Ex-Miami Coach Admits Longstanding Disdain for Notre Dame Football

"I'm not really a big fan of Notre Dame to be honest with you, because there's some personal things that happened over the years. I don't want to get into it, but I'll tell you how I felt after that game. That's the happiest, it might have been the most fun I've ever had coaching."

Richt then went on to mention how his son was with him on the Miami coaching staff at that time, which made the game that much more special.

Richt is a devout Christian, open about his faith, and is speaking his truth.

Mark Richt's Background SHOULD Make Him Dislike Notre Dame

I know the people running college football try to kill traditions that make the sport special with each passing day, but rivalries are real in the sport. Richt was a Miami quarterback from 1979-1982, when Notre Dame went 3-1 against his team. The Notre Dame and Miami rivalry would turn into college football's fiercest by the late 1980s.

Richt turned to coaching a few years after graduating college, where he started as a graduate assistant at Florida State. He'd spend 14 years in Tallahassee in different roles from 1985-2000, working right through the infamous feud between Florida State and Notre Dame in 1993.

Some will be angered by it, and that's fine. Richt isn't trying to endear himself to Notre Dame fans by any means. I'm all for it. The more trash-talk, the better. As long as nobody is physically hurt by it, bring it on.

Which is why I'll finish with the following.

Mark Richt's Miami Following 2017 Notre Dame Game

Richt returned Georgia to prominence during his 15 years there, but it took former Nick Saban assistant Kirby Smart replacing him to see the Bulldogs take that next step. Georgia under Mark Richt was a lot like Notre Dame under Brian Kelly as it was usually very good, but its ceiling wasn't high enough to win a championship.

At Miami, Richt had the Hurricanes 9-0 after rocking Notre Dame in 2017, and they'd move to 10-0 by beating Virginia a week later. From then on, though, Miami football fell off a cliff. Once looking like it was headed towards a return to greatness, Richt and the Hurricanes dropped three-straight to close the 2017 season and then stumbled to a 7-5 regular season the following year.

After getting embarrassed by Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl 35-3 to close the year, Richt retired and walked away from coaching.

Yeah, I can see why he thinks so highly of that 2017 Notre Dame game still.

Notre Dame and Miami are set to kick off the 2025 college football season on August 31 when the Irish travel to battle the Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. ET.