Former Georgia and Miami head football coach Mark Richt suffered a heart attack Monday, the 59-year-old revealed on Twitter. Currently working as an ACC Network analyst who was on the job on Saturday, Richt said he actually experienced a peace in knowing he was going to Heaven.
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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 (@MarkRicht) October 21, 2019
This season marks the first time since 1984 that Richt is not coaching. He shared on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in August that if he had done a better job resting while he was coaching, he might still be on the sidelines.
“I kind of wore myself really, really thin, and if I would have just done a better job of listening to what God has to say about rest, I might still be [coaching], to be honest with you,” Richt said.
A faithful follower of Christ who received Jesus as his Savior while coaching on Bobby Bowden’s Florida State staff in 1986, Richt says he cultivates his personal relationship with God through daily quiet time reading the Bible and praying. In this new season of life, he’s learned to adapt to a slower pace.
“[God has] taught me that it’s important to rest,” Richt said. “I didn’t do a very good job of resting [as a coach]. I didn’t do very good with the Sabbath. God gave us the Sabbath for a reason.”
Though he’s less stressed and resting more, Richt joked that he might now need to lay off the cheese balls:
I guess I’m off the cheese balls!
— Mark Richt (@MarkRicht) October 21, 2019
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