Jim Richards: key obituary facts
Is Jim Richards dead? Yes. Jim Richards died on October 9, 2026, at age 90.
Cause of death: Jim Richards's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Jim Richards known for?
He was an American basketball player and coach, golf coach, college athletics administrator.
More about Jim Richards
Gender: male.
Occupation: baseball player, basketball coach.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Western Kentucky University.
Jim Richards, an American basketball coach who led Western Kentucky’s Hilltoppers, died October 9, 2026, aged 90.
He coached the men’s team for seven seasons, from 1971 through 1978. Richards became head coach for the 1971-72 season after John Oldham left the sidelines to become athletic director.
Richards had returned to Western as an assistant the previous year, after Gene Rhodes departed Oldham’s staff to coach the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. Born in rural Adair County, Kentucky, Richards played basketball for one year at Adair County High School. Western recruited him to play baseball, and coach E. A. Diddle also introduced him to high school basketball officiating. After graduating, Richards began his coaching career at Auburn High School, then coached at Glasgow High before returning to Western. His work in college athletics also included golf coaching and administration. In 2005, Western Kentucky inducted Richards into its Athletic Hall of Fame. His career spanned high school and college coaching, from his early work in Kentucky schools to seven seasons leading the Hilltoppers.