Mark Richt

Mark Allan Richt was born on February 18, 1960, in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up in a blue-collar family, the second of five children. His early life involved moves from Nebraska to Boulder, Colorado, and then to South Florida, where he graduated from high school. Richt became a notable athlete at Boca Raton High as a quarterback, attracting recruitment from major universities. He chose to attend the University of Miami, where he played as a quarterback from 1978 to 1982, serving as a backup to future NFL stars like Jim Kelly and Bernie Kosar. Despite limited playing time, he accumulated nearly 1,500 passing yards and briefly spent time with the Denver Broncos.

Richt transitioned to coaching in 1985 as a graduate assistant for the Florida State Seminoles under Bobby Bowden. He then served as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University in 1989 before returning to Florida State in 1990 as quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1994, leading one of college football’s most potent offenses. During his tenure as offensive coordinator at FSU, the team ranked in the nation’s top five scoring offenses for five seasons and top twelve in total offense and passing offense for five seasons. He coached two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke, and contributed to FSU winning seven consecutive ACC titles and two national championships in 1993 and 1999. In 2001, Richt became the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, where he led the team to two Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships (2002, 2005) and five SEC Eastern Division titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012). He earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2002 and 2005. During his 15 seasons, he amassed 145 wins and 51 losses, making him the second-winningest coach in Georgia history with the highest winning percentage for coaches with more than 29 games. His teams made 15 consecutive bowl appearances (10-5) and finished in the top ten of the AP Poll seven times. He was dismissed from Georgia after the 2015 season.

In 2015, Richt returned to his alma mater, the University of Miami, as head coach. He coached the Hurricanes for three seasons from 2016 to 2018, securing nine wins in his inaugural season, including a victory in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl. In 2017, he led Miami to their first ACC Coastal title, earning him the ACC Coach of the Year and Walter Camp Coach of the Year awards. His Miami teams made three bowl appearances. Throughout his coaching career, Richt coached 15 First Team All-Americans and 52 First Team All-Conference players. He retired from coaching on December 30, 2018, and subsequently became a football analyst for the ACC Network in 2019. In 2023, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Richt has also been noted for his community involvement, including donating $1 million of his own money towards a new indoor practice facility at Miami in 2016, and developing a network to support former University of Miami football players in their post-playing careers.