Photo: Coach Pete Richardson enters the final year of a three-year contract this season.
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
If this is the last year for Southern University coach Pete Richardson, here’s a moment to remember what Richardson has done.
Southern had not been relevant in the Southwestern Athletic Conference — not the must-see, yearly contender the Jaguars have become under Richardson — since the school’s other coaching legend, College Football Hall of Famer A.W. “Ace” Mumford left the sidelines in 1961.
Before Richardson’s arrival in 1993, Southern had won the conference just twice since 1960 — in 1966 and ’75 (sharing that title with Grambling).
From 1962-92, there were nine different head coaches, 10 if you count Marino Casem twice. There were four different head coaches in the 1970s, and three from 1981-92 — or four if you count the two terms of Casem. Richardson took a program that began the 1990s with three straight losing seasons and made SU the program of the decade in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
He has won five SWAC titles, four black college national crowns and been the victor in four of six Heritage Bowls. He’s also 11-3 in the Bayou Classic and the only SWAC coach never to lose to Grambling and college football icon Eddie Robinson.
His best seasons stand toe-to-toe with Mumford’s. He has four 11-win seasons and a 12-1 run in 2003, while Mumford had four 10-win seasons and went 12-0 in 1948. In comparison, SU had just one nine-win season (in 1975) since 1960.
And his winning percentage is on par with Mumford’s, with Richardson at 69.9 percent (114-49) to Mumford’s 70.4 (176-60-14). Richardson is 156-63-1 overall (71.1 percent), with three Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles in five seasons at Division II Winston-Salem State.
“Coach Richardson is a great coach, and I’d hate to see him go out,” senior strong safety Glenn Bell said. “That’s why I take it personally every day I step on the field, because I know that is one of the best coaches to ever touch college football, ever.
“It’s an honor for me. I feel it’s my duty to give him his winning season. If we go out there and win games like we’re supposed to, then everything else will fall back into place.”
Losing is losing, however.
Back-to-back losing marks — the first two of Richardson’s previous 19 seasons as a head coach — have followed SU since the Jaguars went to the SWAC Championship Game in 2004. And Richardson now enters the last season of a three-year deal.
What’s more, the two losing seasons and the looming expiration date of the contract also dovetail with other negatives sapping the faith of Southern fans and alumni.
The school’s board of supervisors and system president is embroiled in scandal. Meanwhile, fans continue to be upset that a vitally needed north end zone expansion project — for which Southern symbolically broke ground in November 2004 and for which ticket prices were raised by $12 earlier that year — has yet to begin. Season ticket sales have been on a steady decline since the turn of the century.
Richardson said he’d prefer to stay at Southern but also said he understands the situation.
“My expectation is to win the championship,” said Richardson, entering his 15th season at the school. “We have enough quality players. &hellip Our players have made a commitment to the game. A lot of them have experience and I saw the development in the last year. They’re focused and they’re ready to go.”
SU finished 5-6 last season — fizzling from a 2-0 start but winning two of its last three games.
Despite the final record, there was a feeling the Jaguars had constructed a solid core. However, attrition since the spring — mostly from academic casualties — cost the team more than a dozen players, including five defensive linemen and two key offensive linemen.
“It was hard on us, because we really needed them,” senior wide receiver Gerard Landry said. “But at the same time, they let themselves down, plus us, so we have to move on, keep striding. &hellip You have guys coming in who will fill the spots.”
The team is strong, experienced and deep at wide receivers, led by Landry, and at defensive backs, headlined by senior free safety Jarmaul George, the SWAC’s preseason defensive player of the year.
But the two lines will have to stay healthy and, in spots, play above their experience level.
Also, the linebacking corps has no seniors and just two players, inside linebackers Donald Steele and Johnathan Malveaux, with substantial experience.
The running backs have little in terms of SWAC experience coming back, but senior Darren Coates has come on strong since November and transfer Kendrick Smith and sophomore Brian Threat also look capable.
The headline focus, meanwhile, was on the quarterback derby in preseason camp.
Fifth-year senior J.C. Lewis, the No. 1 quarterback the last two seasons and a co-captain last season, is third. Junior C.J. Byrd, who played in 2004 and was the first starter to replace Lewis, got in a car accident before preseason camp and was not in the derby.
Meanwhile, sophomores Warren Matthews and Bryant Lee competed to be the top quarterback, and Lee, who started late last season and was the MVP of the Bayou Classic and is considered a gamer, emerged as the No. 1.
Richardson said he expects to play both.
The offense wants to combine Matthews’ or Lee’s size and athleticism with the projected talent at running back to make the ground game effective.
The feeling is, there’s enough talent this season to make a mark. And with another small senior class, this could be an even better team next season.
“Discipline is going to play a big role,” Williams said. “When your team’s not disciplined, it causes a team to fall apart.
“Sometimes, the bad have to weed themselves out. We lost a lot, which is going to hurt us, but we understand what we have to do.”
However, the promise of what could be next season is in no way guaranteed for this coaching staff.
“That’s coach Richardson,” Bell said. “You used to see him on TV. This is The Pete Richardson. Now, I’m playing for him. Just thinking about it gets me excited. A lot of people wish they could be in my position, playing for an extraordinary coach.
“We’re going to give him three more (years).”
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
If this is the last year for Southern University coach Pete Richardson, here’s a moment to remember what Richardson has done.
Southern had not been relevant in the Southwestern Athletic Conference — not the must-see, yearly contender the Jaguars have become under Richardson — since the school’s other coaching legend, College Football Hall of Famer A.W. “Ace” Mumford left the sidelines in 1961.
Before Richardson’s arrival in 1993, Southern had won the conference just twice since 1960 — in 1966 and ’75 (sharing that title with Grambling).
From 1962-92, there were nine different head coaches, 10 if you count Marino Casem twice. There were four different head coaches in the 1970s, and three from 1981-92 — or four if you count the two terms of Casem. Richardson took a program that began the 1990s with three straight losing seasons and made SU the program of the decade in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
He has won five SWAC titles, four black college national crowns and been the victor in four of six Heritage Bowls. He’s also 11-3 in the Bayou Classic and the only SWAC coach never to lose to Grambling and college football icon Eddie Robinson.
His best seasons stand toe-to-toe with Mumford’s. He has four 11-win seasons and a 12-1 run in 2003, while Mumford had four 10-win seasons and went 12-0 in 1948. In comparison, SU had just one nine-win season (in 1975) since 1960.
And his winning percentage is on par with Mumford’s, with Richardson at 69.9 percent (114-49) to Mumford’s 70.4 (176-60-14). Richardson is 156-63-1 overall (71.1 percent), with three Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles in five seasons at Division II Winston-Salem State.
“Coach Richardson is a great coach, and I’d hate to see him go out,” senior strong safety Glenn Bell said. “That’s why I take it personally every day I step on the field, because I know that is one of the best coaches to ever touch college football, ever.
“It’s an honor for me. I feel it’s my duty to give him his winning season. If we go out there and win games like we’re supposed to, then everything else will fall back into place.”
Losing is losing, however.
Back-to-back losing marks — the first two of Richardson’s previous 19 seasons as a head coach — have followed SU since the Jaguars went to the SWAC Championship Game in 2004. And Richardson now enters the last season of a three-year deal.
What’s more, the two losing seasons and the looming expiration date of the contract also dovetail with other negatives sapping the faith of Southern fans and alumni.
The school’s board of supervisors and system president is embroiled in scandal. Meanwhile, fans continue to be upset that a vitally needed north end zone expansion project — for which Southern symbolically broke ground in November 2004 and for which ticket prices were raised by $12 earlier that year — has yet to begin. Season ticket sales have been on a steady decline since the turn of the century.
Richardson said he’d prefer to stay at Southern but also said he understands the situation.
“My expectation is to win the championship,” said Richardson, entering his 15th season at the school. “We have enough quality players. &hellip Our players have made a commitment to the game. A lot of them have experience and I saw the development in the last year. They’re focused and they’re ready to go.”
SU finished 5-6 last season — fizzling from a 2-0 start but winning two of its last three games.
Despite the final record, there was a feeling the Jaguars had constructed a solid core. However, attrition since the spring — mostly from academic casualties — cost the team more than a dozen players, including five defensive linemen and two key offensive linemen.
“It was hard on us, because we really needed them,” senior wide receiver Gerard Landry said. “But at the same time, they let themselves down, plus us, so we have to move on, keep striding. &hellip You have guys coming in who will fill the spots.”
The team is strong, experienced and deep at wide receivers, led by Landry, and at defensive backs, headlined by senior free safety Jarmaul George, the SWAC’s preseason defensive player of the year.
But the two lines will have to stay healthy and, in spots, play above their experience level.
Also, the linebacking corps has no seniors and just two players, inside linebackers Donald Steele and Johnathan Malveaux, with substantial experience.
The running backs have little in terms of SWAC experience coming back, but senior Darren Coates has come on strong since November and transfer Kendrick Smith and sophomore Brian Threat also look capable.
The headline focus, meanwhile, was on the quarterback derby in preseason camp.
Fifth-year senior J.C. Lewis, the No. 1 quarterback the last two seasons and a co-captain last season, is third. Junior C.J. Byrd, who played in 2004 and was the first starter to replace Lewis, got in a car accident before preseason camp and was not in the derby.
Meanwhile, sophomores Warren Matthews and Bryant Lee competed to be the top quarterback, and Lee, who started late last season and was the MVP of the Bayou Classic and is considered a gamer, emerged as the No. 1.
Richardson said he expects to play both.
The offense wants to combine Matthews’ or Lee’s size and athleticism with the projected talent at running back to make the ground game effective.
The feeling is, there’s enough talent this season to make a mark. And with another small senior class, this could be an even better team next season.
“Discipline is going to play a big role,” Williams said. “When your team’s not disciplined, it causes a team to fall apart.
“Sometimes, the bad have to weed themselves out. We lost a lot, which is going to hurt us, but we understand what we have to do.”
However, the promise of what could be next season is in no way guaranteed for this coaching staff.
“That’s coach Richardson,” Bell said. “You used to see him on TV. This is The Pete Richardson. Now, I’m playing for him. Just thinking about it gets me excited. A lot of people wish they could be in my position, playing for an extraordinary coach.
“We’re going to give him three more (years).”
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