WAHPETON, N.D. -- There aren't many instructional manuals that provide a true blueprint for the rare career progression from student-athlete to assistant coach, assistant coach to head coach, head coach to athletic director, and athletic director to college president.
In truth, that unique professional ascension was never on John Richman's radar early on, but the onetime Minnesota State Moorhead tight end and assistant coach is fully into his latest challenge as president of North Dakota State College of Science and clearly relishes the responsibilities of a real leadership role in higher education.
“It is a lot of fun right now,” said Richman. “When you look at the state of the economy in North Dakota, and the need for the type of graduates we produce, there is a lot of demand on us to do more. There's always the need to look into the future, too.”
The job requires a measured amount of vigilance, and an endless supply of self-confidence.
“It's like guiding an aircraft career. You make what might seem at the time like small, minute adjustments, but if you don't it can go all off course. Those small adjustments you make today can make a huge difference (later).”
Richman insists effective communication is essential.
“You work on so many levels to get your message understood; right now we're getting our message understood by all our stakeholders. There is also the complexity of working with legislators, state board members, faculty and staff, students and parents.”
Richman often leans on his athletic experience to deal with the weighty issues.
“I'm nothing more than an offensive line coach masquerading as a college president. It's not much different than getting seven young men to take a six-inch step in the right direction at the right time, to understand why they were taking that step and to make quick, distinctive adjustments when it didn't go exactly as planned. It's about planning, communication and consistency----all the things we talk about in football.”
A native of the Lebanon, Ind., Richman followed a few Lebanon High School alumni to North Dakota State College of Science and later cast his lot with Moorhead State. He admits he was not the Dragons' first choice.
“Ross (Fortier) came down to recruit three of us, and he really wanted the fullback,” Richman remembers. “At the end of day he offered him basically a full ride. Then he turned to me and said if I came up in the spring we could talk scholarship. The fullback didn't come, but I left Science early and came in for spring football.”
Richman became a starting tight end in 1973 and lettered two years in football and track. “I graduated after fall quarter in 1975, and was a student-coach for Ross. (HPER Department Chairman) Bill Thomas offered me a graduate assistantship, so I stayed. I taught classes, assisted Ronnie (Masanz) in track and coached football, and then I went to Ada for three years.”
When Richman returned to the Dragon football family after three years at Ada High School, he was ready for an advanced class in football leadership.
“When I came back to coach, that's when I really learned the game of football, working with Ross. I learned how involved he was with preparation behind the scenes. I don't think players really understood (the level) of involvement and what he was trying to do for players individually and as a group. He wasn't an emotional type of coach, but when you worked with him you gained such a wealth of understanding for what he did. His preparation was relentless.”
“I still marvel at his ability to be a National Guard General, an athletic director, a teacher and a coach. I've seen him literally put down one pile of papers, pick up another pile, totally switch roles and be able to do it effectively.
“When I look at intelligence of an individual, I consider the number of options or solutions they come up when presented a challenge or opportunity. I would look at a defense and I might see one or two options (for us). I would go to Ross and tell him I was stuck, and he would show me five or six options. I really admired that, and tried to emulate it later in my coaching career.”
Richman was offensive line coach of the number one-ranked Dragons in 1981, and still remembers of the 14-13 playoff loss at Pittsburg State that spoiled the greatest season in MSU history.
It was a jarring loss for Dragon players and coaches.
“It really came down to one or two plays. We had lost tight end Scotty Simpson a couple of weeks earlier with a broken leg. A couple of bad plays made the difference in the game. That was an exceptional team, and I think of the time it took to build a team to that point. To try to rebuild a program like that again might take decades.”
In 1983 Richman accepted an appointment as offensive line coach at the University of North Dakota. It was a step up the football food chain, but far from an easy decision for Richman.
“It was very difficult to leave, as a player and alum. I was very tied to the athletic department, especially to Ross, Ronnie and Bill. It was a difficult decision, but at that time the North Central was thought of as one of the best, if not the best, Division II conferences in the nation. I was trying to be the next (coach) Don Shula, and I saw it as a step in the right direction.”
The golden opportunity turned out to be fools good, instead. Head coach Pat Behrns and his staff were dismissed following a 3-8 finish in 1985, and Richman wasn't surprised. “It was not the same cohesive staff I had with Ross as an assistant. I got the call they (UND) were heading in a different direction and my contract would not be renewed. It's part of the game, you're tied to the head coach and subject to that situation so I took it in stride.”
Richman wasn't idle for long.
“I was approached by the AD at Science, Don Engen, and he said they were looking at a coaching change. He asked me to come down for an assessment of their program and what it would take to turn it around. I came up with a 13-point (list of) needs, and when I put it in the mail I told my wife Marcia, 'I'll never hear from this group again.' A few weeks later Don called and asked why I hadn't applied, the deadline was coming up. I told him I wasn't interested in the position unless he and the president were willing to address at least a majority of the 13 things, because without that I don't see how you can have success. I applied and came down for an interview. I got 12 of the things I wanted, so I came here in the spring of 1986.”
While Richman thoroughly enjoyed the coaching challenge, he began considering future options.
“I got into the 1990s and began to think about how long I wanted to coach, and what's the next step. I remember sitting at our lake home just before the season started, thinking maybe I should look at some administrative course work. The University of Minnesota had an athletic administration certificate, and I thought that might be just enough to persuade someone to look at me as a college athletic administrator.
“I completed my Ph.D. in 1999 and saw a plateau situation here. I knew it was time to make the next jump, and I was really looking at becoming an athletic director at the college level. About the same time, the (NDSCS) President came to me and said. 'why you don't become the Vice-President of Academics for one year as an interim?'
“The Ph.D. was the trigger that got me through the threshold into the academic world. I'm not saying that's right, but without that I don't know if I could have made that transition.
“I was the interim vice president for a year and VP for academic and student affairs for six years. Our president left and our board appointed me interim president for one year, and later I applied for the job, went through the interview process and now I'm in my sixth year.”
