Kris Richard

Kris Richard

Seattle Seahawks
Position:	Defensive coordinator
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1979-10-28) October 28, 1979
Place of birth:	Carson, California
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Gardena (CA) Serra
College:	Southern California
NFL draft:	2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 85
Career history
As player:
Seattle Seahawks (2002–2004) Miami Dolphins (2005) San Francisco 49ers (2005–2006)
As coach:
Southern California (2008–2009) Graduate assistant Seattle Seahawks (2010) Assistant defensive backs coach Seattle Seahawks (2011) Cornerbacks coach Seattle Seahawks (2012–2014) Defensive backs coach Seattle Seahawks (2015–present) Defensive coordinator
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Kris Richard (born October 28, 1979) is an American football coach and former player. He currently is the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL).

High school career

Richard prepped at Serra High School in Gardena, California.

College career

Richard attended the University of Southern California, where he played college football under coach Pete Carroll from 1998 to 2001.

Professional career

He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round (85th overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for the Seahawks for three seasons. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Ronald Flemons in 2005. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005 and the Oakland Raiders in 2007.

Coaching career

Richard was hired in 2008 by Carroll as a graduate assistant coach for the USC secondary (defensive backs). He followed Carroll to the NFL and joined his former team, the Seahawks, as secondary coach.

In an age of greater emphasis on player safety, Richard has built his secondary into a unit that plays aggressively, but still plays within the rules. For instance, Richard teaches his unit to limit their strike zone to the chest area in order to lessen the chance for penalties for illegal hits. His secondary's hard-hitting style has led it to be nicknamed "the Legion of Boom." In 2013, his unit was the stingiest secondary in the NFL, allowing the fewest passing yards in the league and helping lead the Seahawks to the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. Bleacher Report described the Legion of Boom's accomplishments as a monument not only to Richard, but to Carroll, who was a safety himself in his playing days and began his coaching career as a secondary coach.

After losing Super Bowl XLIX, Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become the new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons. The Seahawks then promoted Richard to defensive coordinator.

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Dan Quinn	Seattle Seahawks Defensive Coordinator 2015–present	Succeeded by Incumbent