Shane Richards

{{short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1995)}}

{{Infobox CFL biography

| name = Shane Richards

| image = 2024, 60, Shane Richards.jpg

| image_upright = 1

| caption = Richards with the Edmonton Elks in 2024

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|06|04}}

| birth_place = Kingston, Jamaica

| death_date =

| death_place =

| team =

| number =

| status = Active

| import = no

| position1 = Offensive lineman

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 8

| weight_lb = 325

| high_school = Crescent Heights

| college = Oklahoma State
New Mexico Military

| amateur_title = CJFL

| amateur_team = Calgary Colts

| CFLDraftedYear = 2019

| CFLDraftedRound = 1

| CFLDraftedPick = 1

| CFLDraftedTeam = Toronto Argonauts

| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|2019}}–{{CFL Year|2023}}

| playing_team1 = Toronto Argonauts

| playing_years2 = {{CFL Year|2024}}

| playing_team2 = Edmonton Elks

| career_footnotes =

| career_highlights =

Grey Cup champion ({{CFL Year|2022}})

| CFLAllStar =

| CFLEastAllStar =

| CFL = shane-richards/164859/

}}

Shane Richards (born June 4, 1995) is a Jamaican-Canadian professional football offensive lineman. He most recently played for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).{{citation |url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2019/05/03/oleary-richards-anchors-big-draft-night-argos-fans/ |title=O'Leary: Richards anchors big draft night for Argos and their fans |publisher=Toronto Argonauts |date=May 3, 2019 |accessdate=May 11, 2019}}

Early life

Richards was born in Kingston, Jamaica to Daniel and Opel Richards and moved to Calgary as a child where he grew up and attended Crescent Heights High School.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cowboysrideforfree.com/pokes-gone-pro/2019/5/2/18527608/2019-cfl-draft-first-overall-pick-toronto-argonauts-oklahoma-state-offensive-lineman-shane-richards|title=2019 CFL Draft: Toronto Argonauts select Oklahoma State OL Shane Richards first overall|date=May 2, 2019|website=cowboysrideforfree.com}}{{Cite news|url=https://calgarysun.com/sports/football/cfl/calgary-stampeders/calgary-talent-shane-richards-possible-top-pick-in-cfl-draft|title=Calgary talent Shane Richards possible top pick in CFL Draft|date=May 2, 2019|website=Calgary Sun}}

Amateur career

Following high school, Richards played for the Calgary Colts of the Canadian Junior Football League in the 2014 season and practiced with the Calgary Stampeders as a territorial rights player that same year.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cjfl.org/news_article/show/1017987 |title=Nine former CJFL players were selected in the CFL Draft |publisher=Canadian Junior Football League |date=May 3, 2019}} He then attended New Mexico Military Institute to play college football for the Broncos in 2015. After seeing success there, he transferred to play for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2016 where he played in four games as a junior.{{Cite news|url=https://okstate.com/sports/football/roster/shane-richards/6901 |title=67 Shane Richards |publisher=Canadian Junior Football League |access-date=January 19, 2021}} He had a redshirt season in 2017 and returned to play his senior year in 2018 where he played in eight regular season games and in the Liberty Bowl victory over Missouri.

Professional career

=Toronto Argonauts=

Upon entering the CFL Draft, Richards was ranked as the second-best prospect by the Central CFL Scouting Bureau for players eligible in the 2019 CFL Draft.{{citation |url=https://www.cfl.ca/2018/12/06/betts-tops-december-edition-scouting-bureau-rankings/|title=Wilkinson, Desjarlais climb final CFL Scouting Bureau rankings |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=April 12, 2019 |accessdate=April 13, 2019}} He was eventually drafted first overall in the draft by the Toronto Argonauts and signed with the team at a team draft party with season ticket holders on May 2, 2019, to a three-year contract.{{citation |url=https://www.cfl.ca/2019/05/02/argos-select-ol-shane-richards-first-overall/|title=Argos select OL Shane Richards first overall |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=May 2, 2019 |accessdate=May 11, 2019}} Richards was an opening day starter for the team in the 2019 season and played in his first professional game on June 22, 2019, against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.{{citation |url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2021/01/14/hogan-new-look-shane-richards-preps-2021/|title=Hogan: A new look Shane Richards Preps for 2021 |publisher=Toronto Argonauts |date=January 14, 2021 |accessdate=January 19, 2021}} He suffered a groin injury in practice before the second game of the season and was on the injured reserve for the next ten games. Richards dressed in the last seven games of the season and played eight in total for his rookie year.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/players/shane-richards/164859/ |title=Shane Richards |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=April 7, 2025}} He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season.

In 2021, Richards dressed in all 14 regular season games and started in eight.{{cite web|url=https://static.cfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2050/11/2024-CFL-Guide-Digital.pdf |title=2024 CFL Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=June 13, 2024}} He also dressed in his first post-season game, but the Argonauts lost to the Tiger-Cats in the East Final. In the 2022 season, he played in 16 regular season games and started in two. He also played in both post-season games, including the 109th Grey Cup where the Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Richards played in just four regular season games in 2023 as he spent the rest of the season on the injured list. His contract expired in the following offseason on February 13, 2024.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2024/ |title=Transactions – Football Player Trades and Signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

=Edmonton Elks=

On April 9, 2024, Richards signed with the Edmonton Elks in free agency.{{cite web|url=https://www.goelks.com/2024/04/09/transactions-elks-sign-three-former-first-round-picks/ |title=TRANSACTIONS ! Elks sign three former first-round picks |publisher=Edmonton Elks |date=April 9, 2024}} He played in 16 regular season games in 2024. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 11, 2025.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2025/ |title=Transactions – Football Player Trades and Signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=April 7, 2025}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/fa25/ |title=Official 2025 Free Agent Tracker |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=April 7, 2025}}