In 2009, Marty Richburg was inducted into the Columbus State University Hall of Fame. Richburg came to CSU as a junior and played shortstop for the Cougars for two seasons, 1996 and 1997. During his time as a member of the CSU baseball team, he started every game he played in and won numerous honors and awards, including MVP of the Peach Belt Conference in 1996 and the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year in 1997. According to the college’s website, Richburg batted .371 with 21 home runs, 31 doubles, seven triples, and 92 RBIs for the ‘96 and ‘97 seasons. He still holds the distinction of being the last Columbus State baseball player to hit .400 in a single season.
Today, Richburg is principal of Northside High School, the largest public high school in Muscogee County. In the Game asked the former athlete turned coach turned administrator 10 questions about his time as an athlete and how playing sports helped prepare him for his career.
In the Game: Where did you attend high school?
Marty Richburg: Opp, Alabama.
ITG: What sports did you play in high school?
MR: Football and baseball.
ITG: What positions did you play in those sports?
MR: Quarterback in football and shortstop in baseball.
ITG: What were some of the highlights of your high school baseball career?
MR: Hit 10 homeruns my senior year and helped our team advance to the Final Four for the first time in the history of the school.
ITG: You attended Columbus State University and played baseball for the Cougars. Did you receive an athletic scholarship?
MR: I did receive a full scholarship to play baseball at Columbus State University my junior and senior seasons. I signed to play at Chattahoochee Valley Community College out of high school.
ITG: For the time you were playing at CSU, were those seasons memorable and how?
MR: They were memorable. My junior season we won the Peach Belt Tournament and had to play Kennesaw State University at the Super Regional Tournament. It basically boiled down to the best two out of three games with them to see who would go to the national championship series. We beat them in the conference tournament, and they had received a regional bid to even be able to play against us. They won Game 1; we won Game 2 and then lost Game 3, I believe 11-7. Kennesaw State went on to win the National Championship that year. No one even came close to beating them in the championship series.
ITG: Was it during your time attending college in Columbus that you met your wife?
MR: It was. We were both in the teaching field, and we had classes together. We were both hired the same year by Mr. Hatcher at Hardaway and worked together for several years.
ITG: Upon graduation, what was the path you took to eventually becoming an administrator with the Muscogee County School District?
MR: I was a teacher and coach for the first five years of my career. During that time, I receive my masters and specialist in leadership and was hired as an assistant prinicipal at Hardaway High School under Mr. Matt Bell. I really enjoyed those years learning about leadership and how schools operate at an efficient level.
ITG: As a former high school and collegiate athlete, what are some of the things you have learned from participating in sports that helped prepare you for your life as an educator and administrator?
MR: I think playing baseball especially taught me how to fail. It has been said over and over that the best players to ever play the game of baseball were only successful 30 percent of the time. Life is not easy, and it can hit hard, even when you think you are prepared. So learning from mistakes, taking chances, and working hard carries over in the work place for sure.
I also learned from watching great coaches. Great coaches are great teachers. They motivate and inspire and get the most out of their athletes. Great coaches find ways to lead through difficult times and develop relationships that last for a long time.
ITG: What advice would you give a high school athlete who is considering playing athletics at the next level?
MR: Humility is very important. Be confident, but humble. You may be the best player on your high school team, but when you get to college, you are on a team where everyone was the best player on their high school team. Expect it and do not let it overwhelm you. Be the hardest working player on your high school team and then carry that over to the collegiate level. Give credit to God for granting you the ability to be a great athlete and work on that gift to develop it to be the best version of yourself.
Personal Bio
Name: Marty Richburg
Job Title: Principal, Northside High School, Columbus, Georgia
Hometown: Opp, Alabama
Education: Opp High School; Bachelor’s in Health and Physical Education, Columbus State University; Master’s in Leadership, Troy State University; Specialist in Leadership, Troy State University
Family: Wife, Kelly Richburg; sons, Bailey Richburg, 16, and Tray Richburg, 14
Athletic accomplishments: All-Conference Shortstop ‘95, CVCC; Voted MVP, CVCC; All-Conference Shortstop ‘96, CSU; Peach Belt Tournament MVP ‘96, CSU; All-Conference Shortstop, ‘97, CSU; Peach Belt Athletic Conference Player of the Year ‘97, CSU; All-American Shortstop ‘97, CSU; Chattahoochee Valley Community College Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2009; Columbus State University Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2009
Professional accomplishments: State Championship Fastpitch Softball Coach, 2003; AAAA State Coach of the Year, 2003; Assistant Principal, Hardaway High School; Principal, Blackmon Road Middle School; Principal, Northside High School
Hobbies or favorite past times: Spending time with family and friends, working out/running, water skiing, and hunting
Person you most admire: My wife, Kelly Richburg. When you spend right at 20 years with someone, you understand them at a level unlike anyone else. She is truly a genuine Christian person that is the glue for our family. She keeps me grounded, and I look to her for guidance and advice on several decisions I have to make. I know that she will tell me exactly what I need to hear no matter what. She makes me a better person each and every day.
Best thing about your current job/position with the Muscogee County School District: I have been blessed to work with some of the best and brightest teachers and coaches in the country. The people I work with genuinely care about our school, our students, and our community. I enjoy working with these people and also with the students of Northside High School. Northside High School has a different feeling when you walk in the door and become part of this institution. It is indescribable, but it makes it real easy to get out of bed each morning to experience.
Columbus Valley/April-May 2017
10 Questions with Marty Richburg
Northside High School
Columbus, GA
Written by: Beth Welch
Photos courtesy of Marty Richburg
10 Questions With Marty Richburg
