Well, that was fast.
"The Search" was supposed to last at least six months. It lasted barely one. University of Georgia president Michael Adams made his intention to look "outside" the UGA family for the next athletic director very clear upon accepting Damon Evans' resignation. As it turns out, Bulldog Nation will be led by one of their own.
Greg McGarity, executive associate athletic director at the University of Florida, lettered in tennis for the Dawgs in 1973 and later served a number of roles at the UGA Athletic Association. In 1992, McGarity traded his Red and Black for Blue and Orange, moving to Gainesville to advance his career. Well, time to update that wardrobe again.
Make no mistake; the Mighty Gators have enjoyed the most successful era in their history with McGarity on the clock. As right-hand man to AD Jeremy Foley, McGarity was instrumental in returning Florida's football program to prominence. He helped hoist two national championship banners into the rafters of the O'Connell Center. His track record of success up to this point has been a bitter pill for every Georgia fan everywhere.
The question that most Bulldogs will ask is this: will Greg McGarity take what he learned at UF and apply it with the same success in Athens? The answer won't be known for years, but momentum is building at UGA already, and for much of that, Damon Evans is to thank.
To his credit, Evans left Georgia's men's basketball program in MUCH better shape than he found it. The soon-to-be-completed renovations to Stegeman Coliseum are a testament to the commitment Evans made to Georgia Basketball and hopefully, Dawg fans will make that as much a part of Evans' legacy as Thong-Gate. Because Damon hired Mark Fox as head coach, the Bulldogs have a chance to finally realize the immense potential within the program. I would bet a 14-17 team has never made a fan base so excited for what's to come.
No doubt most Dawg lovers hope the Red and Black will duplicate the hated Gators' success on the gridiron with McGarity at the helm. It's reasonable to assume that his intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Florida machine is the primary reason he landed the gig. But he can't fix what ain't broke; Mark Richt knows what he's doing and he will retire one day as UGA's all-time winningest coach. Just wait; you'll see.
As a former tennis letter-winner, McGarity's impact on Georgia's "Olympic" sports programs should be positive and profound. Whether some Bulldog fans care or not, Georgia already enjoys elite status in most sports in which it fields a team. While 2009-10 was a colossal flop in that UGA didn't win a single NCAA championship (I see you, Equestrian), years in which the Dawgs raise at least one trophy vastly outnumber the ones in which they don't. McGarity should help make that disparity even greater.
I, for one, am excited for all of the promise the next few years have in store for the Dawgs. Congratulations to Greg McGarity on landing one of the sweetest jobs in collegiate athletics.
Welcome home.
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