Paul Richards

Biography

2025 marked Paul Richards' 12th year as defensive coordinator at the University of Richmond for head coach Dan Chemotti. Over the past 12 seasons, Richards has orchestrated one of the nation's top defenses year after year. Alongside Head Coach Dan Chemotti, Richards has led the Spiders to a 118-67 (.637) record, including nine years of 10 or more wins and the Spiders have won over 80 percent (54-12) of their conference games under the duo's leadership. In 2025, Richards helped lead the Spiders to its best season yet. The Spiders posted a record-breaking 14–3 overall mark, including a perfect 5–0 run through Atlantic 10 play to claim their first-ever A-10 regular-season title and a second conference tournament championship in three years. Richmond earned its first NCAA Tournament victory, upsetting No. 8 North Carolina, 13–10, in Chapel Hill in a defining moment for the program. The Spiders ranked as high as No. 5 in the national polls, the highest ranking in program history, and joined only two-time defending champion Notre Dame as the only 2025 NCAA Tournament teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and defense. With Richards' help, the Spiders set a program record with a nine-game win streak and defeated four nationally ranked opponents — its most ever in a single season — including No. 7 Virginia, No. 13 Georgetown, No. 19 UMass, and No. 17 Saint Joseph’s. Under Richards' leadership, the Spiders ranked second nationally in scoring margin, third in sco