As was announced here earlier, Greg McGarity has accepted Jay Clark’s resignation, which Seth Emerson seems skeptical was entirely Coach Clark’s decision. If Emerson is right---and I would bet cash money that he is---it is to McGarity’s credit that he made the right choice, acted on his decision quickly, and brought it to a conclusion quietly.
Like tankertoad, I have no desire to kick a man while he is down (well, no desire to kick this man while he is down, at any rate), so I will state simply that, while Coach Clark’s devotion to the Georgia program cannot be questioned, he simply did not get the job done. Coach Clark’s clubs never finished higher than third at the SEC Championships, never finished higher than tied for ninth at the NCAA Championships, and once failed even to advance past the NCAA Regionals. That simply will not pass muster at the program Suzanne Yoculan built.
Like Ray Goff before him, Jay Clark was a good recruiter and a fine assistant whose contributions to his alma mater’s athletics program ought to be appreciated, in spite of the fact that he was not up to the task of succeeding a legend as head coach. As for Kit’s recent points about the difficult choices Greg McGarity faces in the next twelve months, our athletic director has confronted the first of those challenges and passed the test with flying colors. The lessons McGarity learned from Vince Dooley have served him well, but now we know he was taught a few things by Jeremy Foley, too . . . and that is a good thing.
We at Dawg Sports send our best wishes to Coach Clark and his family, with our gratitude for his many years of dedicated service. Meanwhile, as McGarity begins the search for a gymnastics coach worthy to fill Coach Yoculan’s high heels, I will simply state that it would not surprise me if he looked to his old Gainesville stomping grounds to find a successor.
Go ‘Dawgs!