On eve of Sugar Bowl, Kirby Smart looks back at impact Mark Richt had on his career
Kirby Smart coached a defensive position in each year of his young coaching career entering the 2005 season. That is, until an opportunity to return to his alma mater in Athens came to fruition.
Smart was in search of work after Nick Saban left LSU for other opportunities in 2004, but got hired for a defensive position with the Bulldogs. He had a friend in Mike Bobo (Georgia’s quarterbacks’ coach at the time) and former offensive coordinator Neal Callaway fought for Smart to have a role — on the offensive side.
“There was a defensive position open on the staff that I didn’t get hired for,” Smart said Monday morning. “And Mark (Richt) had the confidence in me as a coach and recruiter to hire me as running backs’ coach.”
Smart served under Richt during the Bulldogs’ 2005 campaign as a running backs coach within then-offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s offense. The Bulldogs won the SEC that year, 34-14 over third-ranked LSU, and reached, fittingly, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
The stint was only for one season before the next stop on his way to a successful career as defensive coordinator at Alabama. His tenure at Alabama ultimately paved the way for his return to Athens, but his time as running backs’ coach (working with Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware) gave him a different perspective.
“Mark has been great for my personal career, because I got to meet what is now my wife (formerly Mary Beth Lycett) during my time coming back,” Smart said. “It was one of the most valuable experiences of my career, because it was different. I wouldn’t have that opportunity if it weren’t for him and his wife Katharyn.”
Smart’s coaching career prior to his current Georgia position took him across three states in the southeast, to three major programs (LSU, Florida State, Alabama). He served under two major college football names at each stop — Nick Saban at LSU, Miami (Dolphins) and Alabama, Bobby Bowden at FSU — but made it a point to single out Richt in his opening statement Monday, and wish his former boss a happy retirement after Richt announced the news Sunday, in a statement through Miami.
Smart moved on to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins the following year, before eventually following Nick Saban to Alabama and holding the defensive coordinator’s role in Tuscaloosa for seven years.
The pair won four national championships and beat Richt’s Bulldogs three times (once for the 2012 SEC Championship) before the now-retired coach parted ways with UGA. Smart was named Georgia’s head coach less than a month after Richt was fired.
Along with Smart, former Georgia players paid their respects to Richt on social media. Former tight end Arthur Lynch shared a story after the 2011 season, former quarterback Aaron Murray credited the longtime head coach as a mentor and the outpouring of support continued throughout the day Sunday.
New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, who recently announced retirement from his 15-year professional playing career, got word of the news in an interview with The Telegraph after the Saints lost to the Panthers. Watson, known for his community service efforts in a number of different areas, was somewhat shocked to hear the news.
“My relationship with coach Richt has grown exponentially since I left Georgia,” Watson said. “I really appreciated what he stood for throughout his coaching career as a family, a man and a believer. It’s about how he treats his family and how he treats his players. He left for Miami and I still watched, because I pictured him being good for them.”
As Richt marks the end of his days as a coach after three seasons at Miami, some of his greatest influence comes from 15 seasons with the Bulldogs. He exits Coral Gables with a 26-13 record, and finished 2018 at 7-6.
“He has given so much back to the University of Georgia,” Smart said. “He’s been such a good man and leader of this institution.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2018 at 11:22 AM.