After Adam Walker was injured in the first quarter of the fourth game of the season against Boston College, Richards replaced him and rushed for 202 yards.
[2] Not only did he keep the starting job but also became a media sensation, earning the nickname "Swervin" and being compared to Tony Dorsett and Herschel Walker.
He rushed for a career-high 264 yards against East Carolina University, at the time the fourth best single-game mark in school history.
As a junior, he began the year with three straight 100-yard rushing games, before suffering an ankle injury when a lineman fell on his leg during a practice.
The following season, he was suspended indefinitely by new head coach Paul Hackett for missing team meetings and study hall time.
He made the team as the backup to future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, but was placed on the injured reserve list after the second game of the season.
[7][8] The next day, Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson released him, citing the fact that he could not tolerate a running back with a fumbling problem going into the playoffs, even though he would not be able to replace his roster spot by signing a new player, that he would have to pay him in full for all of the remaining games and eventually would have to give him a Super Bowl ring.