Who is Dot Richardson? What to know about Liberty softball coach ahead of Super Regionals
Liberty softball pulled off the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA softball tournament last weekend.
The unranked Flames became the first program in NCAA history to knock off the No. 1 overall seed in the regional round by winning the Bryan-College Station Regional in College Station, Texas, last weekend. Liberty opened the tournament with a win over the Aggies and then won the "if necessary" game on Sunday to advance to the super regional for the first time in history.
If it were not for a walk-off three-run home run by Oregon's Dezianna Patmon against Stanford, Liberty would have had the opportunity to host the super regional round. However, the Flames will travel to Eugene, Oregon to take on the No. 16 Ducks this weekend in the Eugene Super Regional.
While Liberty has become a softball darling overnight, the program is in the position it is because of longtime coach Dot Richardson. The fifth head coach in Liberty softball history hit all the right buttons against Texas A&M.
Here's what you need to know about Richardson, including her coaching career record and her softball career:
Who is Liberty coach Dot Richardson?
Dorothy "Dot" Richardson is the fifth coach in Liberty softball program history and was hired by the program on July 17, 2013. The Flames were coming off a 20-37 record and a second straight losing year under Paul Wetmore. He retired following the 2013 season after a 10-year stint as the coach.
Liberty won just 11 games in the first year under Richardson, but improved by 18 wins in her second season. After struggling to find success early on, the Flames are making their fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
Richardson began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Adelphi University while completing her master’s degree in 1988. She then served as an assistant coach with Oregon State and served as an advisor/instructional coach for Montverde Academy’s softball team.
Along with being a successful softball player and coach, Richardson is also a licensed orthopedic surgeon in the state of Florida.
She earned her master’s degree in exercise physiology and health from Adelphi University and then her medical degree from the University of Louisville, School of Medicine. Richardson did her postdoctoral residency at the University of Southern California/Los Angeles County Medical Center for six years from 1993 to 1999. She did an orthopedic sports medicine fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles from 1999 to 2000.
Dot Richardson softball playing career
Richardson was a strong softball player before becoming a coach, as she was inducted into the USA Softball Hall of Fame in 2006, into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Hall of Fame in 2015.
In 1982, Richardson helped UCLA earn the first of its 11 national championships, serving as the Bruins' starting shortstop. Richardson, from Orlando, Florida, began her career at Western Illinois before transferring to the Bruins. With UCLA, she was named the team MVP three times and finished her career with a .349 batting average.
Richardson was named the NCAA Player of the Decade for the 1980s. In 1996, Richardson hit a two-run home run in a 3-1 victory over China in the gold medal game in Atlanta. She was also on the 2000 Sydney Olympic USA team that won gold.
In addition to her Olympic success, Richardson was also on U.S. teams that won five Pan American Games gold medals and four World Championship gold medals.
Richardson retired as an active softball player following the 2000 Olympics.
Dot Richardson career coaching record
Here's a look at Richardson's coaching career, which has spanned 12 seasons, all with the Flames:
- 2014: 11-46
- 2015: 29-30
- 2016: 31-28
- 2017: 46-24
- 2018: 47-12
- 2019: 40-22
- 2020: 10-13
- 2021: 44-15
- 2022: 44-18
- 2023: 44-22
- 2024: 38-25
- 2025: 50-13
- Career: 434-268