Richmond inks contract extension through 2028 as KSU Athletic Director

Jacob Shondel, Reporter|May 8, 2023

Kent State University announced on April 26 that current Director of Athletics Randale Richmond’s contract will be extended through 2028. 

“I am very thankful to President Diacon and the Board of Trustees for the opportunity to continue to lead this department,” Richmond said. “We serve some amazing student-athletes and coaches, and I’m encouraged to continue that work with a talented group of administrators and staff. We’re profoundly impacting young people’s lives, and I look forward to impacting them further as we fulfill our athletics department mission.”

Richmond is the twelfth athletic director for Kent State, beginning his tenure on April 9, 2021. 

Before his role as an athletic director, he worked for KSU for 10 years, leaving in 2015 to work at Old Dominion University as the Sr. Associate Athletic Director. 

“Athletics under Randale Richmond continues to excel on the field of competition and in the classroom,” Kent State University President Todd Diacon said. “His enthusiasm and commitment to doing things the right way is unparalleled.”

Under the terms of the new contract, Richmond will see a salary increase from $275,000 to an annual base salary of $311,715. 

During Richmond’s tenure, Kent State student-athletes have seen success both on the playing and in the classroom. 

The department has now seen 22 consecutive semesters with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, posting the highest term GPA in department history in the last two semesters. 

On the playing field, the Flashes have earned five Mid-American Conference tournament titles, three regular season titles and back-to-back Jacoby awards – given to the top MAC women’s athletic program. 

For the first time since 2017, the men’s basketball team earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, the men’s track and field won its first outdoor competition since 2004 and the women’s golf team has won 24 consecutive MAC tournaments. 

During the first year for Richmond, the department received a record number of donors (2,317) totaling nearly four million dollars in gifts. 

Richmond’s numbers 

  • 250 Academic All-Mac student-athletes 
  • 61 First Team All-Mac student-athletes 
  • 13 MAC Players of the Year 
  • 8 MAC Freshman of the Year 
  • 3 MAC Coaches of the Year 
  • 1 All-American 

Jacob Shondel is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].