Ross selects former Ram athletic standout Richards as next AD

Ross High School has selected 2002 RHS graduate Jake Richards to be its new athletic director.

Richards received unanimous school-board approval last Thursday and will begin his new duties Aug. 1. He was chosen from a pool of more than 100 applicants.

“The chance to work every day to create the best possible learning opportunities for Ross student-athletes is both a professional and personal dream come true,” Richards said. “I look forward to honoring the tradition of strong athletics in Ross and working with the community to improve the athletic experience for student-athletes of all ages in all sports.”

Richards earned 12 varsity letters at Ross and was the first athlete in Ohio history to play three sports in the same season. He was also the Division I state champion in the 800-meter run as a senior and still holds the Ross record in that event.

Running collegiately for the University of Cincinnati, where he won the prestigious Jean Stephens Memorial Award, Richards earned bachelor’s degrees in English literature and education and a master’s degree in secondary education.

Richards, who joined the Ross Athletic Hall of Fame this year, began his teaching career at Oak Hills in 2007 and started teaching at Ross in 2015. He has coached cross country, track & field, football and wrestling. He has also served as the winter athletic director for Ross Middle School since 2015.

“We see our athletic and extracurricular programs as an extension of the classroom, and as accomplished as Jake was as an athlete and coach, he is first and foremost an excellent teacher,” Ross principal Brian Martin said. “We are very excited about the vision that Jake laid out during the interview process for the athletic department and feel confident that he can turn that vision into reality.”