PLNU Athletics

The accomplishments of Deon Richard as a Crusader basketball player are nothing short of fantastic. He began his career as a freshman in 1982-83 leading the Crusader varsity in scoring and rebounding. That team won the conference and district championship for the trip to nationals in Kansas City . He followed his freshman year campaign by leading the Crusaders in scoring and rebounding for the next three years as well.

Richard participated in 134 games and scored 2,400 (17.9 ppg) to make him the all-time leading scorer in Pasadena/Point Loma history. He hit 60.8 percent of all shots he took and established the single season all-time field goal percentage of 63.6 in 1985-86. He was a four-time First Team All-Conference selection. Three of those years he was a First-Team All-District Three selection. He was also an NAIA District Three Player of the Year and was twice recognized as an NAIA All-American. He was a three-time team MVP.

Richard’s tremendous work ethic in practice and games were a real inspiration for his teammates. He was a player with great quickness and jumping ability that allowed him to become quite a presence on defense too. It wasn’t so much that his team totally relied on him because he had good supporting casts each years. It was that he was a dominant player offensively and defensively his whole career because he possessed such good skill, worked every hard at the game and gave it his best. 

Without a doubt, Richard’s accomplishments and exciting style of play during his illustrious four-year career make him one of the most outstanding Crusader basketball players ever to wear green and gold.

After school, Richard moved to the Los Angeles area with wife, Shawn, their daughter April and son Louis Dominick. He worked for nine years with the Los Angeles Fire Department and then went through the Paramedic program where he was valedictorian of his class.

The award for Outstanding Achievement by an Athlete was presented by Bob Brower.