One has to hand it to Don Richardson. He's paid his dues and then some.
After being an assistant coach for 18 years at The Haverford School, he became a first-time head coach at West Catholic High School in 2023.
"I finally got my opportunity. I mean, it's one of those things where you've got to wait your turn," Richardson said. "So to finally get it and knowing that you want that opportunity and finally be blessed with it at West Catholic, where my brother had played, or I have history playing against them, just being from the Philadelphia area and knowing what it meant.
"As a youth and then also as an adult, when you look at West Catholic, you always saw one thing: It said family. Being a family-oriented person, I understand that. But actually, coming here and seeing it full throttle makes me proud.
"I want to bring everything home for them as best as we can do. It'd be a great honor for me to have helped this program, this building, this legacy here at West Catholic get back on top."
The first Philadelphia Eagles High School Coach of the Week presented by Visa for the 2026 tackle season, Richardson has turned the program around and has the Burrs well on their way to getting to the top. In his first season at West Catholic, the school won one game. That was followed by a 3-7 record in 2024 and a 4-5 mark last year.
"When you take over a program, there's going to be short- and long-term things that you have to weed out. You have to put your style in play, get our type kids in here. Blue-collar. Willing to learn, willing to sacrifice, willing to run through a wall for something that they want, willing to be challenged," Richardson said.
"And then also tweaking things without changing things gives them consistency. It gives them something that they can hold their hats onto. They understand what the expectations are. They're not shocked by it. We're not an easy program to play for. We really challenge these young men. We talk about – Never Rest Your Best. That's our mantra. It's something where you never give up on yourself."
This season, West Catholic, which is in the Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division, has victories over John Carroll (Maryland), Dover, and Germantown Academy – outscoring its opponents 92-40.
"The 3-0 start is great, but really, it started back in the winter when they started making sure they were helping each other take accountability for following the standard," Richardson said. "That started changing and was different than all the other years. It's a growth process. It's how we instill and keep reinforcing our rules, our guidelines, our beliefs.
"To see them actually start taking ownership in ways they didn't take ownership before really is a big factor in why we have such a good start right now. I think that once you battle through adversity and you step outside yourself, and you push yourself to have good positivity and to have good results, it gets your heart pumping a little bit differently. We want to ride that wave and continue getting better."
Richardson is hanging ten on that wave with a group of players that mean everything to him. His mission is to mentor them beyond football and help them be successful. Not only on the field Friday nights and Saturday afternoons now, but when the season's over, when their high school days are over, and beyond.
"We coach so many different types of kids with different backgrounds and just coming from a mixed array of places, when you're trying to instill positive things in them, and they actually get it and receive it, and you can see that it has helped them at some point in time in their life, it's rewarding. And it being bigger than football and just seeing their growth is the best part of the job," Richardson said.
"It's about the give back. The kids are important because that's our goal here, to make sure that we help get them to and through college. Help raise young men, so that way, when they're 35 years old and they're taking care of their family, we can see the rewards of it.
"It's bigger than the X's and O's. Really, it's about making sure that they are a positive impact in other people's lives as they continue to move forward in their lives."
"Coach Richardson gives everything he has to this program and to the young men he coaches," West Catholic assistant coach Nate Nixon said. "He has positively impacted his student-athletes by teaching them lessons that go far beyond the field. He has given these kids the tools to become better men by emphasizing discipline, accountability, respect, hard work, and responsibility. He encourages them to believe in themselves, make good decisions, and understand the importance of being a positive teammate and member of the community.
"His positive influence is helping create a stronger culture and giving these young men the guidance and support they need to succeed. He is making a lasting impact on the program and the lives of his players."
Richardson has two daughters, Dallas and Montana. However, because of the bond he has with his players – having coached high school football for more than 20 years – he essentially has hundreds of sons.
"I love the X's and O's part. I love challenging myself to be creative," Richardson said. "But the part I love the most is just seeing pure joy on a kid's face when they have success. And it could be something really small as far as a kid that was struggling in the classroom that didn't fall on the eligibility list, or a kid that made his first touchdown, or a kid that got an opportunity when someone else said they couldn't get an opportunity."
