After graduation, Richards was hired as head basketball coach at Auburn High School.
Richards returned to Western as an assistant the following year, when an opening occurred on John Oldham's staff after Gene Rhodes left to coach the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association.
When Oldham left the sidelines to become athletic director, Richards became head coach for the 1971–1972 season.
The Toppers made the NCAA men's basketball tournament twice, with an overall record of one win and two losses.
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