FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has hired Dave Richardson as the head strength coach for the Razorbacks' basketball program.
Richardson has spent the past 13 years at Ohio State. He was the Buckeyes' basketball strength coach for 12 seasons from 2005-17 and was re-assigned to Ohio State's lacrosse team after a change in basketball head coaches last year.
As the strength coach for Thad Matta, Richardson was part of 11 postseason teams at Ohio State, including the 2007 national runner-up and 2012 team that made the Final Four. Notable players who worked out with Richardson include former Buckeyes Evan Turner, Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr., a former Fayetteville resident who worked out at the Razorbacks' practice facility this summer.
Adam Petway, who spent four seasons as the Razorbacks' basketball strength coach, left earlier this year to take a job with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.
"I want somebody that hopefully can get our guys prepared for what we're going to do out there on the floor, and it translates [to basketball]," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said of finding Petway's replacement last month. "Sometimes you go into the weight room and you can do all the lifting and all the different things, but it doesn't translate on the floor. I want it to translate on the floor in terms of what we're doing and how we're playing."
Richardson will make $110,000 per year at Arkansas. His contract, signed Sept. 13, also includes two complimentary tickets to each Razorbacks home sporting event and reimbursements for moving.
Richardson began his new position Sept. 17, according to the contract.
Richardson has 28 years experience in strength coaching. Prior to his time at Ohio State, he spent five years as the basketball strength coach for the Miami Hurricanes from 2001-05, and also has held positions at his alma mater Louisiana-Monroe and Nicholls State.
Richardson grew up in Monroe, La., and enrolled in the Army out of high school. While in the Army he was a power-lifting champion in Alaska, and he also won power-lifting championships in Louisiana in the 1980s.