Richt wins with faith, character
August 28th, 2006Furman Bisher writes about Georgia football coach Mark Richt:
“I was not without my own personal experiences. I’d been a hell-raiser. Then I began to think about giving my life some purpose. I really wasn’t sure just what Christianity was. I thought you had to be perfect, and I wasn’t ready for that. I thought maybe if I followed the Ten Commandments I’d go straight to heaven.”
When he was an assistant at Florida State, the message came through in violent form. One of the football players was shot dead, a tackle named Pablo Lopez. It was a grim Bobby Bowden who called a staff meeting the next morning and looked his coaches in the eyes, then delivered the shivering challenge:
“If that had been you last night, where would you be spending eternity?” he said.
That was it. “I’d been wavering, wondering all that time, but that was the culmination,” Richt said. “It was time to give my life to Christ.”
I’m grateful for solid men like Richt leading college football programs.
Hat tip: Alex Forrest
My brother was working for my hometown paper when Richt and former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves came to talk at a local church. He said that both of them were the most down to earth and friendliest people he had ever met, as well as having a real passion for sharing the Word. If I can find the article he wrote on that, I’ll send it or post it.
Unfortunantly he’s a Dawg…. Go Jackets!