Richards looks for new start with old results with Legends
September 7, 2005 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Canton Legends News Release
Less than four months removed from winning the inaugural championship in the Atlantic Indoor Football League - now the American Indoor Football League (AIFL) -- Rik Richards was named as the new head coach for the Canton Legends, marking the end of a tumultuous first season for the Legends, who endured numerous coaching changes during the inaugural season of the AIFL
"A great football city deserves a great football team, and I look forward to bringing that to Canton," said Richards. "I'm excited about the opportunity I've been presented with and will do my best to bring what success I've had in the past to the Legends."
"This is the first step in rebuilding from the 2005 season. Canton deserves a winner, and Coach Richards is the guy to make that happen," said Legends owner Andrew Haines. "The response we have received from our past sponsors and season ticket holders has been overwhelming. We want Stark county residents and surrounding areas to come out and support the future AIFL Champions."
Richards is a football coach who has made a name for himself amidst the fast-paced indoor cousin of the outdoor game. Between the padded walls, he found his calling several years ago, spending the summer months inside on the gridiron learning the intricacies and special talents it takes to play the game successfully. He has spent the past several years between the arenafootball2 league (af2) and AIFL before landing
Richards' first professional coaching gig came with the Bismarck Blaze of the now defunct Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2000. Moving up from his position with NAIA-member institution, University of Mary, Richards quickly made the proper adjustments to the professional indoor version of the game he loved. As the defensive coordinator, he helped guide the Blaze to a 13-4 overall record and a date with Peoria in the IFL Championship, leading the league in rushing and total defense.
Despite falling in his first professional championship appearance, Richards landed five of his players - as well as himself - in the 2000 IFL Pro Bowl.
Hoping to prove himself on a grander scale, Richards moved south following his successful 2000 campaign, hoping to land an IFL head coaching position. Yet, as fortunes had it, the league disbanded, stranding the talented coach. It was then that he latched on in Charleston as the defensive coordinator for the second-year Charleston Swamp Foxes arenafootball2 team.
As the defensive coordinator, Richards prided himself on the performance of his defense on the turf. Charleston ranked in the Top 15 in total defense each of his first two seasons as the leader of the defensive unit, including ranking 12th in pass defense while limiting opponents to just over 200 yards per game through the air. He also played a large role in the recruiting process of finding talent with which to plug into his creative schemes.
Yet, the Swamp Foxes struggled through losing seasons in both 2001 and 2002, prompting a change at the helm.
On October 24, 2002, Richards earned his first-ever professional head coaching position. As the most logical choice for the ownership group, Richards was introduced as the second head coach of the Swamp Foxes, replacing a coaching legend in Georgia-Florida Hall of Famer, Jimmy Dunn.
Richards spent the waning months of 2002 and early months of 2003 preparing for his dream - preparing to control the football operations of a team that was called his. Then, in early April, the arenafootball2 season commenced.
On April 5, 2003, Richards stepped on the turf as the youngest head coach in all of Arena Football. He was greeted with a 31-21 loss in Norfolk, Va., in a game where his defense created three turnovers - two interceptions and a fumble, scoring on the latter. But a lesson was learned by the first-year head coach - when you're in charge, you are responsible for everything. And that included an anemic offensive performance by former West Virginia quarterback, Major Harris, as the Foxes only managed 124 yards of total offense on 38 plays (3.26 yards per play).
Things didn't get any easier for the Swamp Foxes as Charleston dropped its first three games, all of which came on the road by a combined tally of 94-61.
But the resilient Richards and staff rebounded. In the home opener on April 26, 2003, the Foxes survived a last minute rally by the Birmingham (Ala.) Steeldogs, recovering an onside kick attempt at the 16-yard line to secure Richards his first win, 38-37.
The rebound continued during the 2003 season behind af2 Rookie of the Year, Johnny Turman. The Foxes' offensive production soared from a 26th ranking after Week 1 to as high as fourth in Week 13, concluding the season ranked 7th in total offense. Defensively, the Swamp Foxes were a rock, leading the af2 in total defense for nine consecutive weeks and finishing fourth overall and with a league-best +21 turnover margin. The ball-hawking Foxes picked off 34 passes during the season and recovered 16 fumbles to keep the hopes of a first-ever playoff appearance alive entering the final week of the regular season.
Richards concluded his inaugural season as a head coach pounding the Richmond Speed, 43-13, using a remarkable defensive effort. His scheme created three interceptions and limited the potent Speed offense to 90 yards through the air in a game that is dominated by throwing the football.
But, despite winning six of their final eight games, including the final three-in-a-row, the Swamp Foxes, missed out on the af2 playoffs, crippled by the trio of early season losses. Charleston's af2-member would not line up for another kickoff following the finale on July 26, 2003 and Richards was a head coach with a winning record, but without a team.
It was then, in the fall of 2003, that Richards took a gamble - a 1,000-mile trek northward to interview with the Manchester Wolves, a relocated af2 member in a new town. But after what many considered a dismal 4-7 opening with the moved arenafootball2 franchise in Manchester, Richards was let go.
After being given his release from Manchester, Richards moved back to his home in Charleston, S.C., and began the long process of searching. He took odd jobs to keep the bills paid, maintaining his love of football. With his pride of being able to sniff out talent, Richards worked part-time on the side scouting with the Scouting Bureau out of Celebration, Fla., a contact in which he made while the head man with the Swamp Foxes. In all, Richards was officially out of football for nearly nine tough months.
In February of 2005, with practically all hopes of landing a summer indoor football coaching position lost, Richards received a call from Andrew Haines, founder of the first-year AIFL There were six teams with only five head coaches - and Haines and the Richmond Bandits' owner, Michael Taylor, were in need of an experienced coach.
Richards fit the bill.
The last team to announce a leader, Richmond finished off the regular season with a share of the AIFL championship. And after surviving a scare from the third-seeded Johnstown Riverhawks, the Bandits, were Erie, Pa., bound with a shot at the inaugural Governor's Cup and AIFL Championship.
In the ensuing title match-up, the Bandits proceeded to rack up a total of six interceptions - one more than the MVP Dinkins had thrown all season long - en route to the capturing the inaugural championship.
After the final interception, with time dwindling in the game, Richards returned to a jubilant Bandit bench. Trying to hold back a smile through a face of concentration, he paced the back-and-forth as the final seconds ticked off the clock and immortalized the Richmond squad in the AIFL history books. He was reflecting upon the season. He was calculating his overall record as a head coach - 24-15. And he realized that he had accomplished his dream - earning a championship trophy and a championship ring at the professional level.
"After last season in Richmond, I have that championship taste in my mouth. Ordering our championships rings was an amazing feeling that I want to duplicate as quickly as possible. That opportunity will come with the Legends this next season," said Richards.
Over the past five seasons - from Bismarck, N.D., to Charleston, S.C., Manchester, N.H., to Richmond, Va. - Richards-led defenses have accounted for 171 total interceptions and have consistently ranked among their respective league leaders in total defense and turnover margin.
Richards will begin immediately in filling a roster for the Legends - a roster in which he intends to compile of both the past and present. He hopes to bring several of the key components of last year's Bandits' championship team
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American Indoor Football Association Stories from September 7, 2005
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