LOOK: Mark Richt reacts to Georgia band's halftime honor
The University of Georgia honored former head football coach Mark Richt at halftime of the Bulldogs’ 43-6 win over Missouri on Saturday, and Richt was emotional after seeing Georgia’s Redcoat Marching Band pay tribute.
Richt, 61, is now retired after his coaching career saw him work as a graduate assistant for Florida State (1985-1988), the offensive coordinator for East Carolina (1989), offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Florida State (1990-2000), head coach at Georgia (2001-2015) and head coach at Miami (2016-2018). While coaching the Bulldogs, Richt was a five-time SEC East champion and a two-time SEC champion. Georgia won nine bowl games under his leadership. He was twice named the SEC Coach of the Year.
While on the field Saturday, Georgia’s marching band stood in formation that spelled out “Richt” in script. Richt was on the field, so he didn’t quite make out the formation until seeing an aerial view after the fact; however, he took the time to acknowledge the band’s touching tribute after leaving Samford Stadium.
“I did not see this until the ride home,” Richt said on Twitter. “Humbling. Thank you very much to the Redcoats and thank you especially to the Georgia people who blessed me and my family today! Congratulations Kirby, great victory!”
“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.”
In 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.
During his time at Georgia, he produced 84 NFL Draft picks from 2002 until 2016, including 13 first-round selections. Additionally, 17 of his players were named All-Americans and 106 were tabbed All-SEC selections.
“Katharyn and I are excited about being honored on Nov. 6 in Sanford Stadium,” Richt said in the aforementioned press release. “Athens and the University of Georgia have been very special to us and we are humbled to be a part of the great history and tradition of the football program. We also would like to thank the people of Georgia for the love and support we felt throughout our time in Athens.”
Richt was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but eventually moved to south Florida, where he would go on to graduate high school. While at Boca Raton High, he was one of the state’s most successful quarterbacks, earning offers from numerous Power Five schools, including in-state universities like Miami and Florida State. He went on to play for the University of Miami from 1978-1982, and he was largely the backup to then-starting quarterback Jim Kelly, who went on to have a Hall of Fame-worthy professional football career. Richt, despite limited playing time, tallied nearly 1,500 passing yards in his time with the Hurricanes.
Richt would later return to his alma mater as Miami’s head coach, announcing his move on Dec. 4 of 2015. His tenure at Miami was largely successful on the field, as the 2017 Hurricanes won their first ACC Coastal title and Richt was named ACC Coach of the Year. Shortly thereafter, Richt announced his retirement in Dec. 2018; he spent some time of his retirement as a college football analyst for ESPN.