High School Sports
High School Sports

Marietta football coach resigns; won historic 2019 state title

Marietta head coach Richard Morgan reacts to a official's call in the second half of play Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 at Harrison High School. (Daniel Varnado/ For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Daniel Varnado

Credit: Daniel Varnado

Marietta head coach Richard Morgan reacts to a official's call in the second half of play Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 at Harrison High School. (Daniel Varnado/ For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
By
Nov 6, 2024

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

Todd Holcomb has been a contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1985. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.

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