Mark Richt, Tommy Tuberville are ‘buddies’

Athens - Georgia coach Mark Richt and Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville spent a lot of time together this past summer as they toured the Middle East and visited U.S. troops along with three other coaches. But Richt said they were friends before that.

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AP

In May, President Bush makes a statement to reporters after meeting with five NCAA football coaches who visited military bases in the Middle East to boost morale with military personnel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Pictured from left to right: Jack Siedlecki of Yale University; Mark Richt of the University of Georgia; Randy Shannon of the University of Miami; Bush; Tommy Tuberville of Auburn University; and Charlie Weiss of the University of Notre Dame.

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“We were coaching together at East Carolina,” Richt said. “He said it was for a week. I’m not even sure it was a week. I think it might have been a day or two.”

Tuberville actually was only there in Greenville, N.C., a short time in early January of 1989, where he was to be defensive coordinator for Bill Lewis. He left to take the job of linebackers coach at Miami.

“We’re buddies,” Richt said.