Men's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- brichard@bsu.edu
- Phone:
- 765-285-8906
38 – Mid-American Conference Regular Season and/or Tournament Championships
8 – NCAA Appearances
Career
First coach in school history to receive the President's Medal of Distinction when he received it at the 2012 Ball State commencement.
Winningest men's tennis coach in Ball State and Mid-American Conference history, reaching two milestones in 2012 with 600 overall wins and 200 MAC victories.
- 758-471 (.616) overall record
- 239-82 (.744) conference record
- Won 700th career victory against Wright State on Feb. 1, 2020
- Has coached 17 undefeated regular seasons
- Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Meritorious Service Award
- 21 Mid-American Conference Championships
- Inducted into Sturgis High School Hall of Fame (2014)
- 2014-15 NCAA Bob Frederick Sportsmanship Award
- 2005-06 Players Matt Baccarani, along with teammate Patrick Thompson, were ranked nationally as high as fourth nationals in doubles.
- Coached John Amos to first round singles victory at the 1994 NCAA Championships.
- Tutored former players Dan Kronauge and Paul Kruse to the 1991 Volvo Collegiate Fall Championship, which ultimately earned them the distinction of the No. 1 doubles team in the country and held that honor a good portion of the season.
- Has consistently coached Ball State teams and or players to ITA national polls, highlighted by a top 20 team ranking in 1990, and No. 1 doubles ranking and top 40 in 1992.
- Involved in U.S. National Team. Accompanied top American junior players to Wimbledon, the French Open and U.S. Open.
- Has conducted numerous clinics including the Midwest Open
- Elected as one of six Division I men's coaches to the ITA Board of Directors in 2008.
- Inducted to Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993
- Awarded the Benny Award from the University in 2006, which is the top honor for his service to Ball State.
Winningest men's tennis coach in school and MAC history
- First MAC crown – 1984
- MAC Coach of the Year 15 times
Personal
- A native of Sturgis, Michigan, Richards earned a bachelor of science degree from Western Michigan in 1970 and a master's degree in health and physical education from Bowling Green in 1971. At Western Michigan, he was a three-year letterwinner in tennis and a MAC Champion in both singles and doubles. After serving as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green, Richards served as the head tennis coach at Portage Central High School for one year prior to his appointment at Ball State.
- Richards and his wife, Sue, have two children, Rob, (wife Wendy), and Kristi, one grandaughter Leah and one grandson, Ryan.
