Georgia’s Richt, Fox Visit Augusta

Augusta, GA—Georgia head football coach Mark Richt and new Bulldog basketball coach Mark Fox came to Augusta Monday night for the annual meeting of the Greater Augusta Bulldog Club at St. Mary’s on the Hill.

Richt, 82-22 entering his ninth season at Georgia, expressed happiness for the six Bulldogs picked in the NFL Draft over the weekend, and expressed confidence at the program’s ability to replace them during the coming season, specifically quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno.

“The fans are used to knowing who the starters are and who your signing class is,“ Richt said, “but they forget about all the guys in between that have been working hard for this moment.  The coaches know who they are so we’ll be fine.“

Meanwhile Fox, hired earlier this month to replace Dennis Felton, said he’s already getting used to life in the south, enjoying sweet tea and trying to get the Bulldog basketball program back on track.

“We have work to do, I think everyone knows that,“ Fox said. “But we have had success at Georgia, we’ve been to a Final Four. We just have to make basketball relevant again and show kids that their dreams can come true at Georgia.“

Asked what request he hears most often from Georgia fans during this annual tour, Richt said it depends on where he is.

“Usually they want us to beat a certain team,“ Richt said. “If you’re up north you want Tennessee, if your out west it’s Auburn, if you’re down south it’s Florida and if you’re east it’s South Carolina…and, of course, everybody wants Georgia Tech.“

The Georgia football team will open the 2009 season at Oklahoma State on September 4th.