Robert Morris University Athletics

@DrewRich50

Andrew Richardson is entering his 10th season as an assistant coach at Robert Morris University and coaches the offensive line. In addition to tutoring the line, Richardson was named as the program's recruiting coordinator, elevated into the role after serving as the assistant recruiting coordinator for multiple years, before the 2014 season.
 
Richardson spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons as a graduate assistant coach for RMU before being elevated to a full-time assistant in January of 2009.
 
Richardson helped his unit to admirable performances against some tough foes in 2015. The Colonials had a stellar game at No. 6 South Dakota State as they ran for 228 yards, the second-highest figure the Jackrabbits allowed that season against FCS opposition. RMU also did not yield a sack in that contest, marking the first time in program history it did not allow a sack against a nationally ranked foe. The offensive line also helped Rameses Owens rush for 152 yards at No. 17 Youngstown State, the most rushing yards the Penguins allowed to a single FCS athlete all season. With Richardson’s assistance, Robert Morris ran for 200+ yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010. The offensive line ended the year strong as it did not allow a sack in either of its final two games, marking the first time in over five years that a RMU team had gone back-to-back games without yielding a sack. After the season concluded, center Nick Faraci, who started 44 consecutive games, earned a second straight Academic All-America honor.
 
Richardson helped Faraci reach new heights in 2014 as he became the first offensive player in school history to be named an Academic All-American. Faraci and his teammates on the line in 2014 helped block for Rameses Owens, a true freshman who twice surpassed 150 rushing yards in just six starts. In fact, the Colonial offensive line helped make 2014 the first year since 1998 that more than one Colonial contributed multiple 100-yard rushing efforts.
 
In Richardson’s nine seasons on staff, RMU offensive linemen have claimed seven All-NEC honors, including left tackle A.J. Dalton earning a First Team award after the 2013 season. Dalton went on to claim All-America honors from The Sports Network in 2013, becoming the second All-American Richardson produced in four seasons.
 
Richardson helped Dalton improve at his craft and transition from guard into tackle in becoming a professional prospect who signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions in May 2014.
 
Under Richardson, Faraci was named Academic All-District First Team on three occasions. He was the second Colonial offensive lineman to claim that honor in a three-year span. Faraci was part of an offensive line that helped Robert Morris win the time of possession battle in every one of its conference games in 2013.
 
Center Logan Miles also earned Academic All-District First Team honors in 2011. Miles was a two-time all-league honoree and was a main component to RMU’s championship run in 2010.
 
Former Colonial Brad Rodgers (2008-11) became the fifth student-athlete to earn All-NEC recognition under Richardson's watch when he was tabbed to the 2011 All-NEC First Team.
 
The offensive line flourished under Richardson's guidance in 2010 with the Colonials securing their sixth Northeast Conference regular-season championship and the league's inaugural bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs.
 
Behind the strength of an offensive line that combined for a total of 125 career starts in 2010, running back Myles Russ rushed for 1,363 yards and 10 touchdowns, was named the 2010 NEC Offensive Player of the Year and became the program's all-time leading rusher. Russ also became the first player in school history to post three straight 1,000-yard rushing campaigns.
 
Led by All-NEC performers Corey Konycki and Carlos Andrade, the offensive line that Richardson tutored in 2010 allowed just 14 sacks, the third lowest total in school history. The group also helped the Colonials establish a new team record for rushing yards with 2,021, an average of 183.7 per game that ranks third all-time in school history.
 
Konycki concluded his career in 2010 by being named to the All-NEC First Team and also earned FCS All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Associated Press and Phil Steele. Andrade was named to the 2010 All-NEC Second Team.
 
In 2009, Richardson molded an offensive line that allowed Russ to post his second straight 1,000-yard rushing campaign, compiling 1,059 yards on the ground on 212 attempts, an average of 5.0 yards per carry.
 
Richardson coached two juniors and three sophomores on the offensive line in 2009, a group that was an integral part of RMU's five-game winning streak to close out the year. During the final five games of the 2009 season, the offensive line paved the way for the Colonial running game to average 159.0 yards rushing per contest.
 
In 2008, Richardson coached an offensive line that blocked for the program's first 1,000-yard rusher in five years, as Russ finished with 1,255 yards on 215 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per rush. That offensive line featured two seniors, a pair of sophomores and a freshman and at times late in the season started two sophomores and a pair of freshmen.
 
A 2005 graduate of Penn State University, Richardson was a four-year letterwinner for the Nittany Lions at offensive tackle.
 
During the 2005 campaign, Richardson started the final seven games at right tackle for a Penn State program that finished 11-1 and garnered a 26-23 overtime victory over Florida State in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl.
 
A 2001 graduate of North Hills High School, Richardson played tight end and appeared in the 2001 "Big 33" contest while earning All-American and all-state honors. He was also named the 2000 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year as well as being named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 squad.
 
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Richardson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in recreational management from Penn State in 2005 and a Master of Science degree in instructional leadership from Robert Morris in 2009.
 
He and his wife, Gina, reside in Wexford, Pa.