Mark Richt joins efforts to bring an indoor facility to Miami - ACC Blog- ESPN
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Mark Richt spent years trying to convince the people at Georgia how badly the football program needed an indoor facility.
Good thing he is well-versed in the art of persuasion. Because Richt is essentially doing the same thing now that he is coach at Miami.
“That’s all right,” Richt said with a chuckle. “I’m a little better at it.”
Last Friday, Richt outlined the reasons why Miami so badly needs an indoor facility at a meeting with the school’s athletic visiting committee, a group of Board of Trustees members and select community members that has a major say over what projects are approved.
He came armed with a huge list, but all he really needed was to run tape of pro day last month – when Miami’s top prospects for the 2016 draft had to run and perform drills in near monsoon conditions because there was nowhere else to go. Richt said afterward, “It was sad, really.”
Miami athletic director Blake James has been trying to get an indoor facility built since he took over the job in 2013, clearly understanding its priority. That was the same time Richt started fighting hard for an indoor at Georgia. The Bulldogs broke ground last February, two months after Richt was fired and took the job in Miami.
That made Georgia the last SEC program to build an indoor facility.
Currently, Miami is the only ACC school without approved plans to build an indoor facility. But Richt and James are confident getting an indoor done is only a matter of time.
“Everybody’s bought in, ready to get moving on it,” Richt said.
What Richt and James are lobbying for is similar to what Georgia is building: an indoor facility that also has coaches offices, meeting space and a weight room to give football an all-inclusive space.
It would be built on the artificial turf fields Miami has behind its current facility. James has said for quite some time that he is hopeful an indoor would get done. But with Richt now doing major lobbying, he believes the message will get out to many more people.
“To hear Mark wants it and that it’s important to Mark, that definitely makes it happen sooner rather than later because he’s the one who lives in the trenches,” James said. “He’s the one who’s out recruiting and doing all those things that all of us read about and some of us live indirectly. To know it’s a priority for our head coach makes it a reality in a shorter time span.
“We’ve placed the wheels in motion. How do we get shovels in the ground? It’s getting the message out to a greater group, probably in a more focused effort. Mark isn’t afraid to do his part in making it happen.”
Miami does have plans drawn up and a price tag for the project, though James was not ready to divulge that figure yet. He also anticipates that the building will need to be funded entirely through private donations.
“My hope is we can get to 50 percent and break ground at that point and then close out the campaign with a strong finish,” James said.
Once plans are approved, then the school has to go through a permitting process with the City of Coral Gables, where the university is located.
“With the individuals I’ve spoken to at the city, they’re fully supportive of it,” James said. “Obviously, they have to see the plans before they can approve anything but based on the conversations I’ve had and the feedback I’ve gotten, they’re going to be behind endorsing this, and they understand the importance to our university and specifically to our football program.”
Nobody knows that better than Richt.
“We have what we need,” Richt said. “We have grass, we have equipment. We have footballs and whistles and video. But you want everything to be first class and you don’t want to be at a competitive disadvantage by not being able to get out of the elements and get the work done.”
He knows that better than anyone. Because Richt has never coached at a place with an indoor facility.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Mark Richt spent years trying to convince the people at Georgia how badly the football program needed an indoor facility.
Good thing he is well-versed in the art of persuasion. Because Richt is essentially doing the same thing now that he is coach at Miami.
“That’s all right,” Richt said with a chuckle. “I’m a little better at it.”
Last Friday, Richt outlined the reasons why Miami so badly needs an indoor facility at a meeting with the school’s athletic visiting committee, a group of Board of Trustees members and select community members that has a major say over what projects are approved.
He came armed with a huge list, but all he really needed was to run tape of pro day last month – when Miami’s top prospects for the 2016 draft had to run and perform drills in near monsoon conditions because there was nowhere else to go. Richt said afterward, “It was sad, really.”
Miami athletic director Blake James has been trying to get an indoor facility built since he took over the job in 2013, clearly understanding its priority. That was the same time Richt started fighting hard for an indoor at Georgia. The Bulldogs broke ground last February, two months after Richt was fired and took the job in Miami.
That made Georgia the last SEC program to build an indoor facility.
Currently, Miami is the only ACC school without approved plans to build an indoor facility. But Richt and James are confident getting an indoor done is only a matter of time.
“Everybody’s bought in, ready to get moving on it,” Richt said.
What Richt and James are lobbying for is similar to what Georgia is building: an indoor facility that also has coaches offices, meeting space and a weight room to give football an all-inclusive space.
It would be built on the artificial turf fields Miami has behind its current facility. James has said for quite some time that he is hopeful an indoor would get done. But with Richt now doing major lobbying, he believes the message will get out to many more people.
“To hear Mark wants it and that it’s important to Mark, that definitely makes it happen sooner rather than later because he’s the one who lives in the trenches,” James said. “He’s the one who’s out recruiting and doing all those things that all of us read about and some of us live indirectly. To know it’s a priority for our head coach makes it a reality in a shorter time span.
“We’ve placed the wheels in motion. How do we get shovels in the ground? It’s getting the message out to a greater group, probably in a more focused effort. Mark isn’t afraid to do his part in making it happen.”
Miami does have plans drawn up and a price tag for the project, though James was not ready to divulge that figure yet. He also anticipates that the building will need to be funded entirely through private donations.
“My hope is we can get to 50 percent and break ground at that point and then close out the campaign with a strong finish,” James said.
Once plans are approved, then the school has to go through a permitting process with the City of Coral Gables, where the university is located.
“With the individuals I’ve spoken to at the city, they’re fully supportive of it,” James said. “Obviously, they have to see the plans before they can approve anything but based on the conversations I’ve had and the feedback I’ve gotten, they’re going to be behind endorsing this, and they understand the importance to our university and specifically to our football program.”
Nobody knows that better than Richt.
“We have what we need,” Richt said. “We have grass, we have equipment. We have footballs and whistles and video. But you want everything to be first class and you don’t want to be at a competitive disadvantage by not being able to get out of the elements and get the work done.”
He knows that better than anyone. Because Richt has never coached at a place with an indoor facility.
