Mark Richt will always have a lofty place in Georgia annals. And, for the moment at least, he’s riding high as the new head coach at Miami.
In fact, he was 49 floors high over Atlanta on Thursday as he spoke to a gathering of Miami alumni and fans at the Commerce Club at the 191 Peachtree Building downtown.
This was the latest stop on the Hurricanes’ spring speaking tour. On Tuesday, Richt was in Amelia Island, Fla., with the rest of the ACC football coaches at the league’s spring meetings. From here stops await in Chicago and New York.
“I’ve never been in this building,” Richt said during a media briefing in the wood-paneled Ivan Allen Room overlooking Peachtree Street. “I was impressed when I walked in here and saw all these different rows of elevators.”
Richt showed up, tanned, relaxed and “feeling at home,” both being in Atlanta and being the head coach at his alma mater for five months now.
“People around here still say it’s hard to get used to you wearing that ‘U,’” Richt said. “But I’m used to it. It’s been five months for me. I’m very comfortable at my alma mater. And, for me, home is where my wife is.”
Richt’s wife, Katharyn, recently completed work for a nursing degree and was in Athens for her graduation earlier this month. Afterward, he and current Georgia coach Kirby Smart exchanged pleasantries via Twitter.
Richt said he and the new Georgia coach actually have a very good relationship, and he wishes the best both for Smart and the Bulldogs.
“I want Georgia to have great success,” Richt said before the speaking engagement. “I love the players there, first of all, but I love Georgia. Georgia was great to me. I know Georgia is going to do well. There’s too many good things going on there. Kirby’s a great coach, a great recruiter. I think he’s an outstanding person. He coached with me for a year, and I got to know him on a personal level, and I know he’s a good guy.”
That said, Richt said he’s not interested in scheduling a regular-season game with UGA anytime soon.
“Hopefully in a playoff game or a bowl game that’s significant,” he said. “Right now I’ve got enough scheduled out for a while now.”
Richt was the second-winningest coach in Georgia history when he coached the Bulldogs from 2001-15. He was 145-51 during his tenure, won two SEC championships (2002, 2005) and led UGA to five SEC title-game appearances.
However, the Bulldogs appeared to have plateaued in recent years, winning double-digit games, but coming up short of SEC championships and, consequently, national championships. He was fired by UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity in late November, the day after the Bulldogs beat Georgia Tech for their fifth win in a row and ninth of season.
About the Author
