UGA president predicts extended tenure for football coach Mark Richt
ATHENS – University of Georgia President Michael Adams isn’t generally known for his sense of humor. But he can provide an unexpected “zinger” on a moments notice.
Asked at his monthly cabinet meeting on Thursday about the contract status of head football Mark Richt, Adams said, “If we win Saturday he’ll be back and if we lose we’re going to fire him.”
He was joking, of course.
Richt has 2 ½ years remaining on a contract that pays him close to $3 million annually. There were questions about his long-term future as the Bulldogs’ coach when the team followed last year’s 6-7 record with an 0-2 start this season.
But Georgia has since won 10 games a row and clinched the SEC Eastern Division Championship. The 14th-ranked Bulldogs (10-2, 7-1 SEC) play No. 1-ranked LSU (12-0, 8-0) in the SEC Championship on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Now that he has led the Bulldogs to their fourth SEC Championship game and seventh season of 10 or more wins in 11 seasons as Georgia’s coach, a contract extension for Richt seems imminent and in the very near future. The contact period for recruiting began on this week and UGA administrators aren’t likely to send Richt out on the road with a contract of fewer than four or five years.
Adams said he’s now hearing from fans who want UGA to hurry up and extend Richt as soon as possible.
“I get amused at this sometimes, frankly,” Adams said. “I actually have had suggestions from some of the same people over the last four months that, after the 0-2 start, were asking the AD and me to terminate him, who are now upset that we haven’t renewed the contract.
“So you don’t respond to these things emotionally through the season. You try and get a couple or three weeks away from a season. Give us a little time to review the whole process, but I would be surprised if Mark Richt weren’t the coach here next year. We’ll just wait and see what the AD decides to do.”
Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity, who will ultimately make the call on the matter, maintained his stance Thursday that he would not address Richt’s contract status until after Saturday’s SEC Championship.
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381 comments Add your comment
Coach Turkey Neck
December 3rd, 2011
3:24 pm
Well haters get use to it the gators are done for a couple of years the vols will fire dooley in a year or two so the Dawgs will win the East and play in the dome alot more in years to come. Suck on that GO DAWGS
Coach Turkey Neck
December 3rd, 2011
3:26 pm
Another thing we will get better and better each year with our recruiting classes and gain a lot of experience win or lose in the dome today. Can’t wait to beat the gators and jackets again next year. Dawgs win it all next year
Cedrick
December 3rd, 2011
9:09 pm
I hope after watching this beat down by LSU that the what on an extention for CMR!!!! This team played worse thatn poorly in the second half and BOBO’ play calling was down right ugly before halftime. Lets not put more money into a guy that has won only 1 SEC title and has NEVER played for a BCS title!!!
Ronaldus Hyattus
December 3rd, 2011
9:52 pm
Good news. The Richt Mediocrity will continue.
Xenophon
December 3rd, 2011
9:53 pm
Oh, God. Five more years of Mark Richt. Five more years of mediocrity.
Truth hurts
December 3rd, 2011
10:34 pm
Money runs this program and not Greg M nor the university! Extend Richt contract or we guarntee you will not be there long!
Homer Adams
December 4th, 2011
1:07 am
He has 2.5 years left on the current contract at $2.8 Milliom per year. They need to wait for another year. I have been pouzzled since this summer of the all of the get rid of Richt nonsensne. Who could they get that is better???? Richt is the best football in UGA history.
?
December 4th, 2011
10:43 am
BRING BACK VINCE DOOLEY. PREACHER MAN MAKES ME WANT TO PUKE. BUT, AS LONG AS HE IS AT GEORGIA DUMB ASS BONZO BOOBO WILL REMAIN. INVESTIGATE THIS GAME. IT WAS BOUGHT OFF.
barneyfife
December 4th, 2011
1:30 pm
Jumped off the Richt bandwagon 3 years ago, and haven’t jumped back on. Whoopdeefreakingdoo- they went 10-2 regular season, with 3 losses. Those 3 losses came to 3 good teams, and the 10 wins to teams that were mediocre at best.
When are UGA homers going to wake up and realize that Richt is just not that great of a coach? A great man, but not a g reat coach, particularly in the SEC. Get past the overall win-loss record and truly examine the record against RANKED OPPONENTS. It’s awful! His play calling, personnel decisions, clock management- he does not have what it takes to be great in the SEC. As a UGA graduate, I am embarassed by the tolerance for mediocrity! For over $3 million, we are getting taken to the cleaners!
Homer Adams
December 4th, 2011
2:09 pm
Richt has a better record than Vince Dooley – 650% vs. 616%.
Jordan
December 4th, 2011
7:02 pm
http://isportsweb.com/2011/12/04/dawgs-downed-in-dome/
jack
December 5th, 2011
1:24 am
I can’t understand why everyone is so happy with the outcome this year! We just got killed by LSU who is headed for a second National championship against Bama, I guess Dawg fans are happy with losing never getting to the big game and winning! I hate this! Richt will never be more than an average coach while the rest of the SEC wins championships! SUCKS!
Steve meyers
December 5th, 2011
2:30 am
In a 13 game season where you only beat 2 of the top 25 teams teams loose to 3 and beat 8 teams that had below .500 hundred. I think Reict should not but a fired diploma.
Steve meyers
December 5th, 2011
2:32 am
Enter your comments here
Doc
December 5th, 2011
6:13 am
Ga beat Tech and Fla—–neither of those teams are on top of their game right now———if Ga does not improve next year- they will be right back where they were 2 years ago———-Ga needs a coach that knows the running game—-why not let Grantham be the head coach for a while and let Mark Richt do paper work—
junkyarddawg
December 5th, 2011
10:57 am
Last time I looked record against ranked opponents has no bearing on getting to the NC. Just ask OK State. And just for the record only 2 teams get to play in the SEC Championship and we were one of them. Only the winner has a shot at the NC, a game that here again only 2 teams get to play. We are on our way back and frankly I’m glad dead weight like you , barneyfife ain’t on the wagon with us cause you ain’t really a DAWG!
Dawg Tired
December 5th, 2011
1:48 pm
As long as Richt is head coach UGA we have always have a shot at being the best second tier team in the SEC.
He will never Coach competitively against Miles and Saban because he won’t keep his foot on the gas when he gets ahead….and he won’t give any effort on special teams…I knew the Dawgs were in trouble at the 2nd half interview when the on field reporter asked Richt what his game plan was and he said (We wanted to jump on em in the first half and try and hold on in the second) (paraphrase) that’s his whole philosophy and why Richt won’t fire BoBo for the ultra conservative calls in the second half…it Richt… not Bobo that’s to blame…yes we won 8 in a row but who did we really beat…a terrible eastern SEC roster Coastal Carolina and N Mex State…Les Miles beat the crap out of Ga by 2 platooning 330 lb lineman and 240 lbs backs. How doe UGA NOT have a running back (with any balls) over 170 lbs????? My God where does he recruit … Pop Warner Leagues???
And Rambo is the prime example of whats wrong with our D backs he should be a WR cause he absolutely hits like one… he RAN from tackles the 2nd half of the LSU game…
I say we get rid of Richt now and take our lumps for a year…Coaching in the SEC is a 360 day a year job..how many recruits are being lost because Richt’s heart is in the mission field..I maintain if you need a 4th for bible study he’s your man but we need an aggressive take no prisoners (cause they don’t take it easy on us) .style of coaching that puts more emphasis on heart, hustle and work ethic than speed.
Mike T.
December 5th, 2011
2:11 pm
Only the winner has a shot at the NC, a game that here again only 2 teams get to play
Expain Alabama then.
TexasDawg
December 5th, 2011
6:12 pm
@ GSO DAWG “We need to pay the man. Pay him Urban and Saban money.”
Why, he doesn’t have an Urban/Saban/Miles resume. Should we pay him because he is the longest tenured SEC coach, or because of his zero National Championships. Urban – 2/Saban -2/Miles fixing to be 2/Richt – 0. Just my two cents.
TexasDawg
December 5th, 2011
6:15 pm
Mike Singletary for head head coach!
Randall
December 5th, 2011
7:21 pm
Just do it! Recruiting may be impacted by the waiting.
Reaper
December 6th, 2011
9:24 am
He has two yrs left. Let him play those out and then make a decision.
True Dog
December 6th, 2011
2:03 pm
He still isn’t known for his sense of humor. In fact Mr. Adams needs to get a job elsewhere and that isn’t ment to be funny. Just facts.
True Dog
December 6th, 2011
2:16 pm
Dawg tired:
I venture to say that you company wishes that you as emaculate at your job as you how ro tell a college coach how to run a team and tell Adams who to hire and fire.
Indian
December 7th, 2011
9:10 am
Would Shine please list his coaching experience since he is such a great evaluator of coaching talent. Bet he never had on a football helmet in his life or maybe he played high school football and thinks he is an expert. Typical. Georgia is very lucky to have the staff they have now. Hope we can keep it together for several more years.
HARDY DOG
December 7th, 2011
11:46 am
Make Richt work 1 more year befor extending a new contract.
FLA DAWG
December 7th, 2011
12:46 pm
After the LSU loss we now know for certain that it was more the ease of schedule rather than team improvement that accounted for our 10 game win streak.
Certainly we saw some absolutely AWESOME DEFENSE in the first half setting an SECC Game 1st half record by holding LSU to ZERO First Downs.
But the nuclear meltdown of the second half seemed to feed on itself so badly that the question of our coaching on the Offensive side of the ball has come up again. For many of us, it never went away.
Grantham has earned his keep and more. I hope he is given a big raise and multi year contract.
Bobo’s position as OC should be changed in my opinion. Put him back with the QB or RBs and in Recruiting or better yet, unload him altogether.
I have considered Richt to be a great human being and respect him for his faith and charitable work.
But this man simply does not have the fire in the belly to be a Championship SEC caliber coach in today’s world.
We seemed to have had a Gameplan for the first half of the LSU game and then we kinda “Winged It” in the second.
I’m afraid extending Richt’s contract to a multi year deal will only continue the dismal performance we’ve had for the past three years.
Ya gotta admit the only tough teams we played this year were Boise State, SC and LSU – and we lost to all of ‘em.
The MSU game will tell us how bad we are. If we lose that game we will have made absolutely ZERO progress in three years.
But this is all just my opinion and I plan to cheer on my Dawgs against Mich State.
BigToe
December 7th, 2011
6:02 pm
Why doesn’t McGarity sign Richt’s extension now, before the biggest recruiting weekend of the year?
I am not happy with Greg McGarity.
Dawg Tired
December 7th, 2011
7:38 pm
True Dawg….what????
Maybe Jan Kemp had a point….
look it up….
VADAWG
December 8th, 2011
1:46 pm
how bout a national championship. two in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
December 8th, 2011
3:12 pm
It’s a mistake.
The Academic All American list was released and only 1 player from UGA is on the list. Punter Drew Butler, majoring in Kinesiology……Whatever that is.
Meanwhile, Nebraska has 3 on that list.