Today's guest is none other than Coach Mark Richt, or Poopah, as his grandkids call him. Coach Richt played quarterback at the University of Miami and threw his hat in the ring for the NFL before turning his sights towards coaching college football. The day before leaving to begin his coaching career as a GA down in Baton Rouge, he received a phone call and a job offer from the late Bobby Bowden, which he accepted. Mark refers to this pivotal moment as a "spiritual marker" in his life, as it was Coach Bowden who raised him as a young quarterbacks coach, molder of young men, and most importantly brought him to faith in Jesus Christ. Mark met his wife of 34 years, Katharyn, while he was a GA in Tallahassee and she was a cheerleader. Mark went on to be the OC at East Carolina for one season before returning to Florida State to serve as QB coach for three years and then being promoted to offensive coordinator. In his ten year run at Florida State he coached two Heisman Trophy winning QBs, won seven consecutive ACC titles, and won two national championships. After ten years coaching the Seminoles, Mark took the head coaching job at the University of Georgia where he would lead the program for 15 years, win two SEC championships, and leave as the second winningest coach in program history. After leaving Georgia in 2015, he returned to his alma mater as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, where he won ACC Coach of the Year, and stoked a long awaited fire within the Miami program, donating $1 million of his own money to kickoff the fundraising for a $34 million dollar practice facility in Miami. Coach Richt made the call to retire after the 2018 season after suffering a near-fatal heart attack. He now works as an ACC Network college football studio analyst, and this fall he became an author upon the release of his new book "Make the Call," which is equal parts entertaining and insightful and i would recommend it to anyone. This past weekend, the University of Georgia held a half-time ceremony to honor Coach Richt and the legacy he left and the road he paved for future Bulldog success. One thing I appreciate most about Coach Richt is that he is a guy with his priorities in order and never shies away from his faith. Above it all, he is an incredible man, husband, and father and it is an absolute honor to host him on the show.

Discussion Points

• Mark's new book "Make the Call"
• The book writing process
• The impact that Coach Bobby Bowden had on Mark's life
• Mark's story of coming to faith in Jesus Christ
• Coach tells the story of "the dog pile"
• Gratitude and the importance of stopping to appreciate the small wins
• What his players taught up
• Discipline is a form of love
• Coach's approach to work life balance as a college football coach
• The role his wife played for their family during the coaching years
• The importance of having one meal with the family each day
• Marriage advice that has lead to 34 years of happy marriage
• Mark's adoption story
• Mark talks about the grandpa life
• What Coach is the most proud of in his life
• Coach talks about legacy and what that word means to Him

LINKS

Make the Call by Mark Richt: https://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/makethecall/