Mark Richt was officially introduced Friday as the Miami Hurricanes' 24th football coach.
Richt's return to his alma mater drew an excited crowd. Present were Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde and former Hurricane All-American linebacker Jon Vilma, both were involved in the process of selecting Richt as head coach.
From the University of Miami's Shalala Student Center, Richt flashed "The U" sign, saying he was "excited to be home."
Richt played quarterback for the Hurricanes under legendary head coach Howard Schnellenberger. He spent most of his career at Miami as a backup to former Buffalo Bills star Jim Kelly.
"I don't want to make any promises," Richt said in his opening remarks. "I want to promise we're going to get to work and earn a right to victory."
He finished his opening statement by saying this would be his final coaching stop.
"My goal is to finish my coaching career at 'The U.' "
That was a promise he also made when hired at Georgia 15 years ago.
Richt said he was first approached about coaching at Miami when the Hurricanes dismissed Al Golden in late October. Richt said he was not interested in the position until he was fired Sunday by Georgia.
"I've been saying no for 15 years," he explained. "It was time to be interested."
Richt was fired Sunday as Georgia's coach, compiling a 145-51 overall record and an 85-40 mark in the Southeastern Conference. He went 19-3 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents when he was at Georgia.
Richt will be the Hurricanes' 24th head coach. He would not say if any staff from Georgia would be following him to Coral Gables. He said he had been fielding calls and messages from people interested in joining him at Miami.
"I have not made any promises to anybody," Richt said.
On Friday, Richt held a players' meeting at 8 a.m. at the team's football facility.
He said he told the players he was proud of how they handled adversity this season and spoke candidly about his expectations.
Regarding players who are currently committed to Georgia, Richt simply said, "recruiting is not over until it is over."
He said he would assess the Hurricanes' class for 2016 and make determinations on potential players.
Before his press conference Richt began his official function as head coach, by standing behind the cameras:
