Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity
Dear Mr. McGarity,
I hope you’ll forgive my presumption that you might listen to me — on the other hand, if this message resonates with the Bulldog nation and becomes viral, and you won’t be able to ignore it.
I tried this “unsolicited advice” tactic once before, and things worked out pretty well.
While I can’t claim that my effort led to things working out to UGA’s advantage, what I wrote obviously didn’t hurt the Dawgs. And Roquan Smith sure looks great in red.
Now I know you have a very difficult job, trying to keep the Bulldog fan base happy. Some “fans” have called for you to fire Mark Richt, even though our coach has managed to win nine tough games, including both Auburn and Georgia Tech on the road. This is in spite of the fact Coach Richt currently has the highest rated recruiting class during his entire tenure, with the chance to finish strong and dramatically improve the final ranking.
Georgia could finish with the top ranked recruiting class. If Coach Richt and his staff can persuade blue-chip players like Isaac Nauta, Mecole Hardman, Derrick Brown, E. J. Price, Willie Allen, Demetris Robertson, Shyheim Carter, Tyler Simmons, Brian Burns, or a few similar highly prized recruits to come to Athens to play with Jacob Eason, we could have the necessary talent needed to play for SEC titles and national championships against the likes of Nick Saban, in spite of the advantage in financial support for his program at Alabama.
Most of these kids have expressed strong interest or said they want to come to Georgia, but they want Mark Richt and Jeremy Pruitt to be there to coach them. The uncertainty that has surrounded our program since the Tennessee game may have cost us the commitment of Kyle Davis, once considered a virtual lock to sign with UGA.
Why would Davis want to leave the state for a program like Auburn? Could the $15 million dollars more per year Auburn spends on their football program have something to do with it?
Fran Tarkenton has said that he thinks Jeremy Pruitt needs to be fired, in spite of the fact Pruitt has our defense playing as well as they did under Erk Russell. Earlier this season, rumors even circulated that Coach Pruitt was about to be fired which fortunately proved to be untrue.
I hope you’ve heard that after the Georgia Tech game today, Coach Pruitt told reporters that he hopes to stay in Athens. If Coach Richt wants Pruitt to stay — and he certainly should want him to coach our defense next year — then please help make sure that happens.
You’ve got the power, Mr. McGarity. You’ve got the authority. Please open your wallet and pay what it takes to make Georgia the beast of the SEC East and a perennial contender for national championships.
All of our current coaches want to stay, and you should want them to stay. Only three short years ago, Coach Richt had us only five yards and one play away from the national championship game.
AP photo of Coaches Pruitt (L) and Richt (R)
Jeremy Pruitt was on the other sideline that game, working for Nick Saban. If Jeremy Pruitt had been coaching our defense instead of Todd Grantham in that game, the results would almost certainly have been different, because Grantham’s defense could not stop the run.
Over the past two years, Jeremy Pruitt’s defenses have shown us flashes of brilliance reminiscent of the glory days, of legendary defensive coordinator Erk Russell and his Junkyard Dawg defense, which often dominated and sometimes even won football games.
I’ve got a confession to make, Mr. McGarity. There is a petition asking President Morehead to fire you and I’ve been thinking about whether or not I should sign it. Even though I don’t like the idea of speculating whether or not someone who doesn’t work for me should keep their job, you need to step up to the plate, if you know what I mean.
Instead of calling for your head, I prefer to politely ask you to rectify this situation and make amends.
Question: why is it that Alabama will spend $51 million dollars this year on their football program, and you’re only spending $26 million? You can’t say that we don’t have the money.
So why are you pinching pennies on the football program. when it brings in well over $80 million per year in annual revenue? Even South Carolina is currently spending more money, though our football program has been ranked as the third most profitable in America.
Why is this true, Mr. McGarity?
Bulldog fans are clamoring to compete for national championships. Some fans do blame Coach Richt, but I wonder if they realize how stingy you’ve been with the revenue the program earns for the school. Why weren’t adequate resources put at Coach Richt’s disposal a long time ago?
It’s time to loosen up the pursestrings.
As I type this message to you, I am listening to Buck Belue in the background, saying that you “didn’t respond” to questions about Coach Richt’s status after the game.
Is Kevin Sumlin really worth a million dollars a year more than Coach Richt, in your opinion? If so, why, when his record isn’t nearly as impressive? It makes no sense to me.
So here’s what I think you should do, at a minimum: make an immediate announcement saying that you plan to extend Coach Richt’s contract for another year, and then convince him to sign it. But what I really hope you’ll do is to open up your checkbook again to give all of our coaches a raise. It would demonstrate your commitment to support developing the football program to the point where it competes for championships.
A bold move such as that would show players like Rashan Gary that you are fully support these coaches and the team and believe they will succeed at the highest level, given time and adequate resources. Most reasonable people understand that you can’t drive a Porsche 911 when you only have the budget for a Volkswagen Beetle.
Recruiters from other schools will use the uncertainty to undermine the crucial recruiting efforts of Coach Richt and his staff. Please consider taking decisive action that quells the rumors, Mr. McGarity.
Frankly, Coach Richt and Georgia football deserve your full support.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t expect you will pay much attention if I’m the only person who feels this way. However, I don’t think I am, and hopefully those Bulldogs reading this appeal who agree with me will echo my sentiments by either calling, or dropping a brief note to you in the mail in support of our coach, to the following address:
UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity
P.O. Box 1472
Athens, GA. 30603
For those who prefer to call, the phone number for the athletic department is (706)542-9036.
(Author’s note: the phone number has been corrected. Suffered mild dyslexia last night and transposed two digits in the phone number — mea culpa.)
Bulldog fans — if you support Coach Richt, make your voices heard! Please share this article with your friends, and ask for their help.
If Mr. McGarity sees that the Bulldog nation overwhelmingly supports Coach Richt, he may actually do what we’d like and stay the course.
My husband and I are both graduates from UGA. Our daughter graduated and received her Masters of. accounting there! we are all 100% in support do Mark. Richt. We would be very disappointed to see him let go and be made available to another school. He has been a huge asset to UGA and we want him to stay.
Come on be a team support the G.
Well stated! Whole heartedly agree.
I am a Hartman Fund contributor and a season ticket holder and I also financially support the UGA Ladies Auxilliary.edu/ Flagline Ladies. I fully support Coach Mark Richt and his tremendous efforts to produce winning teams at UGA despite the poor financial support from the Athletic Dept. The new indoor practice facility is a step in the right direction. CMR has been requesting this much needed facility for years. I feel like this university can & should open up the purse strings to help him accomplish this goal and entice the quality recruits to choose UGA over our competitor schools. I for one am considering withdrawing my financial support and season ticket purchases if Coach CMR is not retained as head coach at The UGA. Now, with that being said, I believe that a hard look should be taken at the offensive Coordinator and the offensive line coach should be critically evaluated for their lack of performance. That is my opinion for whatever it is worth.
Thank you Mr. McGarrity for your support in advance and as always, Go Dawgs !
Mark richt is a good coach and seems be a good godly man that love his team and players I think we give more chances and time he will win us a big soon
I fully support coach richt. Please open the checkbook so that we can get the recruits we need.
The phone number you listed has been disconnected. Please post correct number
Sorry, transposed two digits. The number has been fixed. Thank you for calling the mistake to my attention.
Mea culpa.
I too support the Hartman Fund and will continue to do so if the decision makers at UGA plan to keep Coach Mark Richt. I can’t see myself financially supporting a program that doesn’t realize what letting our Coach go would do to our program. It would take years to recover what he has built at UGA. I hope the people that donate huge sums of money do not take away Mr. McGarity’s common sense.
I agree with this article 100%. Very well done!
We are also Hartman Fund supporters, not in the class of the big money donors, but have been since the 70’s. Our sentiments are the same as Jimmy Millards. Keep Coach Richt.
Looks like they have fired Coach Richt. What a mistake McGarity should have never been hired. We have had season tickets fifteen years very disappointed.
Mark is a great guy. But, sometimes things need to change. And this is one of those times. UGA should be expected to win championship level games AND produce quality men. The two can happen at the same time. I find it offensive to be labeled as anything less than “a true DGD” because I expect and want more from the team and the coach. I was a Dawg fan before Mark came to UGA and will continue to love the Dawgs for the rest of my life. It is true that Mark is indeed a Godly man, but are we really willing to say that all the other coaches out there aren’t? There will be a good man on the sidelines next year also.
I don’t really care if you’re offended, Chris.
I was also a Dawg fan long before Richt, but in the past, the moves sort of made sense to me. Donnan was a desperation hire because of the Glen Mason disaster. But certain coaches perceived as “winners” won’t be able to cut it in Athens – Jimbo Fisher, for example.
McGarity hasn’t spent the money to keep up with Alabama or even Auburn, and he’s punishing Richt for his own failures.
You have no idea who’s going to be hired, or what he’s going to have for a team now that our recruiting class will probably start falling apart. I’d be surprised if Eason still comes. If I was him, I wouldn’t go 3000 miles to play for a coach I don’t know.
But you said “great guy” and what you should have said was “great coach.”
Well John, if I had wanted to say “great coach”, I would have. Honestly I was trying to not fall into the childish antics of so many, but that must not be possible. Rest assured that the lack of concern runs both ways. As for future hires and recruits, you are correct. I don’t know who will come. It won’t be hard to maintain the level of mediocrity shown recently. As it is your page, I wonder if your “unsolicited advice” or comment can continue or if everyone has to fall into lock step with your opinion.
By the way, the sky is not falling because of this…But the silly, hysterical comments are a bit comical.
I am just a fan…. I love Richt as our coach, I do wish at times he would play to win instead of playing not to lose… I hope to see him in the pros he would do better coaching men than boys. Just my thoughts
Sorry, John but I have to disagree with you. I am also a Christian and try to influence those around me, but if I don’t do my JOB well that fact won’t keep me employed. Richt is a great man but he is NOT a great coach. He has built a strong winning percentage against the weak sisters, but not only failed to win against stronger teams and very often managed to look ill-prepared in losing to them. He has never been even a “good” game manager; his clock management is weak and his strategy often puzzling. And often his players lacked energy and enthusiasm.
UGA does not spend millions for mediocre and we have been “mediocre to poor” against competitive programs. I admire Coach Richt and wish him well, but he was not great at his job.
Dear Mr.Leonard, I find your article very interesting. I had no idea. Having said that, I find it hard to believe that Mr. McCarty convinced the President and Board of Trustees and higher powers at UGA that winning was not important above all else in Athens. Mr. Richt has coached there 15 years and only 2 SEC titles to show for it. The Powers to be at UGA convinced him and instilled in him the belief that winning was not the most important thing. I grew up in Georgia. Her Herschel Walker was an idol. I have lived in FL since 96 and now follow the Gators. I go to games and hear the old alumni loved Muschamp. Highest grade rate in history. Clean program. At UF, u get 3 years, u don’t win, your gone!
Sorry about the spelling…I hate auto correct!
#RichtforAD
If you think 9-3 is a definition of mediocrity, then you obviously don’t know the real meaning of the word.
Since Fulmer was fired, Tennessee has been and remains mediocre. They could have been good this year, if their coach had been Mark Richt instead of Butch Jones.
I allow for dissenting opinions up to a point, but you’re right — it is my website, and the posts are moderated. But sometimes I let really harsh or offensive comments remain because they can help me look good as I respond to them.
A .740 winning percentage does not qualify as a record of excellence? On what planet?
Did I mention Coach Richt’s religious beliefs? What does Christianity have to do with football? I am speaking merely based on his record of accomplishments, which makes Richt the greatest coach in Georgia history. Dooley’s win pct was only .715.
It seems as if some commenters didn’t even read the article. The important point is that the other SEC teams are putting a lot more into their football programs. Richt has probably done better with the resources he had than anyone else would have done. As a friend pointed out to me yesterday, Georgia (and Georgia fans) expect to perform like Alabama but spend like Kentucky.
We just lost Kyle Davis to that “mediocre ” Auburn program that Mark Richt has beaten 8 out of 10 times, something Alabama can’t even claim.
The next coach will have to beat our hated rival Georgia Tech 14 of 15 times to better Mark Richt’s record against the team Florida State lost to this year. Before CMR came to Georgia, Tenn. had beaten our Dawgs 10 of the past 12 times…now Tenn. has finally won 1 of the last six…
CMR is 5 or 6 and 0 against Ole Miss and about as good against Arkansas of the supposedly great SEC Western Division. Are we crazy? Top recruiting class? Each year a potential Heisman Trophy winner? Still no indoor field house? Auburn has already built it’s 2nd field house to replace the first one? Good thing Greg McGarity wasn’t AD in 1979 when Vince Dooley had just finished his 15th year 6-5 and still no National Championship!
We all know what happened in 1980!
John L. you may be on to something here::
FIRE GREG MCGARITY! !!
Greg McGarity may be able to save himself here if he is pulling a Donald Trump on the Florida game contract which is supposed to be renewed this year.
Rumor has it that McGarity is negotiating new 5 year contracts that puts the Georgia/ Florida game in the new Billion dollar Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta for 5 years with the 5 years after that back to Jacksonville, before returning to ATLANTA.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT ! This would prove McGarity s worth.
Nothing will redeem McGarity after this, in my opinion.
What difference does it make where the game is played, if we don’t field a competitive team? This year’s recruiting class WAS going to be huge. Now it’s in complete shambles, two months from signing day.
You’re looking to make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear, I’m afraid.