Funeral services set for former WKU coach, Glasgow state champion Jim Richards
Richards died Friday, Oct. 9, at age 90.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Funeral services for Jim Richards, a former Western Kentucky University men’s basketball head coach and athletic director who led Glasgow High School to a state championship, will be held Tuesday.
Richards died Friday, Oct. 9, at age 90.
The funeral will be held at E.A. Diddle Arena on WKU’s campus.
Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Central time and continue until the funeral service at 3 p.m. Arrangements have been entrusted to J.C. Kirby & Son Lovers Lane Chapel.
An Adair County native, Richards spent more than four decades serving WKU as a student-athlete, coach and administrator. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant men’s basketball coach in 1968 and helped guide the Hilltoppers to the 1971 NCAA Final Four.
Brennan Crain
Richards became head coach in 1971, leading the program for seven seasons and compiling a 102-84 record. During his tenure, WKU won two Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championships and two tournament titles.
Before returning to WKU, Richards coached at the high school level, including leading Glasgow High School to the Kentucky state championship in 1968.
After stepping away from basketball coaching in 1978, Richards continued serving the university in several roles, including as head men’s golf coach and director of athletics. He was inducted into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.
WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart remembered Richards for his lasting contributions to the university as a coach, administrator and member of the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation Board.
“He loved WKU Basketball as much as anybody,” Stewart said.
Current WKU men’s basketball coach Hank Plona also praised Richards for his enthusiasm, encouragement and support of the program.
“He saw the good in everyone, and believed the next day would always be better than the last,” Plona said.
