Richard Morgan, the coach who led Marietta to a Class 7A championship in 2019, announced he was stepping down Wednesday.

GPB Sports commentator Matt Stewart was the first to report the news on social media.

Morgan came to Marietta in 2016 from Virginia’s Oscar Smith High, which Morgan made nationally prominent while winning two state championships.

Marietta reached the state quarterfinals for the first time in 23 years in Morgan’s second season and won a state championship two years later with one of the Georgia’s most talented teams in history. B.J. Ojulari and Kimani Vidal from that team are playing in the NFL. The star player was tight end Arik Gilbert, who was the AJC’s all-classification player of the year.

Marietta beat Lowndes 17-9 in the 2019 championship game, giving Marietta its first state title since 1967.

Marietta struggled over the next five seasons, going 20-36 overall and 2-8 this season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia linebacker Chris Cole (center), here celebrating his fumble recovery in the Bulldogs' November win over Tennessee, and KJ Bolden (right) are among the young players UGA will be counting on in 2025. (Jason Getz/AJC 2024)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Bumper to bumper traffic travels northbound on the I-85 just past the I-285 overpass, also known as Spaghetti Junction, in Doraville. In late May and June of this year, several drivers have pulled out weapons and fired guns at other motorists on metro Atlanta roadways. (Jason Getz/AJC 2023)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com