Crown Knights Football Coach Earns Honors
by Blake Hembree, Editor-in-Chief, The Verve

As an independent, homeschooled, Christian program, Crown Athletics seems to stand out in the sporting world. Head football coach John Richards has carried on that trend seamlessly by receiving the 2010 Independent Coach of the Year Award.

Presented by the Atlanta Area Officials Association (AAFOA), the referees voted Richards as the top coach among numerous Atlanta metro independent programs.  After the announcement Richards said, “I was surprised.  I had no idea there was such an award out there.  I felt honored and humbled.”

Crown Board member Wes Cantrell says, “It helps establish our program as legitimate and shows that we are respected by officials.”  Cantrell also says that Richards did an incredible job of managing his assistant coaches’ varying personalities and that his cool demeanor balanced the fiery style of other coaches.

Richards has been coaching the varsity Knights since the program’s inception in 2005.  He claims that his position goes beyond that of a football coach.  “[My players] learn that the attitudes they need to play the game are the same ones they will use as men,” Richards says. “If I can instill this principle in these guys, well, that’s what I want to do.”

As part of his post-practice tradition, Richards reiterates to the team that his job is to love them while their job is to love each other. "I just try to be myself and treat [my players] as my sons.  It is an honor to be their coach," he says.  

Richards considers the award to be a reflection of the character with which his entire team played.  The Knights coaching staff taught the players to be good sportsmen, which was exemplified on the field.  Richards credits his entire squad for this honor, noting that sportsmanship is a rarity among the current generation of athletes. “Those kinds of things are uncommon in football,” says Richards.   

According to Cantrell, the award clearly confirms that the Crown Board made the correct decision in selecting Richards as the head football coach five years ago.

Building the Crown football program has not been an easy task.  Initially starting as a hodgepodge of students coming from a variety of Christian and homeschool backgrounds, Richards has developed the Crown football brand into the top program of its kind in the Cobb and Cherokee area.

After a 9-3 season (5-1 regular season conference record), coaches are looking to build on that success for an even better 2011.  As regional champions in 2010, the Knights advanced to the conference finals but were defeated by Covenant Christian Academy, 18-7. Because of graduating seniors, coaches are looking for key replacements at quarterback and wide receiver in addition to three linebackers. Coaches are confident that the right players will step up to fill these critical roles.

The Knights' journey to success has not been without hardships.  In the past three seasons, Crown has been associated with a trio of conferences, having most recently joined the Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama Athletic Association (ICSGA).  Within each league, the persevering Knights advanced to the conference finals, finishing as runners-up each year. Crown Athletics looks forward to a long-lasting association with ICSGA and future opportunities for victory for the Knights.