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Z motion 10 out on 2
04-05-2005, 01:17 PM
Looks like Southeastern has a new coach!

http://www.kten.com/article.asp?id=7353

Z motion 10 out on 2
04-05-2005, 01:36 PM
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

SPORTS INFORMATION RELEASE

Dave Wester, Director of Sports Information

1405 N. 4th Ave, PMB 4132 – Durant, OK 74701

Ph: (580) 745-2646 – FAX: (580) 745-7492 – E-mail: dwester@sosu.edu

http://www.sosu.edu/athletics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ray Richards Named SOSU’s Next Head Football Coach

DURANT, Okla. (Apr. 5, 2005) – Ray Richards, who served as defensive coordinator for the Savages from 1989-98, has been named the 18th head football coach at Southeastern Oklahoma State University announced today by SOSU Interim Director of Athletics Dr. Jeff Hale. Richards replaces Keith Baxter who led the Savages the past four seasons to a 25-16 record and resigned the post in February. A press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning at Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium to introduce and welcome Coach Richards.

“Coach Richards is a man of great integrity and a conference coach of the year who possesses impressive football credentials,” commented Dr. Hale. “His 10-year association with the Southeastern football program and his unquestioned commitment to student-athlete success made him the best fit for our program. We’re very excited to welcome back Coach Richards, his wife Rhonda, and their children to the Southeastern and Durant communities.”

Richards, 47, makes his return to Durant after spending the past four seasons as the head football coach at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. During his four-year stint with the Bearcats, Richards’ squad competed in the highly-competitive Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, one of the top football conferences in NCAA Division II. In his first year with SBU, Richards’ 2001 squad posted the best record in a decade going 6-5 and posting the first winning season by the program since 1991. He was named the MIAA Coach of the Year becoming the first Bearcat coach to ever earn that honor.

During his previous ten seasons on the Savage coaching staff, Richards guided SOSU to one of the top defenses in the country. His defense consistently ranked among the national leaders and in 1991 he led the top-ranked scoring defense in the NAIA giving up just 10.6 points per contest. In his first season as defensive coordinator with Southeastern in 1989, Richards’ defense ranked second in the NAIA in scoring giving up just 8.1 points per game as the Savages claimed the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference title and made an appearance in the Aztec Bowl. In all, the Savages boasted a 57-40-4 (58.4%) record during his ten seasons as defensive coordinator and claimed two OIC championships, also winning the title in 1994. Richards coached 43 all-conference performers and seven All-Americans on his defense while at Southeastern, including SOSU Hall of Fame defensive linemen David Hall and Elmar Perry.

“We are very excited that Coach Richards is joining Southeastern Oklahoma State University,” commented SOSU President Dr. Glen D. Johnson. “The University has a rich and proud tradition in intercollegiate athletics, and our football program is a vital part of that tradition. With the new and improved facilities at Paul Laird Field scheduled for completion this year, we believe the future of Southeastern football is indeed bright. We look forward to our student-athletes’ continued success in NCAA Division II competition.”

A native of Elmhurst, Ill., Richards is a 1981 graduate of Northern Michigan University where he received his bachelors’ degree in physical education. He played his final two years of football at NMU and helped the Wildcats to a berth in the NCAA DII playoffs in 1980. Prior to transferring to Northern Michigan, he played two seasons at Adams State University. Richards went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Louisiana-Monroe in 1984 in physical education and school administration.

While a graduate assistant ULM, he worked with the defensive backs in a defense that ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA Division I-AA in 1983 and 1984. Richards returned to Louisiana-Monroe for two seasons as an assistant coach between his previous stint at SOSU and taking the head coaching position at Southwest Baptist. In all, Richards brings back to Southeastern 19 years of collegiate coaching experience.

“Southeastern has always had a special place in my heart and I am very excited to be returning to Durant,” said Richards on his new position. “Even though I am not originally from the area, it feels like I’m coming home. I have more friends in Bryan County than anywhere else in the United States.”

Ray and his wife, Rhonda, have three daughters; Taylor (10), Riley (9) and Alexa (7).


The Savages posted an 8-3 overall record in 2005 and advanced to the NCAA DII playoffs for the first time in school history. Southeastern will enter the upcoming season searching for its fourth-consecutive winning season, a feat accomplished just four times in the program’s 93-year history.