Mark Richt. What did he really do for Miami

[caneULM]

I brought his name up to friends the other day and this question was asked of me. I was like well, I'll tell exactly what he did. He donated a $1M of his own coin to the new facility. He stepped down when he knew his time was up and didn't take a dime of what he was owed on his contract. But the thing he REALLY did was show what Miami could be with all the right pieces in place. Yes 2017 was full of lucky bounces but tell me what other year prior (other than maybe 2002-05) Miami was discussed as being a title contender? Yes he was stubborn, letting his son call plays but man come on, what coach isn't? The only coaches that love Miami as much as Richt is JJ & MC and MC is showing in real time what Miami was and what it should be. I believe CMR would have done close to the same had he come in much sooner.

When Miami raises #6, he needs to be on the field with the team.

 

[ShadowSpring]

Legend

 

[JZCane0825]

He legitimatized the program for the first time in over a decade.

 

[Zombie-Cane]

 

[memphisbred]

I think him even coming to us after his time at UGA was major. First respectable notable coach we had since whenever. I think still is our only bowl win in however long his first yr with us. Add in his contributions financially and like you said just giving a sneak peek at what can be here. Set the tone for everything that has happened since. Love how he still reps the U on acc network and such

 

[dccane06]

Wow I've never heard any of this. Thanks for starting a thread on it!

 

[bacane]

Tremendous respect for the coach/man.

 

[skyman]

We had alot of lost fans and people tied to program, many said what he said when he arrived and were called mopes. Just him openly saying where are the big guys, where are the fast guys? Sunshine pumpers had to eat that after 10+ years of terrorism on the program that everything was fine, just root for the team.

 

[Golsen82]

We went from " Where the big fellas at" to having Jurassic Park

 

[BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati]

Unpopular take and I’m sure I’ll get dragged: I think the level of reverence Mark Richt is paid is not commensurate with what he achieved here.

To be clear, this is not disrespect. I didn’t say he deserves no reverence. I simply think a LOT of our fans and alumni act as if he brought us championships when in reality he brought us one overachieving season and a few other mediocre seasons. Yes he added (temporary) credibility. Yes he was incredibly generous. Yes he stepped down when he needed to. He is a humble and kind man by all accounts. Those are all admirable acts and traits and deserve to be recognized. At the same time, those things have nothing to do with on field achievement.

 

[E1k]

He showed what was possible if we hired a legit coach

 

[Rickd]

He was one of the most respected head coaches in the game when he took the Miami job. He took the job with the AGREEMENT from the UM administration that they would improve $$ support for the program and invest in facilities. The IPF was THE major facility upgrade that he demanded support for. Then he went a step further and donated the first $1Million dollars to kick off the IPF fundraising campaign. That facility was a total game changer.

He wanted to promote his son to OC but the admin said no. He wasn't happy with that but rather than drag it out and force UM to fire him ... he just said .... time to retire and he did so without requiring UM to buy out his contract. Total class individual. Our church - in Central Florida - had a sports dinner one weekend "A night with Coach Corso". A Nole fan asked Coach Corso "do you thing FSU will go undefeated this season". Corso laughed and said "not a chance. But I will tell you one thing about college football today .... if I had a son who was going to play college football today ... I would want him to play for Coach Mark Richt and the University of Miami". Coach Richt had the support and respect of his peers. That says it all.

 

[ben]

 

[canes_226]

He gave us a glimmer of hope that we could be back, most notably with the ND game at home with the Bandy pick 6. Without him who knows if we could have ended up like FSU in this current era of CFB.

 

[U Wouldn’t Understand]

Let's not forget his presence promoting the U in the local youth football scene when some of our current players were just learning the game.

 

[atlcane1030]

Open the schools.

 

[423Hurricane]

I have nothing but respect for Coach Richt but from many reports, he backed Diass as his successor. That, in and of itself, set back any gains he made.

 

[Jonnyblaze]

Unpopular take and I’m sure I’ll get dragged: I think the level of reverence Mark Richt is paid is not commensurate with what he achieved here.

To be clear, this is not disrespect. I didn’t say he deserves no reverence. I simply think a LOT of our fans and alumni act as if he brought us championships when in reality he brought us one overachieving season and a few other mediocre seasons. Yes he added (temporary) credibility. Yes he was incredibly generous. Yes he stepped down when he needed to. He is a humble and kind man by all accounts. Those are all admirable acts and traits and deserve to be recognized. At the same time, those things have nothing to do with on field achievement.

I think you’re missing the point. Part of the problem nowadays is the whole you win a championship or you suck mentality. Miami hadn’t done anything significant on the football field for 15 years until 2017. We all know that run was kind of flaky, but it happened. It was a glimmer of hope, and some fantastic moments we hadn’t seen in a long time.

It takes a lot to get a program back on track, and a lot of that happens off the field, and stuff that happens off the field can absolutely affect what happens on it.

 

[EudocimusAlbus]

Unpopular take and I’m sure I’ll get dragged: I think the level of reverence Mark Richt is paid is not commensurate with what he achieved here.

To be clear, this is not disrespect. I didn’t say he deserves no reverence. I simply think a LOT of our fans and alumni act as if he brought us championships when in reality he brought us one overachieving season and a few other mediocre seasons. Yes he added (temporary) credibility. Yes he was incredibly generous. Yes he stepped down when he needed to. He is a humble and kind man by all accounts. Those are all admirable acts and traits and deserve to be recognized. At the same time, those things have nothing to do with on field achievement.

Not a drag but on so many levels beyond the field did Richt make impacts. Dude was a fixture in community events, not solely in presence, but as you mention an admirable dude, who people could trust - coaches, parents, kids. That all takes alot of time especially after what had occurred at the school for a decade earlier. Winning is the ultimate score card, but character matters, look what occurred after he left with Manny and what is currently underway. Richt is stand up dude.

 

[CanesAreAble]

We had alot of lost fans and people tied to program, many said what he said when he arrived and were called mopes. Just him openly saying where are the big guys, where are the fast guys? Sunshine pumpers had to eat that after 10+ years of terrorism on the program that everything was fine, just root for the team.

"Where are the dudes?"

Well, you see, they're cheeseburgers, Mark.