Spring Break
The Daily OrangeNational | Richt's team mission to Honduras was "life-changing" experience for Georgia
By Didier Morais
Posted: 10/30/08, 3:32 AM EST Section: Sports
Two summers ago, Mark Richt took a break from coaching football and traveled with his family to the poverty-stricken town of Guaimaca, Honduras with his local church.
Richt, the head coach of No. 8 Georgia, is a devout Christian, and routinely organizes community service events and mission trips during his off-seasons.
During the trip, he witnessed and interacted with the Honduran natives, constructed housing for the homeless and helped run a feeding program.
The trip moved Richt. It impressed him so much, he wished to return and relive the experience all over again. But this time, he wanted to bring along his other family - his football team. So he did just that, bringing 23 members of his team on a similar excursion this summer to bring the team together and instill in his players some of the Christian values he believed the experience imparted.
"You're trying to have these guys have an experience greater than just playing football," Richt said in a teleconference. "If they think our only motivation is to win football games, then they start to question how much we really care about them. The bottom line is we're trying to love these guys in a way that not only do they have a great football experience, but when they walk out of the doors they'll be ready for life."
Once Richt returned from his first excursion to Honduras, he met with Georgia's Director of Athletics Damon Evans to pitch the tour.
Richt assuaged Evans' initial concerns, saying the trip would be sponsored by World Baptist Missions, not the university, so it would not violate any NCAA extra-benefit regulations. After much discussion between both parties, the university eventually approved Richt's proposal.
Then Richt discussed the prospect of serving abroad with his players, making it a voluntary opportunity for those interested.
Twenty-three players showed interest and signed up for the five-day mission trip to one of the poorest countries in Latin America.
After a much anticipated wait, Richt, his family and the team finally departed to Honduras. And it didn't take long for the Georgia players to notice the disparity in lifestyles. Once Bulldogs fullback Justin Fields walked out of the airport, he was immediately astonished by the amount of poverty that surrounded him.
"It was like a 'wow' factor, seeing the poverty and everything once we actually landed the airplane," Fields said. "We saw kids running around naked. Houses are five feet away from each other and they were just really rundown."
Once the players arrived at their destination in Guaimaca, they got their first taste of Christian ministry. Each morning, the group woke up at 6:30 a.m. to operate the Hospital Bautista and help the disadvantaged community.
Throughout their stay, they constructed homes, dug ditches, repaired fences, conducted a day care ministry, handed out biblical tracts to Hondurans, and shared personal testimonies through translators.
Fields said it was a "life-changing experience."
"It humbled me as a person and not to take small things in life for granted like water for showering, or to drink," Fields said. "They have a well they have to go get it from, and it's hard to get for some places. It humbled myself and the team and how we look at things. You just come out of that place feeling blessed."
Despite the overwhelming amount of labor in the mornings, Richt and his players still entertained themselves by practicing football each afternoon. But it wasn't their typical football. Instead, they played futbol - soccer - with the Hondurans.
But before the first game, Richt needed the translator to clear up confusion caused by a misinterpretation of the language.
"They heard the preseason number one football team in America was coming to play them in their form of football," Richt said. "So they thought the best soccer team in America was coming to play them. But once we showed up they had a sigh of relief and I don't think we won a game out there."
Even though the Bulldogs' players lost all their soccer games, they left with an appreciation of what life can be like in other areas of the world. And that was the objective Richt had in organizing the mission trip.
"Men in America today need to step up and man up and take care of their responsibilities as husbands, fathers, employees and citizens of this country,"
Richt said. "So we're trying to do all kinds of things that will help them get there. All those experiences along with their education will be meaningful to them as they grow"
Contest Winner Contributes
Texas Tech's offense has no trouble scoring touchdowns. The problem is the team's kickers are struggling to kick the extra points. Both Red Raiders kickers have combined to miss six PATs and half their field goal attempts. The kicking woes forced head coach Mike Leach to take immediate action.
After watching student Matt Williams kick a 30-yard field goal to win free rent during a Texas Tech's halftime event, Leach decided to use his services as the new place-kicker.
Last week, Williams made Leach look like a genius, going 9-for-9 in PAT attempts in his collegiate debut against then-No. 18 Kansas.
Game to Watch: No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Georgia
The frustration from Georgia's humiliating touchdown celebration last season still resonates in Gainesville, Fla. After Bulldogs running back Knowshon Moreno scored the game's first touchdown in Georgia's match-up with Florida last year, the entire Bulldogs team stormed the field and jubilantly celebrated Moreno's score in the end zone, as the Gators watched in dismay.
The Bulldogs received two unsportsmanlike penalties, but still went on to win the game, 42-30.
Richt has since apologized for his team's actions and downplayed the ramifications of the celebration on this weekend's game.
"I addressed it during media day already," Richt said. "It's really old news."
Florida head coach Urban Meyer has also taken the diplomatic route, refusing to address the issue. Still, do not be deceived. There is bad blood brewing between both teams, and Saturday's contest could be an especially intense one.
dsmorais@syr.edu
Richt, the head coach of No. 8 Georgia, is a devout Christian, and routinely organizes community service events and mission trips during his off-seasons.
During the trip, he witnessed and interacted with the Honduran natives, constructed housing for the homeless and helped run a feeding program.
The trip moved Richt. It impressed him so much, he wished to return and relive the experience all over again. But this time, he wanted to bring along his other family - his football team. So he did just that, bringing 23 members of his team on a similar excursion this summer to bring the team together and instill in his players some of the Christian values he believed the experience imparted.
"You're trying to have these guys have an experience greater than just playing football," Richt said in a teleconference. "If they think our only motivation is to win football games, then they start to question how much we really care about them. The bottom line is we're trying to love these guys in a way that not only do they have a great football experience, but when they walk out of the doors they'll be ready for life."
Once Richt returned from his first excursion to Honduras, he met with Georgia's Director of Athletics Damon Evans to pitch the tour.
Richt assuaged Evans' initial concerns, saying the trip would be sponsored by World Baptist Missions, not the university, so it would not violate any NCAA extra-benefit regulations. After much discussion between both parties, the university eventually approved Richt's proposal.
Then Richt discussed the prospect of serving abroad with his players, making it a voluntary opportunity for those interested.
Twenty-three players showed interest and signed up for the five-day mission trip to one of the poorest countries in Latin America.
After a much anticipated wait, Richt, his family and the team finally departed to Honduras. And it didn't take long for the Georgia players to notice the disparity in lifestyles. Once Bulldogs fullback Justin Fields walked out of the airport, he was immediately astonished by the amount of poverty that surrounded him.
"It was like a 'wow' factor, seeing the poverty and everything once we actually landed the airplane," Fields said. "We saw kids running around naked. Houses are five feet away from each other and they were just really rundown."
Once the players arrived at their destination in Guaimaca, they got their first taste of Christian ministry. Each morning, the group woke up at 6:30 a.m. to operate the Hospital Bautista and help the disadvantaged community.
Throughout their stay, they constructed homes, dug ditches, repaired fences, conducted a day care ministry, handed out biblical tracts to Hondurans, and shared personal testimonies through translators.
Fields said it was a "life-changing experience."
"It humbled me as a person and not to take small things in life for granted like water for showering, or to drink," Fields said. "They have a well they have to go get it from, and it's hard to get for some places. It humbled myself and the team and how we look at things. You just come out of that place feeling blessed."
Despite the overwhelming amount of labor in the mornings, Richt and his players still entertained themselves by practicing football each afternoon. But it wasn't their typical football. Instead, they played futbol - soccer - with the Hondurans.
But before the first game, Richt needed the translator to clear up confusion caused by a misinterpretation of the language.
"They heard the preseason number one football team in America was coming to play them in their form of football," Richt said. "So they thought the best soccer team in America was coming to play them. But once we showed up they had a sigh of relief and I don't think we won a game out there."
Even though the Bulldogs' players lost all their soccer games, they left with an appreciation of what life can be like in other areas of the world. And that was the objective Richt had in organizing the mission trip.
"Men in America today need to step up and man up and take care of their responsibilities as husbands, fathers, employees and citizens of this country,"
Richt said. "So we're trying to do all kinds of things that will help them get there. All those experiences along with their education will be meaningful to them as they grow"
Contest Winner Contributes
Texas Tech's offense has no trouble scoring touchdowns. The problem is the team's kickers are struggling to kick the extra points. Both Red Raiders kickers have combined to miss six PATs and half their field goal attempts. The kicking woes forced head coach Mike Leach to take immediate action.
After watching student Matt Williams kick a 30-yard field goal to win free rent during a Texas Tech's halftime event, Leach decided to use his services as the new place-kicker.
Last week, Williams made Leach look like a genius, going 9-for-9 in PAT attempts in his collegiate debut against then-No. 18 Kansas.
Game to Watch: No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Georgia
The frustration from Georgia's humiliating touchdown celebration last season still resonates in Gainesville, Fla. After Bulldogs running back Knowshon Moreno scored the game's first touchdown in Georgia's match-up with Florida last year, the entire Bulldogs team stormed the field and jubilantly celebrated Moreno's score in the end zone, as the Gators watched in dismay.
The Bulldogs received two unsportsmanlike penalties, but still went on to win the game, 42-30.
Richt has since apologized for his team's actions and downplayed the ramifications of the celebration on this weekend's game.
"I addressed it during media day already," Richt said. "It's really old news."
Florida head coach Urban Meyer has also taken the diplomatic route, refusing to address the issue. Still, do not be deceived. There is bad blood brewing between both teams, and Saturday's contest could be an especially intense one.
dsmorais@syr.edu
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