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10 College football coaches who probably didn’t deserve to be fired

By Michael Collins

Oct 3, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt reacts during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt reacts during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 31, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt claps against the Florida Gators during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt claps against the Florida Gators during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 7: Mark Richt – Georgia, 2015

Head Coaching Years: 2001-2015
Overall record with school: 145-51
Reason for dismissal: Athletic Director decision

There may be no tougher decision to replace a head coach to either defend or argue against than that of Mark Richt in 2015.

The overall body of work speaks volumes about a guy who ran one of the cleanest programs in the nation (say what you will about player arrests, Richt never covered anything and regularly dismissed guys from his program), and one of the most successful in terms of wins.

However, a decade without an SEC title, a losing record against ranked opponents, and continued struggles against rivals Florida, Alabama and South Carolina were more than Georgia fans and athletic director Greg McGarity were prepared to overlook.

It’s always a dicey thing when you tell a guy who’s averaged over 10 wins per season for 15 years to shove off, and the fact is, Georgia may very well be better off with Kirby Smart in the big chair, and Richt certainly isn’t complaining about his new gig in Miami.

But time has shown that replacing a long-time winning coach for “not winning enough” or “the right games” ends up becoming a disastrous downhill slide for a major program (feel free to chime in at any time, Tennessee, Nebraska and Texas fans).

Next: Nebraska

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