Mark Richt finally gets contract extension, and so does Greg McGarity
ATHENS – On the day that Georgia football coach Mark Richt’s protracted contract extension was finally finalized, the Bulldogs took steps to make sure that Greg McGarity remained their athletic director beyond that.
As expected, Richt received a new five-year contract that will extend his agreement with Georgia through the 2016 football season. The new deal — in the works since the second week of this past December — was announced during a special meeting of the Georgia Athletic Association’s executive board, which convened via teleconference call Thursday evening.
What wasn’t expected was UGA President Michael Adams’ announcement that the board had also approved his motion for a two-year contract extension for McGarity through December of 2017. McGarity, Georgia’s AD since August of 2010, also received a salary increase from $460,000 to $500,000 in 2012 and $550,000 in 2013 and beyond.
“I’ve watched him make some tough personnel decisions this spring and have been impressed with how he has handled that as well as the negotiations with the football coach,” said Adams, who will retire as president in June of 2013. “I just felt like it was important for the benefit of the athletic association and the university that we get him locked in at a time that was slightly longer than the head football coach. That would well position the university for any changes that might take place in the future.”
The financial terms of Richt’s new deal stayed basically the same at $2,811,340 per year. However, the Bulldogs doubled Richt’s performance bonuses, meaning an SEC championship would be worth $200,00o to him and a national championship could mean $800,000 extra.
“That’s among the top in college football, if not the top,” McGarity said of the incentives.
The most notable change was the penalty for Richt leaving of his own volition was reduced from $2 million per year under the old agreement to zero under the new deal.
“I think it’s just Greg’s philosophy on the contract,” said Richt, who has been Georgia’s coach since 2001. “It’s not something that I was asking for; it’s something that he had suggested and I said that’d be fine. The bottom line for me is — and I think I’ve been here long enough for everyone to understand this — Georgia is my home, Georgia is where I want to be, Georgia is the only job I’ve ever wanted and that hasn’t changed.”
Conversely, the amount Georgia would owe Richt should they fire him was reduced from $2.4 million per year to $800,000 per year for the three new years on the contract. In other words, UGA would have to pay him $4.8 million if he was fired following the 2012 season ($2.4 for 2013 and $800,000 for each year thereafter). But it would be $800,000 a season beyond 2013.
“My philosophy is life is too short and I don’t think somebody should be anchored down somewhere because of financial concerns,” McGarity said of buyouts. “People are going to twist it and say whatever they want about it. But I’m just telling you the truth about it: Between Mark Richt and myself, there’s no monkey business here. This is an agreement that was reached between us. Mark’s excited about this; I’m excited about it and we’re going to move on from here.”
As for his own extension, McGarity didn’t have much to say.
“I don’t like talking about that,” he said after the board meeting. “It’s awkward for me. I’ve always said it’s an honor and privilege for me to be here as athletic director. I get to come into an environment with a great staff and a great work force that loves what they do. It’s reassuring to know that the president and the board feel confident in the direction we’re moving as a staff.”
Richt is the dean of SEC coaches in terms of being at the same institution for the longest time. He is 106-38 (.736) in 11 seasons at Georgia. He has earned more than $21 million over that period.
“I think it’s an A-plus,” Bob Bishop, UGA’s longest-tenured member of the executive board, said of Richt’s new deal. “I think it’s great. He’s done an excellent job and deserves it.”
Richt said he has tentative plans to celebrate the new deal.
“As soon as Coach [Mark] Fox figures out a date and time, he and I are going to the Waffle House,” Richt quipped. “That was like a month ago but I don’t think he’s forgotten about it and I haven’t either.”
“I feel like a very blessed man,” he added.
NOTE: McGarity said the three-year contract extension for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has been finalized and will be announced on Friday.
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100 comments Add your comment
flo-ri-duh
June 8th, 2012
9:01 am
Tidey Bowl for the Tide this year when they come back down to earth with 3 losses and an ole fashion beat down by last years SEC Champs – the LSU Tigers. My bull dog is still excited every time he sees that Saban “gnome”fire hydrant in the back yard. Hose it down for me again baby!
Gulf Shores Dawg
June 8th, 2012
9:02 am
CMR and Grantham are special and UGA is on a roll…haters beware…YOU ENERGY VAMPIRES! Your Mom didn’t love you, so sorry…
Joey
June 8th, 2012
9:09 am
I get the feeling McGarity doesn’t get that thrill up his leg for the 10-Win-Season as some do. 10 wins might have been a standard back when the season was 10 or 11 games. Not now. Not with 13 and 14 games.
24 Div 1 teams won 10 games or more last season. We had the most losses with 4.
Maybe Richt puts it all together this season. The schedule won’t be so friendly the next couple.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
9:17 am
Gulf Shores, no doubt he’s a good man, yes, but I would disagree abou the “special” comment. Special coaches don’t lose games at a rate that Richt has the last 3 seasons – especially with the talent that he has at his disposal.
I would say that special coaches beat teams that they shouldn’t beat, occasionally. It’s been a long time since our guy has done that.
Instead, he tends to lose games that he shouldn’t every season.
SEC Football Morning Coffee: Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt Gets Extension | SEC Football
June 8th, 2012
9:18 am
[...] Georgia head coach Mark Richt finally got his contract extension, writes Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [...]
Dap01
June 8th, 2012
9:23 am
I am glad it is finalized. I am tired of reading about it in the headlines every few days.
Crap
June 8th, 2012
9:23 am
Vince: We’re good, and I meant to congratulate you on your response to the Yacket.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
9:50 am
NOBODY gets a thrill up thier leg over 10 wins. Where does that come from? It’s easy to dispute an opinion or claim if you inflate it beyond reality to start with. And you are simply wrong to try to say its not a “standard” still. Expanded schedules logically mean more chances to mount losses as well. More injuries, more stress. It averages out. Winning 75%+ of your game over the long haul will always be a “standard” by which college football coaches careers are judged historically.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
9:55 am
You know how it bothers when folks tell you that you hate Richt and want him fired, when you say thats never been what you claim? It’s exactly the same when folks say that 10 wins is not a bad season in the big picture (as the whole world knows it is not,) and you lecture them how it’s not championship caliber.
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
June 8th, 2012
10:00 am
How many major schools have made offers to our coaches..hmmmm. Think about it people.
bham dawg
June 8th, 2012
10:29 am
i like the terms of the new contract. he didn’t deserve a raise. doubling the incentives only should just light a fire under richt to prove the naysayers wrong. it’s time to put up or shut up. our time is now dawg nation. 2012 is richt’s time and the junkyard dawgs are back. See yall in Miami.
Homepage | MrSEC
June 8th, 2012
10:34 am
[...] Richt — as expected — did not receive much of a raise, standing pat on salary at about $2.8 million per year through 2016. His bonuses and incentives did double, as had previously been announced. According to McGarity, Richt’s bonuses are “among the top in college football, if not the top.” [...]
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
10:38 am
24 Div 1 teams won 10 games or more last season. We had the most losses with 4.
I find several things wrong with whatever that point was. But I guess I should ask first, what was the point? That of the 10 win teams we are the worst?
- ON the 10 wins side, half those teams are not anybody we remotely care about. We are looking at winning 10 games as a minumal standard in our world, not the mountain west. BTW, that less than 20% of all teams that did. They can play 15 games and I am saying that wold still be the same.
- On the loss side, how many of those teams’ only losses were to a top 10 team? A couple, a few? w Doesnt that simply state that we were worse than a few teams in terms of who we couldn’t beat? Is that some revelation?
-further, IF they won 10 games and did NOT have 4 losses, they obviously they didnt play as many games as we did. So other than the interesting piece of trivia that Georgia was the only 10 win team to play in a conference championship game, I’m not sure what you can concluded from that.
You point being that if we had only played in 13 games, and lost only 3 games, and not the extra one to the #1 LSU at the time, somehow that makes up look better by comparison to the rest of those?
JB
June 8th, 2012
10:40 am
The bonus incentives are a pretty safe bet. don’t think they need to ” fund them”………And yes I hate to say that, but the SEC is a much tougher place than when Mark arrived,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And what will change after 11 seasons?
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
10:49 am
Just to clarify, I am not disputing that back when they only played 10 regular games, that 10 win was a lot better. But in those days, 8 games was considered not too shabby (which is what we are calling 10 now). Then it was 9 a few years later when they expanded the schedule. So your point that the scale has changed is correct, I am just saying that it’s been taken into account.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
10:50 am
I agree on all points, bham dawg. It is the time to make it happen – with the ‘12 schedule, while not easy, certainly it will only get harder the next couple of seasons.
I say, if we win at Mizzou, and somehow pull out a win vs SC, it can be done (getting to Miami), but a loss to either will doom those hopes.
What bothers me is it seems all the losing doesn’t matter as much these Bulldogs as it did with Richt’s early teams, who seemed to hate, just despise losing. They were in every single game – never got beat badly, until ‘06 (?). Getting routed was out of the question.
It may be perception, but that isn’t the mindset now. I keep thinking back to Stafford sitting on the bench in Jax, late in the ‘08 game, smiling and cutting-up, while we were getting embarrassed on national tv. That wouldn’t have happened in ‘01-’05.
Perhaps Richt has lost his motivating touch with this generation of athletes.
Vince
June 8th, 2012
10:54 am
Crap—Thanks. Any condescending comments about the trade school for boys is always a treat for me!
Ghost
June 8th, 2012
10:55 am
Joey,
I am not comparing the two as coaches , but I would think that Bear Bryant was special, and from 1968-1970 he was 20-13 -1, every program goes through down phases.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
11:02 am
Haha, you are so tuned in to defending Richt, you dwell on the tiniest bit of criticism for 59 minutes. Take a breath – he’s our coach for eternity, I accept that, but you may as well accept that if I think he’s not the best coach on the planet, I’m gonna say so.
And when you call 10 wins, still, the “standard,” no, you aren’t taking into account that the scale has been changed. I don’t care how you twist and turn it over for inspection, a 10-4 season is barely “good” and nowhere near “great.”
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
11:07 am
AND NOBODY IS CALLING IT GREAT.
Paddy
June 8th, 2012
11:10 am
Ex-contributor……pls stay that way. Many more are taking your place as contributors as we speak. You are doing the right thing by becoming an ex-Dawg. Temple and Fla International need help, try them. You won’t be missed!
Delbert D.
June 8th, 2012
11:10 am
It would be interesting to see that professor’s client list. Maybe it was a walk-in service, though.
JB
June 8th, 2012
11:11 am
He wins he stays, he loses he goes……………..the MILLION dollar question is, is 10-4 and losing to the only 4 good teams on the schedule OK for Dawg fans?
Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham gets 3-year, $2.475 million deal | UGA sports blog
June 8th, 2012
11:16 am
[...] like the deal head coach Mark Richt signed this week, Grantham’s bonus structure was increased dramatically. Grantham would receive an extra [...]
Joey
June 8th, 2012
11:17 am
Excellent point, Ghost. But Bear has already won 3 Nat Titles and a had a couple of unbeaten seasons by then. I bet even in those down years, he ever lost to somebody like UCF, UK, and a pathetic Colorado and everybody was gunning for Bama by then.
Richt has not even gotten in the Big Game, and it’s his own fault – he lost to a average (and decidedly inferior) UF team in both ‘02 and ‘05, and lost to underdogs, SC and UT in ‘07.
Special coaches beat teams they should beat.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
11:18 am
Bear HAD already won……
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
11:24 am
My discussion of 10 games has nothing to do with Richt. I state my opinion on that because I find college football to be an interesting topic to discuss/debate. I would be making this same point about the any coach in our league.I don;t particualrly like Spurrier, but if he is winning 10 games, SC would not be firing him for that. I would be making this point If we hired a guy I absolutely did not like. You are the one that insist on making everything about Richt. As I have tried to tell you, countless times, I debate a topic, or a fact (as I see it).
Joey
June 8th, 2012
11:25 am
Keep reading, AD. Somebody will call me a “hater” and call ‘11 “great” before this thread ends.
JB, you already know the answer to the million dollar question from this die hard Bulldog fan.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
11:28 am
Are you disputing that back when we played 10 game seasons, the standard was 8 wins to be a pretty good year?
Ghost
June 8th, 2012
11:28 am
Joey so has Richt not to the same degree as bear, from 2002 -2008 Richt won 81% of his games and for that period had the highest winning % in the SEC.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
11:30 am
I am a Bulldog fan, not particularly a Richt fan. You are both. That’s fine. We are still both Bulldogs.
Dawgsgone
June 8th, 2012
11:32 am
Are these morons whoi constantly complain about the moral character of UGA recruits so naive as to believe Athens is the only place these things happen? It may shock them to hear that probably every football player signed by UGA had offers from at least 3-4 OTHER SEC SCHOOLS and that all the “good guy recruits” who wound up at other schools also considered UGA. How about armed robbery at AUBURN, off duty policemaan beat downs in KNOXVILLE, girl friend beatings and abuse inGAINSVILLE, not to mention the fun things going on at Arkansas with coaches/staff members and who knows how many un-reported instances of pot smoking, dui, underage drinking, ect. that goes on in EVERY COLLEGE TOWN that is covered up and “handled internally” (sound familiar DD?). I would challenge anyone to go back five years and research every SEC or ACC school and report ACCURATE information about arrests, dismissals, loss of scholarships, suspensions and see where everyone lines up. Until that happens, STFU about any school being better or worse than the other. They all recruit basically the same players with few exceptions and I’m sure they all behave about the same way wherever they are.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
11:33 am
You guys keep saying “the only good teams” last year, as if they were some average barely ranked teams. They weren’t. They were the best teams in the country. We wen’t the best team in the country. How is that so hard to grasp?
Ghost
June 8th, 2012
11:40 am
Joey, funny you mention it but during that span Bama did lose to Colorado, Vandy and Missouri.
And the loss Florida in 05, you blaming Richt for DJ not playing? In 07 LSU won National Championship losing to Kentucky and 5 loss Arkansas team.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
11:43 am
You keep defending your Bulldog fandom to me, I never understand why you feel the need to do that? That’s on you, if you think that’s ever been in doubt.
But AS a Bulldawg fan, and a logical grown man, I just find it hard to believe that you think its a valid plan of action to post 100% negative comment, time after time, going out of your way to turn any discussion INTO an opportunity to post a negative comment about the head coach as helpful or having some desired impact on the out come. Can you explain that to me?
Nobody asks you to be a Richt “fan”, but recognizing that he is one your side, I just don’t understand this plan. The “perception” is that you do it more for your own agenda, that for the football team’s benefit.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
11:46 am
not 5 but here is the past couple of years.
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/police-blotter/
Joey
June 8th, 2012
12:01 pm
Ok, Ghost, you mentioned that you weren’t comparing the two, but now you definitely are.
For the record, THERE IS NO COMPARISON BETWEEN BEAR BRYANT AND MARK RICHT.
Don’t embarrass yourself with that crap.
And, whatever, AD. Tell you what, you ignore my posts and I’ll do the same. Promise.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
12:12 pm
No I enjoy discussing the topic. I think you know more about the game/history etc, than most. I wish you would keep it on topic though. You just get mad if my opinion doesnt line up with the negative meme of the day, and even when he was never my point, you turn it around as”defending Richt”, and it goes south from there.
I was talking about historical norms in college football, and YOU are the one that made a Richt debate.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
12:28 pm
But I am capable of debating things with myself, and you can simple read along in amusement, if that’s best.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
12:34 pm
“But I am capable of debating things with myself…”
***********************************
I fully believe that, and hate to admit it, but I’d probably read every word . . .
Ghost
June 8th, 2012
12:37 pm
Joey, I just pulled bear out of thin air for the hell of it , it could be said for numerous “special” coaches, you made the asinine comment special coaches don’t have 3 year periods like this and I bet they didn’t lose to Colorado or bah blah. .
Joey
June 8th, 2012
12:48 pm
Ghost, my point was that Richt is not “special,” and I stand by that. I said Richt alsways loses games he shouldn’t. Bear, along with many others, all had unbeaten seasons – thus their most talented teams didn’t lose games they shouldn’t have. Even Richt’s best teams did so. That was my point. You brought up the “3 year perio” stuff.
Someone wrote on the Junkyard Blawg this week that Richt is the 6th highest paid coach in the SEC.
I guess McGarity agrees with me that Richt ain’t “special.”
That McGarity guy must be asinine also . . .
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
1:11 pm
Bear Bryant, Vince Dooley……….go.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
1:14 pm
I don’t understand that remark,AD.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
1:21 pm
Following that exchange it does seem that Ghost is correct, The original comment was that special coaches don’t have 3 yrs periods like that…..the second point was never to “colorado in his down year…..and his responce was directly to THOSE point. The undefeated seasons was a 3rd subsequent follow up.
Just talking out loud to myself.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
1:40 pm
I stand corrected – I did write “…the last 3 seasons…” Apologies, Ghost, on that point.
I do think my greater point on the “special” tag, was in the next two paragraphs:
“I would say that special coaches beat teams that they shouldn’t beat, occasionally. It’s been a long time since our guy has done that.”
“Instead, he tends to lose games that he shouldn’t every season.”
I would also add that if “special” applies to head coaches who have won 2 SEC Titles, what adjective would we use to describe the dozen or so that won many, many more?
JB
June 8th, 2012
2:53 pm
This contract smells fishy. Dean of SEC coach’s. Second best winning percentage for active SEC coach’s……………..And no raise and soft buy out? An exit plan may be in play, at Marks request, and this protects recruiting……..And Richt’s wife finished with nursing school next year………..Can you spell full time missionary.
Joey
June 8th, 2012
3:18 pm
I can – full time missionary.
AltamahaDawg
June 8th, 2012
4:22 pm
Pretty safe bet that I would have mis-spelled missionary.
dan
June 9th, 2012
4:25 pm
Mark Richt’s greatest strength is he is great man who values building up his players over winning.
Mark Richt’s greatest weakness is he is great man who values building up his players over winning.
There is value in being process oriented, which I think Coach Richt is. But there is also value in having high goals and aggressively going after them. That is, and always has been, my biggest problem with Richt. I don’t think he’s ever had the GOAL of winning a National Title in his mind, and I for one wonder ” WHY THE HELL NOT??”. I mean shoot Coach you were a part of two National Title teams at FSU, don’t you want that for UGA? Look if Richt wins us a National Title and then wants to slack off like Dooley did his last few years, I’m fine with that. But this “mailing it in mindset” that he had after 2007 after only winning a couple of Conference titles was unbelievable! You can’t just sit around and expect things to happen, sometimes you have to force the issue! I mean c’mon Coach, don’t you WANT to win a National Title? Damn it….
Oh well, Gooo Dawgs…good luck this year!