Former Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt, who led the Dawgs to two SEC Championships (2002, 2005) and a 145-51 record in 15 seasons coaching the team, announced on his personal Twitter account that he suffered a heart attack Monday morning.
The 59-year-old Richt said he's "doing fine" after the health scare and expects to be back on his feet in a few days.
"I am assuming word travels fast. So I wanted to be able to inform everyone that I did have a heart attack this morning. I am doing fine. As I went through the experience I had peace knowing I was going to heaven but I was going to miss my wife. I plan to be at work this week."
— Mark Richt, via Twitter
Georgia dismissed Richt after a 9-3 regular season in 2015 prior the TaxSlayer Bowl game, where UGA and Sony Michel defeated Penn State and Saquon Barkley, 24-17. Richt went on to coach his alma mater, the University of Miami Hurricanes, for three seasons, including a 10-3 finish in 2017 before abruptly retiring as head football coach in 2018.
"The decision [to retire] came after a great deal of thought, discussions with my family, and prayer," Richt said in a statement. "My true desire is for [the Miami football program] to return to greatness, and while terribly difficult, I feel that stepping down is in the best interests of the program.
The former Miami coach now works as a college football analyst for the ACC Network and ESPN, so news that he expects to return quickly is an encouraging sign.
While this is scary news at the surface, Richt eased the minds of weary fans everywhere with another tweet that simply read: "I guess I'm off the cheese balls!"
Get well soon, Coach!
