Hall of Fame
Richardson coached five years in the Missouri Valley Conference at the University of Tulsa and in his first year there in 1980-81, he took the program from a last-place finish to an NIT title while earning the first of his two MVC Coach of the Year honors. He compiled a 119-37 record at Tulsa for a .763 winning percentage and was 59-23 in his five seasons in MVC play; leading the Golden Hurricane to three NCAA and two NIT appearances.
The first Black coach to win an NIT, Richardson also became the first coach in NCAA history to win 50 games in his first two seasons as he compiled a 50-13 mark in his first two seasons at Tulsa.
Following his five-year stint at Tulsa, Richardson spent the next 17 seasons at the University of Arkansas, where he led the Hogs to 15 post-season appearances and a 1994 NCAA Championship. In addition to the 1994 national title, Richardson had two additional Final Four appearances at Arkansas (1990, 1995).
Richardson was NABC Coach of the Year (1994); Naismith College Coach of the Year (1994); a two-time MVC Coach of the Year (1981, 1985); three-time Southwest Conference Coach of the Year (1989–1991); SEC Coach of the Year (1998); and a USBWA Most Courageous Award winner (1995).
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014; the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008; and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Foundation Hall of Fame in 2023.