Education
Richard attended the University of Southern California, where he played college football as a cornerback under coach Pete Carroll from 1998 to 2001.
Richard attended the University of Southern California, where he played college football as a cornerback under coach Pete Carroll from 1998 to 2001.
Richard prepped at Serra High School in Gardena, California. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round (85th overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for the Seahawks for three seasons.
He was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Ronald Flemons in 2005.
He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005 and the Oakland Raiders in 2007. Richard was hired in 2008 by Carroll as a graduate assistant coach for the University of Southern California secondary (defensive backs).
He followed Carroll to the NFL and joined his former team, the Seahawks, as secondary coach. In an age of greater emphasis on player safety, Richard has built his secondary into a unit that plays aggressively, but still plays within the rules.
Foreign instance, Richard teaches his unit to limit their strike zone to the chest area in order to lessen the chance for penalties for illegal hits.
His secondary"s hard-hitting style has led it to be nicknamed "the Legion of Boom." In 2013, his unit was the stingiest secondary in the NFL, allowing the fewest passing yards in the league and helping lead the Seahawks to the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. After losing Super Bowl XLIX, Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become the new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons. The Seahawks then promoted Richard to defensive coordinator.