Dave Richardson Added to Arkansas Men’s Basketball Staff

FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson announced today that Dave Richardson has been named head strength and conditioning coach for men’s basketball. Richardson spent the last 13 seasons as associate strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State University, where he helped develop some of the top collegiate basketball players in the nation.

“I am super excited to have Dave be a part of the Razorback family,” Anderson said. “His resume speaks for itself and he is highly respected within his profession. He will do an excellent job complimenting the ‘Fastest 40’ minutes in college basketball.”

Richardson spent 12 seasons with the Buckeye’s men’s basketball program while serving as the men’s lacrosse strength coach this past season. During his time with Ohio State basketball, the Buckeyes made 11 postseason appearances, including five Sweet 16 berths, two Final Four’s, a national runner-up finish in 2007 and an NIT Championship in 2008. Richardson helped Evan Turner be the 2010 National Player of the Year (Naismith Award, Associated Press, Fox, John Wooden Award, Oscar Robinson Award, US Basketball Writers Association, National Association of Basketball Coaches and Sporting News) and Greg Oden be the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. A total of 21 of his players went on to play in the professionally with nine players being drafted by the NBA highlighted by Oden, Turner (2nd overall pick in 2010), D’Angelo Russell (2nd overall pick in 2015) and Mike Conley Jr. (4th overall pick in 2007).

Prior to his time at Ohio State, Richardson was the strength and conditioning coach for the Miami Hurricane men’s basketball program from 2001-05 where he helped develop long-time NBA veterans John Salmons and James Jones. He worked for six seasons as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and served five years as head strength and conditioning coach at Nicholls State University. Two of the seasons at Nicholls State he served as the head track and field coach.

The Monroe, La., native also worked as the strength and conditioning coach for Central America’s Davis Cup tennis team in 1991.

Richardson, who was a student assistant on the ULM strength staff as an undergraduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance in 1989 and a master’s degree in exercise science in 1990 from Louisiana-Monroe.

He has a strong background in powerlifting. In 1984 he won the Alaska powerlifting state championship and was crowned the Louisiana state powerlifting champion in 1986 and 1987. In 1985 and 1986 he was the ArkLaMiss champion and was listed among the Powerlifting USA Top 100. In addition, Richardson served five years in the Army and was a member of the All-Army powerlifting team.

Richardson and his wife, Amanda, have a son, David. Richardson also has a daughter, Megan, who is a teacher in Louisiana.