He may have worn out his welcome with the Georgia fan base (okay, maybe not all of the Georgia fan base), but Mark Richt is a boffo, box office smash in Coral Gables.
Georgia’s loss has been Miami’s gain. Richt has come home, and South Florida has embraced his return.
“His arms are open to former players and the community, and it’s just beautiful,’’ said former UM cornerback Tolbert Bain, 52, with whom Richt conferred about his plan to regularly visit youth football programs throughout South Florida. “I want to send the Georgia athletic director a fruit basket for doing us this great favor.’’
Among the many ways UM has benefited even before Richt’s opener against FAMU at 6 p.m. Saturday:
▪ Season-ticket sales are expected to reach 40,000.
▪ Hurricane Club membership has exceeded 10,000 for the first time and reached an all-time high $12 million through its annual fund.
▪ Fund-raising for a $28 million to $30 million indoor practice facility, for which Richt pledged $1 million, has been strong.
▪ Former players are reinvigorated by Richt’s insistence on their inclusion in UM’s events and culture.
▪ Overall fan exuberance, with Richt’s avid support of the community, is palpable.
“It’s the direction we want to go — back toward the top,” UM athletic director Blake James said. “Since last Dec. 4, when we announced Mark’s hiring, there has been a real wave of energy around the program.”
Said Richt of the “outpouring” of support: “It has been a little overwhelming.”
Maybe you can go home again. After all, everybody has hope.
Get The Picture 
What grabbed my attention the most from that article was CMR losing 40 lbs. Congrats, and leaning out that much will do absolute wonders for energy level and overall health. I mean, damn…I wish CMR would have done that years ago.
With that in mind, I honestly believe the breakup was for the best, both for UGA and CMR. Kirby is going to win really big here at UGA, and I hope CMR does the same at The U.
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Absolutely agree. I hope both win big and win the right way.
CMR had to lose that weight, so he can hang out on South Beach. 🙂 … Now if I could do the same thing!
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Ditto.
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Hope he continues his dominance of the genius and does great unless he meets UGA in a bowl. Good man who deserves success.
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Personally, I think it would be HIGHlarious to hear CPJ crow after a win over Miami and CMR.
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And how would you feel if CPJ crowed if he were to beat us?
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He got a dig or two in about the SEC a couple weeks f years ago. The dude cracks me up when he thinks they are good.
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Great comments. All the best for CMR’s homecoming.
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It’s South Beach. Celebrity weddings, extravagant honeymoons, rapid tailspin, ugly divorces.
I hope Richt defies the odds.
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I couldn’t be happier for him. Sometimes change helps. I’ll miss the culture of his program, but This is clearly for the best.
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“I want to send the Georgia athletic director a fruit basket for doing us this great favor.’’
[Greg McGarity immedity self-reports UGA to NCAA]
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+1
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Maybe the fruit basket will include some nuts for McFrugal.
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I hear Greg prefers “oranges.”
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But he needs nuts more.
Hope this works out for both schools and their fans. Recruiting will need to pick up in South Florida but having fans in the seats gives them a chance, didn’t see that coming. Both he and Kirby are in divisions where they get it done, perhaps this season. Hope both succeed in making it to the conference championship their first year. Both schools’ fan bases seem happy, that doesn’t happen often…good on everybody.
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“immediately” (jeez, botched the landing)
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The overall comment was too good. High level of difficulty means you still get your +1
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CMR is a good man and I’m happy he’s happy. Best of luck to Mark, his family and the Canes. May he never lose to GT, UF, Clemson and FSU.
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I have always liked Miami, so this has really worked out well for me.
hope he does great things down there.
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It will be the same story down there in Cuba town. CMR will be good but NEVER great. UGA got the better end of this deal.
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What a love fest we have here……..
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I think this will work out best for both teams. I wish him luck and hope he continues to torture the maggots.
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I can tell the Miami fans how this movie ends.
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Like Rudy?
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More like a Hemingway or Pat Conroy novel.
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Thanks, JC. Headed to Key West in a couple of weeks for my anniversary. I was wondering what to carry for beach reading. Haven’t read Santini in several years.
If Mrs. Cowdog will oblige, I will drink and fish like Hemingway, and peruse Conroy while recuperating on the beach with her.
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Saw Santini the other day, what a great movie that basically bombed out of the chute!
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Based on this hope of success, I’m going back to Aleppo, Syria and fight those ISIL warriors with my Bible.
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Love the guy as person, but how will the fans and community feel when Miami can’t beat Clemson, Florida State, and probably UNC and Louisville?
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The Miami program is in bad shape right now. The ACC Coastal consists of Duke, tech, Miami, UNC, Pitt, UVA, and VT. That is not a murders row and Miami has not won that division in the 11 years it has existed. Being a 9-10 win team that gets to Worlds Smallest Outdoor Cocktail Party on semi-regular basis would be a HUGE upgrade for Miami. VT or tech have won the Coastal in 9 of 11 seasons. That is his competition.
All Miami needs to succeed is some better recruiting and a cohesive culture. It isn’t like trying to compete in the SEC West.
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If he showed that much passion and enthusiasm in Athens, he’d still be here.
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lost me at cerebral
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The long con begins.
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Can you please install a web cam at your work station and share the feed with us so we can determine if you w conning your employer and customers in the event that, hmm 1) a new once in a lifetime competitor enters your industry, 2) your direct boss doesn’t fully support you and at times undermines you, 3) your company goes overboard with compliance standards that your competitors could care less about, 4) you hold yourself to a higher moral standard so won’t lie to, manipulate, and coerce your recruits/subordinates just to get them and hold them under your thumb without regard to what is best for them, just for you, 5) some of your hires just don’t work out (because that never happens in the corporate world), 6) want to promote good peopleto take over some of your responsibility because they deserve it, but it takes some time to find new areas to invest your energy, and heaven forbid, 7) the love of your life has to battle a life threatening disease and it causes you to temporarily rethink your priorities and how you spend your time.
Yeah, the guy sure is a con.
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Lighten up Francis.
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OK, will try to do so, Patricia :-). We all root for the same team after all. But it’s personally hard for me to abide the mean spirited and often hypocritical disparagement of others even if I don’t personally like them. I’m no saint, but it seems you and a few others can’t ever resist a chance to poor mouth a guy that no longer has any impact on our program.
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Mark Richt….Mark Richt? I thought he was gone.
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Hey, Scorp, welcome back. What are the Kharmic Bitches up to?
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All I can tell is that there is some confusion about the Bitches attitude about Tennessee. (Among the Bitches, that is)
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Living down here in the belly of the beast what the article said is true. I wear my UGA hat all the time and I have been thanked multiple times by Miami fans for Mark Richt. I’m not alone, I was talking to guys at the Georgia Club we have down here and most had been thanked or ridiculed by Miami fans. I wish he and the Water Girl good luck.
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The best thing about this puff piece is that, mercifully, it’s about Miami and not the Dawgs!
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