Chris Richardson became head coach of the Omaha track and field and cross country programs in July of 2013 after serving as an assistant coach for the previous seven seasons. He specializes in the sprints, hurdles, throws, jumps and multi-events.
Richardson has helped guide the Mavericks to some of the most successful years in the program’s history with three conference championships and three top-five NCAA finishes including a fourth-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships prior to the Mavericks’ reclassification to Division I. During the D-I era, the Mavericks finished runner-up at the 2013 Summit League Indoor Championships and third in 2014.
During his career with the Mavericks, Richardson has coached 26 conference champions, 15 All-Americans and two national champions. His athletes have accumulated 108 performances that rank in UNO’s all-time top-10 list including 16 school records in the 200m, 60m hurdles, 100m hurdles, weight throw, hammer, discus, shot put, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pentathlon and heptathlon. In 2011, he was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
During the 2023 season, a total of 9 new top-10 performances were achieved by athletes under Richardson’s tutelage that included the 60m, 100m, 200m, shot put, weight throw, discus and hammer throw. Tania Gleason achieved the 10th fastest times in both the 100m and outdoor 200m during her freshman campaign. Freshman Chloe Walker achieved the 8th farthest discus throw. Carrie Simonson clocked the 9th fastest 100m in school history as well as the 6th fastest 60m in school history where she finished 4th at the Indoor Summit League Championships.
Some of his most successful athletes include Shannon Moore, Nkeiruka Domike and Sami Spenner. Moore finished third in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships in both 2009 and 2010. Domike was a back-to-back national champion in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2010 and 2011 as well as the runner up in the long jump at the 2011 championships. During the 2011 season, she set the all-time Division II record in the triple jump which ranked 38th in the world at the time. Multi-eventer Sami Spenner set eight school records in indoor and outdoor track during her time as a Maverick. In 2014, Spenner broke the American Collegiate Record in the pentathlon and finished the season ranked 12th in the world. She then went on to compete at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials and was part of Team USA on four different occasions.
The Boulder, Colorado native attended the University of Nebraska where he was the 2004 Big XII champion in the heptathlon and an NCAA qualifier. Richardson was a two-time team captain, four-year letter winner, four-time selection to the Academic All-Big XII First Team and 2004 Track and Field Lifter of the Year. He finished the 2004 season ranked 18th in the United States and 58th in the world in the heptathlon. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he continued to compete and qualified for the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in 2005 and 2006. He received his Bachelor’s degree in film and new media production at NU and his Master's degree in physical education from UNO.
