Mark Richt’s name was called the other night, and he haltingly approached the stage. It wasn’t due to the awkwardness of the moment, though it was a little weird.
A prominent member of the Georgia and FSU and Miami royal football families was being honored by the Florida Gators?
Well, the actual university wasn’t lauding Richt. It was a more preeminent force.
“This guy is definitely one of the class coaches in America,” Steve Spurrier said, “and he’s got the record to prove it.”
He handed Richt the Coaching Legend Award, and the orange-and-blue crowd at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille applauded on cue. It was one of the awards selected by the Football Writers Association of America and named after Spurrier.
Richt has never taken himself too seriously, so it will take a little getting used to being called a legend.
“Not many people say that,” he said. “But when Steve Spurrier says it, it means something.”
As Spurrier noted, Richt’s record makes a pretty case. He lifted Georgia out of its post-Vince Dooley funk, winning two SEC championships.
He went 145-51 in Athens, the best winning percentage of any coach until Kirby Smart came along. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at FSU during the Seminoles’ dynastic run.
To complete the UF rival troika, Richt finished his career at his alma mater, Miami. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last year, but the career numbers hardly capture the essence of Richt’s legend.
He always conducted himself with honor and class. Okay, I know that triggers flashbacks to the 2007 Florida-Georgia game, when the Bulldogs rushed the field after scoring an opening touchdown.
It was an affront to good football manners. It was also the kind of psychological ploy the Head Ball Coach (then at South Carolina) must have secretly admired. And as…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/old-rival-now-legend-steve-210018875.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-02-29 21:00:18
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