One-of-a-kind Trent Richards influenced many as coach, friend

No doubt about it – Trent Richards was one-of-a-kind.

The former track and cross country head coach at St. Charles High School from 1971 through 1982 impacted countless lives during that time, but he also continued to make massive contributions in running, training and teaching before passing away on Nov. 30 after two years of fighting cancer.

“He tried to make everyone feel special,” said Doug Jones, a high school All-American who first met Richards during his sophomore year at St. Charles in 1976 and later ran at Illinois State. “Everybody who was around Doug felt like they were part of a bigger entity and he was a great motivator. He just had a passion about everything he did.”

Richards was the unique athlete who wouldn’t let anything get in the way of achieving his goals. That distinct personality trait was one of the things that truly set him apart from his peers. And if a young athlete questioned their own potential, they only had to consider what Richards accomplished at Kaneland and ISU.

At 5-foot-6, Spud Webb won the NBA’s All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest 30 years ago. Well before that, Richards, who was the same height as Webb, cleared 6 feet, 7 inches in the college high jump, an amazing feat in its own right. Sports fans were stunned that the diminutive Webb could win such a huge contest, let alone dunk, and many felt the same way about what Richards did.

Richards wouldn’t let his size hold him back, and he had an insatiable hunger for success that permeated his athletes.

Christopher Cudworth knew Richards for 47 years. He played baseball for him as a 13-year-old on an American Legion team for 16-year-olds in Elburn and would later run for him during his final two years of high school at St. Charles.

“He was not afraid to scorch an athlete who was not trying hard enough, or if someone was not reaching their potential in his estimation,” Cudworth said. “Yet he also could be so kind and introspective that it made you sad to have disappointed him in some way. This balance made him a great coach and friend.”

Richards also didn’t sugarcoat things.

Cudworth recalls working on basketball drills with a friend during his senior year of high school in preparation for tryouts. He hadn’t attended the summer camp and when Richards saw him practicing he barked out the truth – that Cudworth didn’t have a chance to play. It may have stung, but it was honest.

“That’s how it is in life, if you think about it,” Cudworth said. “At least half our dreams or casual perceptions turn out fruitless, or even damaging if someone does not intervene. It is the mark of a true friend and mentor to at least point out the options, perhaps make the situation clear.”

Whether teaching and coaching, administering running events throughout the Chicago area, coaching and counseling through his company One On One Fitness and educating young children via www.funbrain.com, the impact Richards made was immeasurable.

Tom Burridge, who went on to become an All-American at the University of Kentucky, wouldn’t be living the life he has now if not for Richards.

Burridge had grown up in Mount Prospect, and as a team captain at Hersey, he helped the Huskies take second in the state in cross country in 1972. On the ride home from the state finals his parents told him they were moving to Batavia.

In the Tri-Cities area, he caught the attention of Richards and ran for him during his summer track program.

“I became a much better runner after he took me under his wing,” Burridge said. “We connected right away. We were both stubborn smart alecks that would give each other grief all the time.”

As a senior at Batavia in 1973, Burridge finished 12th in the state, setting a personal record, but he was still disappointed. Riding home with Richards afterward, the two stopped at a gas station for fuel and refreshments and coincidentally ran into University of Kentucky coach Ken Olson.

“If it wasn’t for Trent’s gregarious nature, I never would’ve ended up at Kentucky,” he said. “And I had an incredible career there, setting [conference] records, but I also never would’ve met my wife.

“Trent was a very interesting guy, a colorful guy and he looked at things in a little different way and was always forward thinking.”

For those who saw Richards from afar, they may have misunderstood him.

“I think some people on the outside wondered how someone could hang out with a guy so loud and opinionated,” Burridge said. “But once you got to know him you knew he had a heart of gold. He was extremely loyal, but he also wasn’t afraid to put himself out there, which he certainly did.”

For the past several years, Jones scheduled “Trent Weekends” at his cabin in Dixon. About eight or 10 guys would visit and play golf, catch up and reminisce with Richards. In the more recent years, though, it became apparent that his time was running out.

“He was such a fighter and I think he always thought he was going to beat this,” Jones said. “We were fortunate to have those great times out there at the cabin to reconnect with old friends and people who really loved the guy and will never forget him.”

You can’t forget someone as special as Richards. That’s as clear as the high jump that he so often beautifully cleared, as well as anything else he put his mind to during an amazing career as an athlete, teacher, coach and, of course, dear friend to many.