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Richardson's last hurdle is here
Senior is set to defend title in final college meet
Jason Richardson is a four-time All American hurdler in his senior year at USC. Photographed at Weems Baskin Track on Wed. 5/21/2008.
Erik Campos /Erik Campos/ecampos@thestate.com
CommentsJason Richardson never imagined defending his NCAA crown would be so difficult.
But most of the hurdles Richardson has had to clear have been off the track.
South Carolina's fifth-year senior will begin defense of his 110-meter hurdles title this week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Richardson would love nothing more than to cap his career with another gold medal, particularly after a trying year in which the most decorated athlete on the Gamecocks' team lost his scholarship for a semester because of miscommunication between him and USC coach Curtis Frye.
"Of course I want to defend my title," Richardson said. "And it would mean so much more because of everything I went through."
At this time last year, there were questions about whether Richardson would return to USC for his final year of eligibility. The Texas native had graduated in the spring of 2008 with a degree in sport and entertainment management, and hoped to qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Though Richardson told Frye he likely would be back at USC, the hurdler said the two never had a long discussion about his future. And while Frye acknowledges Richardson indicated he probably would return, Frye said he had been burned before by athletes such as Terrance Trammell, who gave up his final year of eligibility to turn pro following the 2000 Olympics.
"Jason was uncertain but leaning toward” coming back, Frye said. "I had to use my experience in making a judgment. My experience led me the wrong way. He came back."
By then, however, Frye had promised Richardson's full scholarship to Marvin Reitze, a freshman pole vaulter from Germany. Frye said he thought Richardson would make the Olympic team, which would have brought more-lucrative sponsorship offers.
Richardson said he probably would have turned pro had he gone to the Olympics. Instead, Richardson failed to finish the preliminary round at the trials after aggravating a hamstring injury he sustained a few days earlier.
After returning from a Grand Prix meet in Monaco in July, Richardson learned he did not have a scholarship for the fall. Always outspoken, Richardson said he experienced a whole gamut of emotions but never lost his cool.
"I don't feel it's a poor assumption on my part to think I can't use the four years of eligibility the NCAA offers," Richardson said. "But lesson learned. Communication is important."
Frye said he acted in the university's best interests.
"It may not be to the liking of the individual," Frye said, "(but) I'm quite confident I've done that."
Rather than pay his own way, Richardson shared a patio home with teammate Ronnetta Alexander and landed a paid internship with the Nexsen Pruet law firm, where he worked on a case involving ExxonMobil that resulted in a $3 million judgment.
He bought a used car, ran up some credit-card debt and worked out on his own throughout the fall.
"Despite the accolades and despite what happened with the whole scholarship situation, I didn't have the easiest time in general (at USC)," Richardson said. "But there was a lot of maturity and growth because I had to sit out. I had a salary, a job. I had to live within my means."
Because teammate Eddie Stoudemire agreed to sit out last fall, Richardson said coaches were able to bring both athletes back for the spring semester on full scholarship.
Richardson, who took three graduate courses, said he appreciates the gesture by Stoudemire and harbors no resentment toward Reitze, who earned an automatic NCAA bid after finishing second at the East Region meet.
Richardson's attention is back on the track. He feels good physically after visiting a specialist in Arizona about his chronic hamstring problems.
And despite finishing second at the region meet to Bethune-Cookman's Ronnie Ash, Richardson arrives in Fayetteville with the nation's fastest time (13.29 seconds) in the high hurdles.
There is no confusion this year: This will be Richardson's final college meet.
And he hopes to go out on a high note.
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.
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