To turn around a Flyer football program that had seven straight losing seasons, head coach John McVay sought out talent including underrepresented players from outside the Dayton area. Among them was a star running back from Youngstown (Ohio) South High School, Pete Richardson ’68.
Flyer Hall of Famer Pete Richardson ’68 wins a new honor.
As a defensive back at Dayton, Richardson was a winner. Later, as a coach, he was also a winner.
This past June, Flyer Hall of Famer Richardson was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
Teammate Jim Place ’69 recently said of Richardson, “The second I met him, I knew he was going to be a really good player. I knew he was destined for the NFL, but his greatest quality was his toughness,” Place said. “You can’t find anyone tougher or more loyal than Pete, and his qualities rubbed off on the rest of the defense. He didn’t get to the pros by just coasting, he worked hard.”
“I truly value our friendship,” Place said, noting that on hearing of his friend’s Hall of Fame selection, he called him and “we talked for about an hour. I told him how proud I was of him because in reality he was my brother 58 years ago and he’s still my brother today.”
Upon graduation, Richardson was drafted into the NFL by the Buffalo Bills. He played for three years for them; then he suffered a career-ending knee injury.
Richardson came back to the city of Dayton to teach for five years at Dunbar High School, leading to his first college coaching role — at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina where he coached for 14 years, five as head coach. Richardson led Winston-Salem to three Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships (1988, 1990 and 1991) and a 41-14-1 record.
Richardson then went to another historically Black college, Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, he spent 17 seasons, compiling a 134-62 record. Richardson led Southern to five Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships, including three consecutive titles (1997-99) as well as titles in 1993 and 2003. He won the Black Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year Award in 1998.
Richardson said the highlight of his coaching career was winning the Black College National Championship five times (1993, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2003).
“You can’t find anyone tougher or more loyal than Pete, and his qualities rubbed off on the rest of the defense. He didn’t get to the pros by just coasting, he worked hard.”
While coaching hundreds of players throughout his career, he said he always emphasized the value of believing in yourself and taking advantage of any and all opportunities that are available.
“The University of Dayton changed my life, giving me the education and support I needed,” Richardson said. “That helped me acquire drive and determination from within, knowing that it meant a great deal to my family and others who had made a commitment to support me.”
“You get a number of individuals that have walked in the same shoes I did,” he said. “It was a pleasure to mentor and guide them through hardships and great opportunities."
