After
five years heading up the Bulldog program, Mark
Richt has made it clear that winning with
consistency will be a standard for years to come. In
five seasons, his Georgia teams have won three SEC
Eastern Division titles, two SEC championships, and
his 52-13 record is sixth best in the country since
2001. Picked to finish third in the SEC East, his
2005 team exceeded all expectations with a 10-2
regular season finish and SEC championship defeating
third-ranked LSU in the title game. He was elected
2005 SEC Coach of the Year by the SEC Coaches. The
accomplishment put him in select company as one of
only six coaches in SEC history to win two league
titles within their first five seasons joining
Alabama’s Frank Thomas, Florida’s Steve Spurrier,
LSU’s Bernie Moore and Nick Saban, and Georgia’s
Vince Dooley. His Bulldog teams since he arrived are
also an amazing 19-2 when playing on the opponents’
home field.
His 2004 team finished 10-2, won a third straight
bowl game, and finished in the nation’s top six in
the final national rankings for the third
consecutive season. Along the way in ‘04, the ‘Dogs
defeated defending national champion LSU, Georgia
Tech for the fourth straight time and upended
Florida for the first time since 1997.
Richt had the ‘Dogs in the SEC title game for the
second time in a row in ‘03, defeated Purdue in the
Capital One Bowl, and had the ‘Dogs in the top ten
again with a final USA Today/ESPN Coaches ranking of
6th and a final AP ranking of 7th. Richt’s 2003 team
relied heavily on a defense that ranked 2nd
nationally in Scoring Defense (14.5 ppg), 4th in
Total Defense (276.86 ypg), 6th in Passing Defense
(174.5 ypg), and 14th nationally in Turnover Margin
(+.79) and an offense that, despite some
inconsistency, managed to find a way to win.
In 2002, he led the Dogs to its first SEC
championship in 20 years, defeated Florida State in
the Nokie Sugar Bowl, and finished the season with a
number three national ranking. Georgia’s
championship run was a complete team effort, with
the Dogs winning five games by a touchdown or less.
Among Richt’s team were three first team
All-Americans and eight first team All-SEC
performers. Richt himself was a consensus choice as
SEC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the
Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award. In
addition, the ‘02 Bulldogs led the SEC in both
scoring offense (32.2 ppg) and scoring defense (15.1
ppg).
By the time his inaugural season in 2001 came to
a close, he had become the first Georgia coach since
H.J. Stegeman in 1920 to win eight games in his
inaugural season. He had also handed Tennessee its
only regular season defeat (in Knoxville on national
television) and beaten arch rival Georgia Tech (for
the first time since 1997).
The excitement Richt’s teams produced on the
field has been matched by many other aspects
surrounding the program. Richt has generated an
atmosphere of excitement and unity among the Georgia
people. Georgia supporters and fans became impressed
with his sincerity, openness, family values, and the
casual and genuine way he carried himself. They
liked his ideas on building a football program, his
commitment to discipline, and the importance he
placed on standards of excellence on and off the
field.
And they liked the way he refused to set
limitations on what would be a satisfactory season.
“I like to set our goals high,” he said. “I never
want to put a ceiling on what we can accomplish.”
Richt’s reputation for developing quarterbacks
obviously has continued at UGA. Among the highlights
of his first season was redshirt freshman
quarterback David Greene being named SEC Freshman of
the Year after a season in which Greene set the
school record for passing yards (2,789) and passing
TD’s (17) by a freshman. And in ‘02, Greene led the
SEC in passing efficiency and was the consensus
choice for All-SEC first team. By the end of his
career, Greene had become the SEC’s all-time leading
passer (11,528 yards) and set the NCAA Division 1-A
record for career victories by a starting QB with
42. D.J. Shockley followed Greene in 2005 and led
the SEC in passing efficiency.
The NFL is also looking Georgia’s way. Nineteen
of Richt’s players have been chosen in the NFL draft
over the last three years included eight players
drafted in the 2002 NFL draft--the most Georgia
players ever selected in a single year.
His career as a Bulldog began as a Christmas
present that actually came the day after most gifts
had been opened. On Dec. 26, 2000, Richt was named
head coach at the University of Georgia after
serving on the staff at Florida State for 15
years—the last seven as offensive coordinator.
Richt, a 1982 graduate of the University of
Miami, coached the quarterbacks for 14 seasons at
FSU. As offensive coordinator, he developed offenses
that were among the most prolific in college
football history while becoming one of country’s
most respected coaches.
His personal and professional development paid
off as athletic director Vince Dooley introduced him
to the media and the Georgia people as UGA’s 25th
head football coach at a day-after-Christmas press
conference.
Richt’s notoriety at FSU developed over the years
through an innovative offensive style and a long
list of excellent quarterbacks including two Heisman
Trophy winners: Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.
Under Richt’s direction, the FSU offense had been
a national leader. In this seven years as offensive
coordinator, the Seminoles finished in the nation’s
top five in scoring offense on five occasions, top
12 in total offense five times, and top 12 in
passing offense five times. His 2000 offense
finished the regular season ranked first nationally
in total offense (549.0 ypg), first in passing
offense (384.0 ypg), and third in scoring offense
(42.4 ppg).
Richt sent six FSU quarterbacks into the NFL
between 1987 and 2000. In addition to Weinke
(Carolina Panthers), Washington Redskin Casey Weldon
was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1991.
His teammate at FSU, Brad Johnson (now Richt’s
brother-in-law), was a Pro Bowl selection for
Washington in 2000 and led the Tampa Bay Bucs to the
Super Bowl title in 2003. Other Richt pro proteges
include Danny Kanell (New York Giants), Danny
McManus (Kansas City Chiefs) and Peter Tom Willis
(Chicago Bears).
Richt logged 14 years as quarterbacks coach at
Florida State, including 11 straight in that role,
after returning from a one year stint as the
offensive coordinator at East Carolina in 1989.
Richt had served as a graduate assistant and then
volunteer quarterbacks coach for the Seminoles from
1985-88.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Richt came to
Tallahassee with an astute knowledge of the passing
game after playing the position for the Miami
Hurricanes under Howard Schnellenberger. Richt spent
most of his career at Miami as a backup to former
Buffalo Bills star Jim Kelly. In one of Richt’s
years at Miami, his teammates included Kelly, Vinny
Testaverde, Bernie Kosar, and quarterbacks coach
Earl Morral.
Richt is married to the former Katharyn Francis
of Tallahassee. The couple have four children -
Jonathan (born 3/11/90), David (born 12/1/94), Zach
(born 5/15/96), and Anya (born 2/13/97). |