Those Calling For Mark Richt’s Job Should Be Careful What They Wish For
It only took about 30 seconds after the Georgia loss to Georgia Tech was official for the huddled masses of Mark Richt haters to let themselves be heard once again.
Mark Richt has won 75 percent of the games he has coached in 14 seasons at the University of Georgia.
75 percent.
That’s apparently not good enough for some.
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No…to some, losing a few games a year, and failing to reach that ultimate goal of a national championship is reason enough to spew words containing ridiculous malevolence towards one of the top coaches in college football.
If you were a salesperson, and you closed 75 percent of the deals you worked on, you’d be made a partner. In the NFL, if a coach sticks around for 14 years and wins with that type of efficiency, they’re erecting statues of him outside the stadium.
But Mark Richt…he should be fired.
He can’t win the big one, he loses to rivals, he makes bad coaching decisions, he’s too nice, he doesn’t do enough with the talent he recruits.
Yeah, we’ve heard it all from you before. We know about your second-guessing of coaching decisions. We’ve seen all your so-called love for the program channeled into hate for the head coach. We know you want change, and you want it now.
Do us a favor and stow it before you get what you wish for.
The bottom line is, Mark Richt wins. He wins a lot, and he wins big games (despite the contention to the contrary). For those who think that winning a national championship just consists of having good recruiting classes, there are about 20-25 other programs in the nation who’d like to respectfully disagree with you.
Shortsighted fans who don’t see the big picture and have a “win now at all costs” attitude obviously can’t see that successful programs who have fired coaches with a history of winning have fallen are hard times, and some are still digging out of it.
For those of you who think Richt doesn’t win “enough”, you should go spend a few weeks as a member of the Tennessee Volunteers fan base. They had a coach named Phil Fulmer who wasn’t winning enough to suit them. They ran him out of Knoxville in 2009, ready to take that next step…and look at them now. Still suffering the aftereffects of Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley, struggling to even find a way to become bowl eligible.
How about Ole Miss? Yes, they’ve had a pretty successful season (by Ole Miss standards) this season, but when they gave David Cutcliffe (who had a .604 winning percentage) the boot after the 2004 season, they spent the next seven seasons saddled with Ed Orgeron and Houston Nutt who led them to a .286 and .480 winning percentage, respectively.
Even Georgia’s own Vince Dooley took from 1964-1980 — 17 seasons — to win a national championship
Even as recent as this year. the Texas Longhorns apparently had enough of Mack Brown‘s nine and ten win seasons, and decided to “let him resign” in favor of the upstart Charlie Strong, who has led the Burnt Orange Nation to a 6-6 record, and several embarrassing defeats to big rivals.
The point is, why abandon winning and a more than decent shot at the big prize for the unknown? If a program is in a steep decline, then the risk is absolutely worth it, but in Georgia’s case? Not even close.
To go along with that .738 winning percentage, you can throw in six appearances in the SEC Championship game, two conference championships, 13 (about to be 14) bowl appearances with an 8-5 record, and six finishes in the AP Top 10.
But yeah…let’s get rid of this guy. He’s got warts.
Sure, Mark Richt has his flaws, anyone who knows football can see that. But here’s a news flash for those who are so quick to point out said flaws…
So does every other coach in the nation.
Yes…even Nick Saban. But you don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. Championship teams need a lot of ingredients, and the head coach is only one of them.
Here’s something else to chew on, for those of you who contend “Georgia will never win a national championship under Richt”.
Never is a mighty long time, and that’s a pretty broad (not to mention stupid) statement.
Dec 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt (right) chats with Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban (left) prior to the start of the 2012 SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Paterno took over as head coach at Penn State in 1966. He won his first national championship in 1982…17 seasons.
Bobby Bowden took over as head coach at Florida State in 1976. He won his first national championship in 1993…18 seasons.
Tom Osborne took over as head coach at Nebraska in 1973. He won his first national championship in 1994…22 seasons
Even Georgia’s own Vince Dooley took from 1964-1980 — 17 seasons — to win a national championship, and there are those who contend that he may not have even accomplished that were it not for the arrival of Herschel Walker.
For heaven’s sake, it even took Bear Bryant 17 years of head coaching at various stops before he rang the championship bell. But last time I checked, all of those guys are legends with their individual schools. Revered. Legends.
I’m waiting….here it comes…it’s inevitable….
“But what about Nick Saban?”
Yes, Nick Saban has had incredible success at every stop (we’ll just ignore that whole Miami Dolphins thing), and goody goody for Nick Saban. You know what he is? He’s what’s known as “the exception”. He is not the rule. There is no pool of Nick Sabans sitting out there for Georgia to dip into and pull out a national championship.
Just ask Michigan, or Colorado, or Florida about the luck of that process. Nebraska is about to come to that harsh reality as well.
(And if you mention Urban Meyer, you’re as blind as you are overemotional when it comes to this subject).
So be careful what you wish for. Keep tempting the football gods and throwing up hollow prayers that Richt will become the next victim of the modern why-can’t-you-win-every-game college football fan’s mentality. Maybe he’ll decide he doesn’t need the stress and browbeating by such ungrateful fans. Maybe another school will make him feel warm and welcomed, and he’ll turn his back on us.
And if that happens, and Georgia is wallowing once again in .500 seasons, and finding reason to rejoice in simply beating Georgia Tech, and no one else of consequence, then maybe you’ll understand what kind of coach Georgia has, and what he means to this program.