Mark Richt says family — not the Georgia Bulldogs — is the reason he and his wife again call Athens home.
“We’re in Athens, but we’re actually in ‘grandparent heaven’ right now,” Richt said Thursday morning in an interview with WSB radio’s Scott Slade.
Richt and his wife, Katharyn, enjoy spending time with three grandchildren who live right down the street. Richt’s second-oldest son, Jon, and his wife, Anna, nearby with their children. His daughter, Anya, his mother, his father and stepmother, his two sisters and brother and nieces and nephews also live in the Athens area.
While coaching the Bulldogs from 2001 to 2015, Richt lived in nearby Watkinsville. After three years at the University of Miami, Richt retired from coaching in 2018. Then in 2021, he announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder.
Parkinson’s affects 10 million people worldwide and there is no cure, though there are some treatments, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
“It’s going good, it’s just something you have to manage,” Richt told Slade.
The disease has caused him poor balance and slower movement. But Richt says it isn’t stopping him. He continues to work as college football analyst for the ACC Network.
“For the most part, I can do most of the things that I still like to do and I’m thankful for that,” he said.
Richt also discussed the new 12-team college football playoff that will begin next season. The Bulldogs will again be contenders, he said, thanks to solid recruiting by current coach Kirby Smart and the return of quarterback Carson Beck.
“It would be a shock to the entire county if Georgia didn’t make it to the playoffs,” Richt said. “I think Georgia’s going to be right in the middle of it, as usual.”
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