Georgia’s last national championship came in 1980 under the legendary head coach Vince Dooley – who hired Richt away from Florida State University, where he spent seven seasons as offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden. Richt wore the school’s colors on his tie and team logo on a lapel pin and a wristband underneath the cuff of his shirt.
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Georgia will owe Richt a buyout of $4.1 million, according to the contract extension he signed in January.
During his exit press conference on Monday, Richt said he is open to coaching if given the possibility. Georgia has offered him an opportunity to work in the athletic department, but he indicated that he would like to continue coaching.
“I was very surprised that they fired him”, said Ramin Parsa, a sophomore from Marietta.
One of them could be at Miami.
Richt, a Boca Raton native who played at Boca High, was a quarterback for the Hurricanes from 1978 to 1982.
He went as far as to say that one of the things he wished he could have done differently was be more “hands on” as a coach during his 15-year tenure at Georgia.
Parsa, however, said he understood the decision because the program has not lived up to fan expectations in recent years. “I’m kind of (ticked) off. He’s just a great dude, great coach, man, and I just hate to see that happen”.
Now, his future as Georgia’s coach will include only one game. A source indicated that the school was quietly looking for a coach over the past week.
Richt defenders felt like their guy made up for any shortfalls as a coach with the way he carried himself and represented his university.
Houston coach Tom Herman is another possible candidate.
McGarity said he anticipated there would be some backlash for firing a coach as popular as Richt. Bobo is 7-5 and won his last four regular-season games in his first season at Colorado State. The partnership gave Georgia 145 wins along with a pair of SEC championships. He won the conference title in 2002 and 2005, making five appearances.
The Bulldogs coaching staff will be asked to remain through the bowl game. “Good husband, good father, good citizen of our country, and hopefully a leader”.
Richt could choose a path very different from those three by getting back into coaching.
It appears that the major sticking point is that Richt has not been able to win a national championship. It was clear after the game that Richt had no plans to step down. The win left Richt 13-2 in the state rivalry. He says he is “not proud of some of my decisions” but is cooperating as he deals with the legal process.
Richt’s and Miles’ resumés are not just accomplished, they are gaudy.
Richt has stated repeatedly that he didn’t intend to pursue any other jobs, which has been confirmed by those around him. “A handshake means something around here”, McGarity said. “We enjoy family”, Richt said. He began his career as a graduate assistant (1985-88). Instead, he spoke with passion about the chance to coach again and to have more direct involvement in coaching quarterbacks and calling plays.
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Dawson said all the players appreciate “how much he loves everybody”.
