Goodbye Coach Richt

In the end I was a big proponent of you being let go. I think you and I both know that the program was trending in the wrong direction. We both know that your hands had been tied by the athletic administration and it was time for a change. We both know that Georgia football will continue on and you will be very successful as a head coach somewhere else. As much as I wanted to see you go for the good of the program, I will still miss you.

You brought Georgia football back. You convinced those biased ESPN analysts to start talking about us again. You taught high school kids how to handle adversity both on the field, and more importantly, off the field. You held your players to the highest standard when most programs could give a damn about standards. You were a total class act from the first day you were hired to your last press conference Monday morning. Thank you coach for running a program filled with integrity. Thank you for holding your players to the highest accountability while some of the programs around us were not. You brought us our first SEC championship in 20 years and then you topped it off with another one. You took us to 3 Sugar Bowls and produced countless NFL superstars. You started the Paul Oliver foundation to help athletes deal with life after sports.

We never wanted to see it end this way. Dawg fans wanted to see you hoisted above the shoulders of Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno just as Vince Dooley was hoisted upon Herschel and Bucks’ shoulders. We wanted to celebrate the unveiling of the Mark Richt statue outside of Sanford Stadium. We wanted you to be the head coach for 30 or 40 years. We wanted to see you go out on your terms.

As we mourn the end of your time in Athens it is also time for Dawg fans to rejoice and begin a new era in Georgia football history. It’s time to return to the upper echelon of the SEC and to hopefully take that leap into National prominence. Dawg fans will always be grateful for what you did in Athens and what you continue to do. Your legacy in Athens will never be tarnished. You will always be remembered as a Damn Good Dawg and a coach that did it the right way in a profession that is filled with corruption. Good luck in all you do and, once again, thanks Coach!