Georgia football Coach Mark Richt will feel pressure Commentary by <http://www.tennessean.com/staff/davidclimer> David Climer . THE TENNESSEAN . July 5, 2010
* When the police report detailing the specifics of the DUI arrest of Georgia Athletics Director Damon Evans went public, many Dawg fans figured Evans couldn't resign quickly enough. I doubt Mark Richt was among them. Richt has a stake in this - a big stake. He's Georgia's football coach. He is approaching his 10th season. And the criticism of him has never been greater. Evans was in Richt's corner. He was viewed as an important buffer between Richt and Georgia's higher-ups, including UGA President Michael Adams. A month ago, Evans spoke of how ridiculous it is for anyone to suggest that Richt's seat is even lukewarm. To paraphrase: Forget what you hear on sports call-in shows and read on Internet message boards. He's safe. With Evans on his way out, the game changes. Richt may have won 90 games in his nine seasons in Athens, but this is all about current events. The 8-5 season in '09 did not sit well with the masses. And losses by 26 points to Tennessee and 24 points to Florida did not go unnoticed. As a rule, coaches do not like it when there is change at the top. They develop relationships with athletics directors. The good will and loyalty that is built up between coach and AD over the years is lost in the transition to a new boss. Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State are SEC schools that changed football coaches within five years of the hiring of a new athletics director. Maybe Richt should consult his old SEC East coaching rival, Phillip Fulmer. In 2008, Fulmer embarked on his 17th season as Tennessee's coach. At the time, he was the longest tenured coach in the SEC - just like Richt. He had six years remaining on his contract. All of which added up to zilch, zip, nada after the Vols slipped to 3-6 with a Nov. 1 loss at South Carolina. Two days later, Fulmer was fired - hefty buyout, national championship ring and all. Patience? What's that? It is an unforgiving business in a brutal league. We've come a long way from the era when Bear Bryant, Vince Dooley and Shug Jordan coached at one place for a quarter century. The 12 SEC coaches have been at their current school for 39 years - combined. Half of them have been on the job three years or less. One of the gripes against Richt is that he is too loyal to his assistant coaches. When things went from bad to worse for his defense last season, he finally fired coordinator Willie Martinez and two other defensive assistants. As for Evans, my limited dealings with him were good. He was professional, responsive and accommodating. As the first African-American athletics director in the SEC, he broke down barriers and stereotypes. He was considered one of the nation's rising starts in intercollegiate athletics. Then it all came crashing down. And Evans has no one to blame but himself. He was undone by his own poor judgment and misbehavior. It is an abrupt end to a promising career. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if there is collateral damage elsewhere at Georgia. David Climer's columns appear on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Reach him at 615-259-8020 or [email protected]. Oliver Barry CRS,GRI Real Estate Broker Bob Parks Realty 1517 Hunt Club Blvd Gallatin TN 37066 Phone: 615-826-4040 Fax: 615-822-2027 Mobile: 615-972-4239 -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
