AAC Communications
COLUMBIA – Columbia International University has announced the hiring of Darren Richie as the third Athletics Director in CIU history. Richie brings a wealth of experience in both the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). He has spent the past three decades working with student-athletes. Richie comes to the Rams by way of fellow NAIA institution Webber International University in Babson Park, Florida.
“I want to thank Dr. Smith and Dr. Christman and their leadership and guidance, and I am excited to serve and be a part of a team whose goal is to create the premier Christian University in the Southeast,” Richie said. “It is clear that CIU is committed to excellence in athletics as they educate, serve, and Glorify God in all areas.”
While at Webber, Richie managed 65 staff members, 630 student-athletes, and led the Warriors 24 sports programs. Webber saw success during Richie’s three-year tenure as the New Jersey native helped guide the Florida based school to two NAIA National Championships, three NAIA National Tournament Championship appearances, and three Sun Conference Championships. Webber saw exponential growth under Richie’s leadership as he added five new sports programs and raised funds for critical facility upgrades. On top of his administrative duties, Richie took an active role in his student-athletes’ spiritual life as the Director of the Campus Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
Before his stint at Webber, Richie spent nine years as the Director of Athletics at Colorado Christian University (CCU) in Lakewood, Colorado. Under Richie, CCU was hugely successful in the NCCAA, winning four NCCAA National Championships. However, perhaps most impressive is that Richie created athletic programs that consistently competed with state universities in the highly competitive NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Conference. Off the field of play, Richie held a special interest in CCU’s athletes’ spiritual well-being, leading nine mission trips to Costa Rica in his time in Lakewood. During his tenure with the Cougars, Richie added six new athletic programs and raised over three million dollars for the CCU athletic department.
Besides his collegiate administration experience, Richie worked in the business world as a top sales specialist in the moving and storage industry. To cap off his list of accolades, Richie spent over ten years as an accomplished high school basketball and baseball coach in Colorado. Richie improved his coaching résumé with successful stints as the head baseball coach and women’s basketball coach at CCU including taking the Lady Cougars to the NCCAA National Championship.
Richie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Theology from Northeastern Bible College and a Master of the Arts in Education Curriculum, and Instruction from Colorado Christian University.
“We are delighted to have Darren Richie join Columbia International University and to lead CIU Athletics to the next level, in both academics and athletic competition,” Christman said. “He will be building on the strong leadership of James Whitaker, who has accepted a teaching role within the university, and the rich spiritual heritage that students experience here on the CIU campus.”
Richie will be joined in Columbia by his wife Claire; together, they have five daughters; Jessica (29), Nicole (27), Cassidy (25), Lindsey (23), and Jordan (21).