Georgia celebrates McGarity’s legacy with eye toward hiring new athletic director

University of Georgia school President Jere Morehead gave it one last shot at retaining his athletic director, Greg McGarity. He couldn’t be swayed this time.

McGarity saw now as the right time. He wanted to leave the position earlier, in fact, at the end of the fiscal year in June. He didn’t feel like it was right to step down as the COVID-19 pandemic put the financial situation around college athletics in flux.

Morehead needed his experience in the role, appreciated his fiscal responsibility and applauded McGarity for staying on board through the tough months of 2020.

But McGarity’s wife, Sheryl McGarity, has been waiting in the Sunshine State. They recently bought a house in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with plans to reunite near the ocean once 2021 begins. She has been decorating their new home and preparing it for this moment. The McGarity family is ready for a new chapter — even if they aren’t sure what it might look like.

“I appreciate Sheryl’s patience,” Greg McGarity said. “She has been down there since July. Once you’ve been married for 42 years, that’s not a lot of fun (to be apart). So, Sheryl trumped the president in this situation. Good things will be in store for the future.”

McGarity is happy to call it a career.

“I’m not one that’s going to sit around the house. Sheryl’s already told me that,” McGarity said. “I’ve cleaned up closets and windows enough to know that’s not a full-time job.”

McGarity’s UGA retirement plans were announced Monday. His last day will be Dec. 31 after nearly 11 years of leading the athletic department

The former tennis letterman, Bulldogs coach and communications director took over for Damon Evans in 2010, who is now at Maryland. Georgia had plenty of changes through his decade-plus in leadership, including new coaches and facility upgrades — notably the indoor practice fields and soon-to-be-completed expansion of the football facilities at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.

Morehead, speaking Tuesday with reporters, wanted the meeting to celebrate McGarity’s legacy. The long-standing athletic director highlighted his accomplishments, including the football trip to Notre Dame in 2017, hosting the Fighting Irish last season and the Bulldogs’ trip to “fantasyland” for the Rose Bowl. There were a lot of moments, too, that go beyond the football spotlight and make McGarity appreciative.

He hasn’t had much time to reflect yet. But he had a mission to serve his alma mater, and McGarity hopes he achieved that.

“I wanted to make it a little better when I left it,” he said with a “Norton Anthology of Poetry” book sitting behind him, which included his spring quarter schedule as a student at Georgia in 1972. “(At the beginning), it was messy. We had to rebuild relationships, and that took time. I hope, now, it is a little better than when I started.”

Some of McGarity’s most-notable hires include:

▪ Kirby Smart to lead the football program that made a national championship appearance during the 2017 season.

▪ Men’s basketball coach Tom Crean, with a decorated resume at Marquette and Indiana, replaced Mark Fox and has begun his third season.

▪ Georgia’s gymnastics program allowed program-leading gymnast Courtney Kupets Carter to return as head coach, with guidance from Suzanne Yoculan Leebern.

▪ McGarity, 66, also made the hire of track and field coach Petros Kyprianou, which revived the program and put Georgia back on the national stage.

“Greg McGarity is one the most respected athletic directors in the Southeastern Conference,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released by the school. “I have relied on him regularly for advice and counsel over the years. I wish Greg and Sheryl the very best on this exciting next step.”

Georgia’s plan, timeline for hiring new athletic director

Josh Brooks, the No. 2 in the department as senior deputy athletic director, assumes the role as interim athletic director on Dec. 31. Brooks was promoted by McGarity in January to the higher position after serving as deputy athletic director for operations since 2016. Brooks has experience as athletic director at Millsaps College, a Division II program in Jackson, Mississippi. He took that position in between his two stints at Georgia.

Brooks led the efforts over the spring months to ensure Sanford Stadium and Stegeman Coliseum had safe social distancing and an enjoyable customer experience amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brooks also serves as the sports supervisor for football, track-and-field and cross country.

McGarity recalled two separate efforts to keep Brooks with the program. He nearly accepted a role at Florida State to work with former Seminioles head coach Jimbo Fisher. Georgia couldn’t lose him because it saw Brooks as too valuable. Those experiences could come into play when evaluating new candidates. McGarity said he would have plenty of positive reviews to write on Brooks in a letter of recommendation, too.

“We knew he was a vital part. We really missed his enthusiasm when he wasn’t here,” McGarity said. “He had a lot of followers, and great leaders have followers. He cultivated a large group of people who enjoy being around him, because his personality is contagious. He’s a very popular guy who is wired the right way.”

Along with Brooks, Darrice Griffin will be promoted to senior deputy athletic on Jan. 1. Griffin came to Georgia in 2017 to replace Williams as a deputy athletic director in administration. Griffin has played an integral role in women’s sports, oversees Title IX and leads many of the athletic association’s diversity efforts. Griffin is one of three Black leaders in Georgia athletics — alongside Melvin Robinson (assistant athletic director for facilities) and Joni Taylor (head women’s basketball coach).

McGarity called Griffin “a superstar on the rise,” and rattled off many of her accomplishments since joining the university a few years ago.

“I have great confidence in the abilities and skills of Josh and Darrice to provide effective leadership for our athletic program while this search process is underway,” Morehead said. “Both individuals are highly respected within the Georgia Athletic Association and throughout intercollegiate athletics.”

Brooks, the LSU graduate who started his rise as a football equipment manager, is considered to be a favorite to become Georgia’s permanent athletic director. Other candidates could include Virginia athletic director Carla Wililams, formerly at Georgia, along with others. Morehead said the program will conduct a national search for its next athletic director and will “consider sitting athletic directors.”

Morehead appointed a 10-member advisory committee to assist in searching for McGarity’s replacement. The committee includes one Georgia student-athlete: football wide receiver Kearis Jackson.

“I don’t have a set timeline,” Morehead said. “I want it to happen expeditiously. I don’t want this to drag on for months and months.”

McGarity still has 30 more days on the job. Morehead will get to keep him around for a bit longer. Before he heads south, McGarity will be the same — available and willing — despite his days being numbered.

“If you need me, call me,” McGarity said to media members while signing off. “I’ll be here for until the end of the month, OK? Always available.”