Wally Richardson
{{Short description|American football player (born 1974)}}
{{for|the English footballer|Wally Richardson (footballer)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Wally Richardson
| number = 14
| position = Quarterback
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|2|11}}
| birth_place = Orangeburg, South Carolina, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 225
| high_school = Sumter (SC)
| college = Penn State
| draftyear = 1997
| draftround = 7
| draftpick = 234
| pastteams =
- Baltimore Ravens ({{NFL Year|1997|1998}})
- Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1999}})
- New York/New Jersey Hitmen ({{XFL Year|2001}})
- Los Angeles Avengers ({{AFL Year|2001}})
| statlabel1 = Passing yards
| statvalue1 = 1
| statlabel2 = Passer rating
| statvalue2 = 56.2
| aflstatlabel1 = Comp. / Att.
| aflstatvalue1 = 20 / 40
| aflstatlabel2 = Passing yards
| aflstatvalue2 = 280
| aflstatvalue3 = 6-3
| aflstatlabel4 = Passer rating
| aflstatvalue4 = 79.17
| afl = 2281
| pfr = RichWa00
}}
Wallace Herman Richardson (born February 11, 1974) is an American former professional football quarterback.
Professional career
Richardson played college football at Penn State.{{cite web|title=Kulka To Coordinate Football Academic Support Program; Richardson Joins Academic Support Staff|publisher=Penn State University|date=July 16, 2003|url=http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/071603aaa.html|access-date=October 22, 2010}}
He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=1997 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1997/draft.htm |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} In three years in the NFL, two with the Ravens and one with the Atlanta Falcons, Richardson had a regular season total of 1 career passing yard.{{cite web|title=Wally Richardson|publisher=Pro Football Reference|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RichWa00.htm|access-date=October 22, 2010}}
After spending the 2000 season out of football, Richardson was signed by the XFL's New York/New Jersey Hitmen early in the season. As part of a kayfabe quarterback controversy, Richardson (who, as part of the sports entertainment approach the XFL used, was given an angle in which his larger hands were an advantage he had over his small-handed predecessor, local native Charley Puleri) was given the starting quarterback job in week 3, a position he held for the rest of the year. Immediately after the Hitmen's season ended, Richardson joined the Arena Football League's Los Angeles Avengers, he was waived prior to training camp in 2002.{{cite web |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/l-a-avengers-cut-four-players-in-preparation-for-training-camp/n-1963927 |title=L.A. Avengers cut four players in preparation for training camp |date=March 24, 2002 |publisher=OurSports Central |work=www.oursportscentral.com |access-date=July 22, 2017}}
Post football
Upon his retirement from professional football, Richardson joined Penn State's Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, first as a graduate assistant in 2001 and then as an academic counselor from 2003 to 2007.{{cite web | url = http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/042513aab.html | title = Wally Richardson Named Penn State Football Letterman's Club Director | publisher = Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics | date = April 25, 2013}} From 2007 to 2011, Richardson served as the associate director of the Rankin Smith Student-Athlete Service Center at the University of Georgia, working with members of the football, women's volleyball and equestrian teams. He was named associate director of football academic support at the University of North Carolina before the 2011 football season.
In April 2013, Richardson was named director of the Penn State Football Letterman's Club, an organization of more than 1,500 former Penn State football players and student managers.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback navbox}}
{{Ravens1997DraftPicks}}
{{London Monarchs quarterback navbox}}
{{Los Angeles Avengers starting quarterback navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Wally}}
Category:American football quarterbacks
Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football players
Category:Baltimore Ravens players
Category:London Monarchs players
Category:Atlanta Falcons players
Category:Los Angeles Avengers players
Category:Players of American football from Sumter, South Carolina