Head coach Fred Richter enters his 35th season in Center Valley as one of the most successful coaches in the entire country with a career record of 665-254 (.724) Richter enters the 2024-25 season ranked 15th all-time in wins among NCAA Division III coaches and is ranked eighth among active NCAA Division III coaches in wins.
Throughout his 34 years, he has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA “Sweet 16” twice including the 2007-08 season when he led the Bulldogs to their third MAC Freedom championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” where they fell to eventual undefeated national champion, Howard Payne University, in Brownwood, TX and finished with a 26-4 overall record. During the 2018-19 season, DeSales won its seventh MAC Freedom title and advanced to the ”Sweet 16” falling to Ithaca College, 76-75, finishing the year with a school-record tying 27 wins and a 27-3 overall record.
Overall Richter has led DeSales to 19, 20-win seasons and to the post-season in 33 of his 34 years. The Bulldogs joined the MAC Freedom in 1997-98 and have since run off 27-straight post-season appearances, won 12 conference championships, and have advanced to the MAC Freedom championship game 20 times.
Richter has also enjoyed both regional and national success during his tenure. In addition to 14 conference championships he has won including two Pennsylvania Athletic Conference titles (1996, 1997) and the 12 MAC/Freedom titles (1998, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), DSU has made 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and won four ECAC South Region Tournament Championships (1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005). Richter has been named Coach of the Year 11 times including six times in the MAC Freedom (2004, 2008, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024), twice as the WBCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year (2004 and 2019), once the D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Coach of the Year (2019), once named the ECAC Coach of the Year (2024), and once by the Eastern States Athletic Conference (ESAC) in 1992-93.
Prior to taking over at DeSales in 1990, Richter was a highly successful girls’ varsity coach at Quakertown High School. He finished with a record of 145-80 in nine seasons and his teams qualified for the district playoffs each season. The Panthers captured one league championship and reached the state championship tournament twice during Richter’s tenure. He also coached the boys’ teams at Quakertown and at Central Bucks East High School in Buckingham, PA.
Richter was also an outstanding scholastic and collegiate player. He was twice an all-league pick and Most Valuable Player at Quakertown before moving on to East Stroudsburg University. While at ESU, he was a two-time selection for team captain, named MVP following his junior season, and named to the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Team after his senior campaign. Richter has been inducted into both the Quakertown/Pennridge Area Sports Hall of Fame and East Stroudsburg University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Coach Richter was a high school social studies teacher at Quakertown Senior High School for 34 years. He coached the Bulldogs as a part-time coach for the first 15-years and will be entering his 20th season as a full-time staff member. He resides in Coopersburg, Pa., with his wife, Vicky.
