ATHENS — College Football Hall of Fame coach Mark Richt was bowled over with the support of Georgia fans, friends and family at the Chick-fil-A Dawg Bowl 2023.

The event, held to benefit research for Parkinson’s and Crohn’s disease, featured several members of the No. 1 Georgia team competing alongside Dawgnation supporters for the charitable cause.

“My intent was to visit go by each lane and thank everyone,” said Richt, whose wife and family members were on hand.

“But so many came up to me to say hello and visit I wasn’t quite able to; the response was overwhelming, and we are very thankful.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was on hand, supporting and sharing time with the coach who first brought him back to UGA as a full-time assistant in 2005 as an assistant coach.

“The event was great for a lot of reasons, but if we didn’t have Coach Smart’s blessing for the players to be there, it wouldn’t’ have happened,” said Richt, who compiled a 145-51 record as Georgia’s head coach from 2001-15 and was twice named SEC Coach of the Year.

“I told the players that when they came off the bus that without their willingness to be there, it wouldn’t have happened,” Richt said.

“Josh Brooks gave us a lot of support behind the scenes; I know a lot of things had to happen to pull this off, and we were very thankful to have that cooperation.”

Brooks, Georgia’s third-year athletic director, worked as Richt’s director of football operations from 2008-11 and as associate athletic director for internal operations from 2012 through 2014.