After coaching girls’ varsity field hockey for 15 years, Coach Dave Richardson is finally hanging up the stick.
Richardson said he wants to leave a lasting impression on his players that the ultimate goal of field hockey is that the girls know that they can be anything they want to be because they have people all around them who love and care for them. Although Richardson is ready to leave, he said he will miss many things about being a coach.
“The extra type of relationship that a coach has that a teacher does not,” he said.
Richardson said he has made many memories throughout his seasons.
“My favorite season would have to be 2014 when we went 7-0 in conference, Won the 2014 Public School State Championship, and seeing all of the girls celebrate one of my favorite games was when we beat Nerix Hall in 2024, pushing us to the Sweet 16. Everyone thought we were going to lose the game, but we used that to our advantage to win,” he said.
Through Richardson’s coaching experience, there have been many ups and downs. The one person who has helped him stay on track and not give up, even when he wanted to, is his wife, Judy.
“I would want to thank my wife Judy. She had helped me in so many ways. Late nights making goodie bags, late nights coming home after away games, and lost weekends to have tournaments and activities. She never complained and always encouraged me to continue when days I wanted to quit,” he said.
Field hockey has changed in many ways over the years Richardson has been here. He loves to see that even though field hockey may not get a lot of respect from some kids, at least they know what it is.
“In 2010, when I started as an assistant, we had 1 team, played all games at Southwest Middle School or South Middle School. We had uniforms that were a hot mess, and we were treated like we did not exist. We had no place to practice and did not play games at home. In 2014, we had 3 teams and 61 players. We were winning games and started to get some respect by playing on the football field. 2025, though the numbers are down this year, we get to split the field with football, and people know our talent,” he said.
Richardson commented on the legacy of not only himself but also the sport of field hockey.
“The legacy that field hockey is a sport, field hockey helps young women to succeed, field hockey belongs as a part of the high school sports,” he said.
Richardson has one more year left a Parkway South High as a teacher. Although he started as a couch with no inspiration, he left as a coach wishing he had taken every moment when he had the chance.
“I would tell my younger self that you need to just breathe and enjoy all that the sport has to offer, to care more about the relationships than the winning,” he said.
“My legacy will be that I push a sport to its limits, support women’s sports to be the best, and am the creator of the infamous ‘Color Wars,” he said.
The legacy of Richardson and his color wars. Richardson started this tradition during the summer, when all the girls go to a camp and get assigned to a team. All the teams do competitions throughout the week and earn points on the very last day. The girls go to a park and do challenges to see which team wins. If you win, you get a medal called ‘the goat medal’.
“One last message to my girls is that they are smarter than they think, Braver than they seem, stronger than they feel, and loved more than they know. To believe in yourself and know that every player is an important part of the team,” he said.
