ESPN Analyst Mark Richt Analyst Suffers Heart Attack: 'I Had Peace Knowing I Was Going to Heaven'
Former Miami and Georgia football coach Mark Richt revealed Monday morning on Twitter that he had suffered a heart attack.
Richt, who currently works as an analyst for the ACC Network and ESPN, said he was expecting a quick recovery and was planning to return to work later this week.
He also shared that as he faced death, a divine peace fell over him.
“I am assuming word travels fast,” Richt wrote Monday. “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.”
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
“I guess I’m off the cheese balls!” he later said, a reference to the snack food that became a running joke for Richt after he tweeted a photo of himself pointing at a canister of them on the beach.
No other details about his heart attack have been made available at the time of publication.
Richt is a Christian who has often spoken about how he came to his deep faith and what it means to him.
The 59-year-old retired from coaching last December after coaching the Miami Hurricanes, his alma mater, for three seasons.
Before that, he had worked on the sidelines for the Georgia Bulldogs for 15 years, finishing with a 145-51 record. He was fired in 2015 after a 9-3 season.
Richt’s decision to retire surprised many, but he later said he needed to take time to focus on his health.
“Well, I think the biggest thing for me was, I didn’t do a great job of taking care of myself from the day I took the job,” Richt said on “The Joe Rose Show” on WQAM-AM.
“I went 15 years at Georgia, and probably needed a break then but just the Miami opportunity was there and is too good to turn down,” he said.
Richt joined the ACC Network in April and has appeared on several shows since.
Our thoughts and prayers go out for Richt and his wife, Katharyn, as he recovers.
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