 2011
1:46 am
Ga’s team is very young. It will take a year before all this top recruiting talent comes together. 2012 is the year–the Dawgs will win the SEC east! Book it!
Columbus
September 16th, 2011
6:00 am
I have been saying this all along but these hardheaded younuns dont listen, they think they know it ALL.
Congrats AJC. Its about time some balance came into this witch hunt.
And as Coastal Carolina’s coach said: Shame on you AJC. Shane on you fans. You got a great coach, one of the winningest in the nation and he has one losing season and some of you are trying to run him off? Shame on you. Hes a great coach and you aint going to get one any better.
Amen!
waytogoricht
September 16th, 2011
6:38 am
Dooley. Adams and McGarity, say it ain’t so. You’re kidding right? At issue is not character. Mark Richt is a very good man from everything I have read about him.
But he is paid $3.2 million dollars to put on the field a team that blocks, tackles, throws carefully, etc. More so than his record as of late his team has looked and played awful.
if you fail regularly you are fair game for criticism. Every year cannot be about excuses for failure and rebuilding. In the SEC if a coach recruits finesse players, hires finesse coaches and attempts finesse play, he will get popped right in the mouth and be a loser.
You get slide off tackling, no blocking for your backs, too many dropped passes, too many fumbles, players are overpowered by the other teams personnel, and the head coach looks like he doesn’t know what the heck he is doing.