My Kind of Coach

I don’t have much to add to everything that has been written about Mark Richt leaving UGA.  There are people who know a lot more about football than me, and there are people who know him much more than I do.  So I won’t repeat everything that has been said, but I do have two personal memories that I want to share.  The first time I met Mark in person was when he came to our church to speak.  I can’t remember the year, but it must have been very early in his  tenure at UGA.  He spoke on a Sunday evening and the sanctuary was full.  He shared his stories of football and his faith – very well done as you might expect.  Afterwards, our minister mentioned that Mark was going to need to leave quickly after the service to be with his family.   I’m sure that some who had hoped to shake his hand were disappointed.   On Monday morning, the church office got a call from Mark’s office saying that he had felt bad that he had left quickly the night before and wanted to know if he could come back to meet people and sign autographs.  He stayed true to his commitment and came back on a Wednesday evening to the delight of many members.  The other story I have is through my daughter-in-law.  She worked as a trainer with the UGA football team while Mark was coaching there.   In a regular review meeting with him, Mark’s question to her was “are they guys treating you with respect?”   I appreciate Mark for looking out for my daughter-in-law.  I am a fan for life.