COY Girls – Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson’s life is much like the song “I’ve Been Everywhere” that touts a
long list of cities the singer has visited. Anthony, a native of Seattle, Washington whose
father was in the US Air Force, spent 15 years overseas traveling to a variety of bases
before coming back to the United States and attending school in Broken Arrow.
“I graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 1987,” says the well-traveled
Richardson. “I played for Tom Iadevaia on the TSC 69 team and for Larry Schaberger.
The first team I remember playing for was in 1975 with Coach Schaberger. It was his
influence and that of Coach Iadevaia that made love the game and enjoy it.”
Anthony credits everyone who has been in the sport as influencing his development as a
player and coach. “I think every one of them affected me; I got a piece of everyone,” says
Anthony.
After leaving high school, Anthony traveled to the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte on a full soccer scholarship and was named captain his junior and senior year as
well as capturing the all-conference player title two years. His psychology major proved
useful as he began working with Broken Arrow and Tulsa United Soccer Clubs as a
coach and trainer.
From 1992-1994, Anthony also traveled to Germany to compete for Wiesbaden,
Germany’s 3rd division team. He returned to Tulsa to play for the new Tulsa Roughnecks
from 1994-1998 and began his career as a personal trainer and club coach for a number of
Tulsa soccer clubs.
“The game has given me so much,” says Richardson. “I’ve made friends around the
world, received and education, traveled to Europe, and developed life skills. These are
things you can’t put a price on.”
As the assistant coach for women’s soccer at Oral Robert University, Anthony recruits
players, runs training sessions, and travels to games with the team. His other job is Head
Coach of the competitive teams for Broken Arrow’s Hurricane Futball Club. He coaches
both the 89 girls (President’s Cup regional champs) and the 91 boys (State Cup finalists).
“I try to develop the players’ confidence and to learn to do well what they can. I’ll try and
help them remove any obstacles keeping them from developing to their potential,” says
Anthony.
That philosophy was shown to Amanda on her first days of practice: “Even when we do
conditioning he’s so calm and when we play poorly he tells us what we’re doing wrong
and what we can do to make it better.”
Brittany Henderson comments: “He knows when to be silly and when to be serious. He
works us hard but makes it enjoyable.”
According to Sabra Steele, HFC 89 manager, “Anthony’s middle name should be
motivation. Anthony worked tirelessly with the girls individually and as a team
encouraging them and finding extra time for training with them. When the girls won the
OPL league, President’s Cup and President’s Cup regionals, it was not an accident. It was
Anthony’s tireless effort.”
Adult Referee of the Year, Jonathan Johnson, also acknowledges Anthony’s
qualifications: “I have not voiced my opinion on any coach in the past, but Anthony is the
first that warrants a nomination from a referee. When someone that is an ‘enemy’ for 90
minutes decides to put in his 2 cents in favor of the other side, I’ll listen. Anthony doesn’t
seem to take the game as a competition to him…if his team gets beat, they get beat. He
doesn’t treat the other team with any ill will and doesn’t blame the referees for any result
that doesn’t go his way. That doesn’t mean he won’t yell at me, but I do know that when
he debates a call he does it in a way that is not degrading. And to be honest, he is right
99% of the time he yells.”
With all the accolades and success, Anthony plans on staying at Tulsa for the near future.
“I’m happy here,” he says. “I am pleased with my position as a coach who can develop
talent and teach players to develop. It makes me happy when other coaches get my
players and tell me they appreciate what I’ve taught.”
Asked what he would tell new coaches, Anthony said, “View your job as a developer of
talent and not the number of games you win. In Europe, the players at the youth level are
focused on getting better, not winning. There is little parent involvement in the process.
So, new coaches should do a better job of teaching the game and developing skills. The
winning will come.”
Anthony has retired from the professional side of the game, but he still enjoys working
with the development of players such as those with the Oklahoma Falcons. “They will be
back in 2007 and should be in a league. It will be great for the players and fans,” says
Richardson.
Anthony Richardson likes to picture himself as a problem solver. To those teams he
coaches and trains, he is indeed a solver of problems, and the psychology degree appears
to help him solve the mental aspects that often develop with competitive athletes.
Although he likes to keep quiet about his talents, his players, parents, and cohorts are
pleased with their Coach of the Year. Congratulations, Anthony Richardson.