Christopher Zevallos is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com.

Being hired as Chandler High School’s boys track and field head coach is a dream come true for Derrick Richardson. He is a Chandler alumni as he attended from 2000-2004 and was on the football team. He returned to coach in 2019 and is currently on the varsity football coaching staff as a defensive backs coach. Richardson was hired on Jan. 20th 2024 and is ecstatic to be named to the position.

“I bleed blue. To be the head coach at this school means more, it’s a dream for me,” said Richardson.

After graduating from Chandler, Richardson went onto be a standout strong safety at New Mexico State before his season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009 and finishing his football career by playing two seasons in the UFL. After his football career, he began coaching for a local youth track and field team the Arizona Cheetahs, which was started by Richardson’s parents. After being asked numerous times to help out he began to coach for the team, which sparked his love for coaching. He started at Chandler after a stint at Mesquite High School in 2018-2019 and after a few seasons as an assistant coach at Chandler he applied and received the head coach position for the track and field team. 

“You start to have success. You start to see these kids achieve goals they never thought they could. Then I got an opportunity at Mesquite High School and I realized I loved doing high school sports. All of the sudden a job opened up over here, came over here this is my fifth year. When the opportunity opened up this year they asked me if I wanted to apply and the rest is history,” said Richardson.

Chandler has been a big part of the Richardson family as Derrick’s father Eric Richardson is the girls track and field head coach. Eric Richardson has been at Chandler as a coach since 1997. Eric Richardson has added to Derrick Richardson’s coaching skills and couldn’t be more proud of his son’s journey.

“He is really doing a fantastic job in football as well as track and our program is definitely going to benefit greatly by his influx of youth and energy,” said Eric Richardson. “He’s done very well from an adaptability standpoint because what he’s finding is you have this plan and he has a plan. That’s one thing he did get from his dad, we always have a plan of attack. As things happen kinds of things pop up so you have to adapt and adjust.”

Being a football coach is a bonus for Richardson as track and field’s head coach as many football athletes elect to run for the track team in the spring. This creates a unique bond between himself and his players, especially two sports athletes like Niko Clark and Sammie Hunter.

“He’s been my coach for like three years, he was with me through JV year and my varsity years and he really taught me all my technique. So he’s been a big impact because I just switched to cornerback in high school so he’s just taught me everything,” said Clark.

Hunter and Richardson have known each other a long time as he was on the Arizona Cheetahs. Hunter will play football for the University of Utah this fall and credits Richardson for getting him to that level.

“He’s really all you can ask for in a coach. He transformed me into the person I am today. I’ve known him since the Arizona Cheetahs, he’s been with me since I was like 10. I’m going to the University of Utah now so I feel he played a big role in that,” said Hunter.

Chandler secured its first meet win in the Rattler Invitational which was Richardson’s first as the team’s head coach. He is looking forward to the remainder of his team’s season and is confident heading into peak season and he looks to elevate the program further for years to come. 

“I thought I’d just be coming to help out and next thing you know you end up head coach at a school that you love and that means so much to you," said Richardson. "It means everything to me."