Brandon Richards - Track & Field Coach

Brandon Richards

Title:
Volunteer Assistant Coach

Brandon Richards enters his seventh season as a volunteer assistant coach for Baylor track & field, where he coaches the Bears’ men’s and women’s pole vaulters.

During his time in Waco, Richards has seen six All-America honors in the pole vault. He coached Baylor legend Annie Rhodes to the All-America double in the 2017 indoor and outdoor seasons, and did the same for freshman phenom KC Lightfoot during the 2019 indoor and outdoor campaigns. Lightfoot repeated as indoor All-American in 2020, and Tuesdi Tidwell achieved her first All-America award in the shortened 2020 season.

Richards’ pupils have re-written the school record books, as his athletes hold three of the four Baylor pole vault records. Rhodes holds the women’s outdoor school record (15-1.5), Tidwell has the women’s indoor record (14-9), and Lightfoot holds the men’s indoor record at 18-7.5.

Richards is responsible for the entire top-10 women’s indoor marks (Rhodes and Tuesdi Tidwell), eight of the top-10 men’s indoor marks (Lightfoot), eight of the top-10 women’s outdoor marks (Rhodes and Tidwell), and four of the top-10 men’s outdoor marks (Lightfoot).

Richards’ crew features several student-athletes on the Baylor all-time performers list, with Lightfoot (No. 1 indoor, No. 2 outdoor) and Tidwell (No. 1 indoor, No. 2 outdoor) leading the way.

Richards and his wife, Tammy, reside in China Spring and have two children. Their son Riley is a pole vaulter at Baylor and their daughter Kendall graduated from China Spring High School.