Mark Richt shares heartfelt message after national championship
Former Georgia football head coach Mark Richt shared a heartfelt message with Dawg Nation after attending the national championship celebration on Saturday. After 15 years running the program, he handed the keys over to Kirby Smart in 2015 and can now enjoy the ultimate prize which he chased on behalf of the school for so long.
“Just left the Georgia Football national championship celebration,” Mark Richt posted on Twitter. “The stadium was packed! What a tribute to the bulldog nation!”
Richt made his triumphant return to the school this season when they honored his tenure. He received a round of applause from fans and saw the marching band spell out his name at halftime of the Missouri game.
Over 15 seasons at the helm of Georgia, Richt amassed a 145-51 overall record, placing him 10th among the SEC’s all-time winningest coaches. In the build-up to the event, the University of Georgia sent a thoughtful thank you to the former head coach.
“We are so appreciative of all of Coach Richt’s contributions to the University of Georgia,” athletic director Josh Brooks said in a Sept. 9 press release, when Georgia first announced the impending ceremony. “His impact on Georgia football, the athletic association and the Athens community is immeasurable. We are thrilled we are able to honor him at Sanford Stadium this season.”
Greg Sankey addresses Georgia crowd
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey joined the festivities in Athens, Georgia as coaches, fans and players reminisce about their first national championship in 41 years. He spoke briefly to the sold-out crowd and could not help himself from dropping a subtle joke toward his colleagues debating CFP expansion.
The SEC has benefited greatly in the College Football Playoff era, often placing two teams in the four-team field with two Alabama-Georgia matchups in the championship game over the past five seasons. As the commissioners across college football continued issuing statements about what went wrong in the latest round of negotiations to expand the CFP field further, Greg Sankey joked about the SEC’s well-documented stance.
“I think the 4-team playoff model worked pretty well this year, don’t you?” Sankey said, via SB Nation’s Graham Coffey.
Throughout the negotiations, Greg Sankey and the SEC have remained firm on their demands for any expanded CFP field, creating some tension with other conferences who felt uneasy after the summer heist of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12. As talks continue, it appears other issues across the game could take priority while SEC schools enjoy the four-team field a few years longer.