Former
Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes head football coach Mark
Richt on Thursday revealed that he has been diagnosed with
Parkinson’s Disease. The 61-year-old took to Twitter to make the announcement and express optimism as he begins his battle with the
nervous disorder. Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive nervous disorder that
affects movement and is common among men above 60 years of age.

“I have been waddling around lately and people have asked me what’s wrong. I’ve decided to tell everyone at the same time. I’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” he wrote on Twitter. 

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Born
in Omaha, Nebraska in a blue-collar family, Richt played at the University of
Miami from 1978–82. He made a name for himself in the college football coaching
circuit while working as an assistant at Florida State under Bobby Bowden from
1999-2000. As quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Richt helped guide
the Seminoles to two national championships.

Ahead
of the 2001 season, he was hired as the coach at Georgia. He went on to aid the
Bulldogs program to return to national prominence in course of his 15-year-long
tenure in Athens. The 2002 season marked Georgia’s first conference
championship since 1982.

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In
2015, the Georgia Bulldogs were favourites to win the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) Eastern Division. They started the season on a winning streak before a
series of losses culminated in Richt’s dismissal after 15 seasons as head
coach.

Upon
leaving Georgia, Richt was named the head coach of the Hurricanes of University
of Miami, his alma mater. He served as the head coach for the Miami Hurricanes
from 2016 to 2018 and helped Miami win its first ACC coastal title.  

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Richt was
named the SEC Coach of the Year twice, once in 2002 and again in 2005, the ACC Coach
of the Year in 2017. He also won the national Walter Camp Coach of the Year
award in 2017.  In December of 2018, Richt
announced his retirement. He currently serves as an analyst for the ACC Network.