"When my wife had cervical cancer two years ago, two [SEC] coaches called me -- Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer," Richt said. "Not that others didn't care, but they're the ones who called."
Richt said there's a mutual respect among the SEC coaches that binds them and rarely are there any heated moments when they get together in Destin, Fla., for the SEC spring meetings.
"Everybody understands the job and the issues that come with it," said Richt, who's the SEC's longest-tenured coach at his current school now that Tommy Tuberville and Phillip Fulmer are gone. "When we sit in those meetings in Destin, we all know we're really part of the same team and dealing with the same issues.