Richards attended Antelope Valley High School, where he was an All-state offensive tackle as a senior.
[2] In 1987, he accepted a football scholarship from Cal State Northridge, where he played as an offensive tackle.
He was named the starter at left guard, protecting quarterback Toy Taylor, who set a Cal record for total offense and passed for the second most yards in a single-season in school history.
He contributed to Russell White and Anthony Wallace becoming the first pair of running backs in school history to gain 1,000 rushing yards in the same year.
In July 1994, Richards was signed by the expansion team Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football League.