Sean Richmond had the unique responsibility of coaching his team, while serving as athletic director, which isn't uncommon. But most elect to focus on the administrative side and leave the sidelines. Not him. And similar to Pocono Mountain West assistant AD and assistant wrestling coach Will Poole, Richmond had a foot in both worlds, serving the community on and off the mat.
Richmond, the Stroudsburg athletic director and wrestling coach, died Saturday after he was struck by a tractor trailer on Interstate 380 .
Tarik E-Bassiouni was one of Richmond's last hires.
"Richmond was the embodiment of the community spirit that makes Stroudsburg athletics special," said El-Bassiouni, the varsity boys' basketball coach. "From a personal standpoint, he's the guy that gave me the opportunity to coach. He couldn't have been more supportive; he had my back in every situation, anything I ever needed he would go over and above whatever he could do to help me."
El-Bassiouni was an assistant on former Stroudsburg coach Shawn Thornton's staff before stepping away to take care of his family. After some time passed and several previous attempts fell short, Richmond talked to El-Bassiouni about leading the second-year coach's alma mater.
"We wanted to get back to the atmosphere, standards and expectations that were there at one time. That's what we both wanted, and he was going to be supportive," El-Bassiouni said. "He hired me, but then he ended up being a great colleague and a friend, and he's definitely going to be sorely missed."
More: Stroudsburg school administrator Sean Richmond killed in I-380 accident
Pocono Mountain East AD Jessica Johnson recalled Richmond's supportive nature when she started the job in October.
"From my very first day on the job, Sean welcomed me as part of the EPC community," she said. "Although we only worked together for six months, his influence will last through the rest of my career."
A graduate of Easton High School, Richmond was a two-time state medalist for the Red Rovers, finishing fifth in the 152-pound weight class as a junior, then fourth as a senior in the 160-pound class. He then went on to Pittsburgh where he was a three-year starter and an NCAA qualifier in 2007.
After seven years as an assistant at Easton, Richmond was named the head coach at Stroudsburg in 2016, then athletic director.
"I met him at the EPC student council meetings, which I started attending as a favor to our AD Mike DelGrasso," Poole said. "Sean always had words of encouragement, and when I became the assistant athletic director this year, I started to talk to him a lot more.
"He always had a very strong but fair opinion. Anything he ever had to say about the situation was based on the needs for the kids. He wanted to do the right thing by all the athletes and be fair to every sport, because he knew our job as athletic directors were serving all the athletes, not just the sports that we coached."
A lot of administrators and coaches got to know Richmond in recent years, but there are a few who knew him longer than that, like East Stroudsburg North assistant wrestling coach Jason Jones.
"I used to go to Gold Medal Wrestling Club down in the Lehigh Valley, where Richmond ran practices while he was the assistant coach at Easton, his alma mater," Jones said. "Then we reconnected as I got into coaching.
"When he inherited the Stroudsburg program, it was good, but it had its struggles. He got them to a top-10 ranking at one point, and I believe that Sean Richmond played a huge role that really rejuvenated the program."
GoFundMe set up for Richmond's family
Those who wish to donate to the GoFundMe can go to: gofundme.com/f/support-for-seans-family-in-tragic-times . As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, there have been 711 total donations equaling $77,480 of the $80,000 goal.
If you wish to share your thoughts about Sean Richmond, email Mason Smith mtsmith@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: 'A great colleague and a friend': Stroudsburg's Sean Richmond remembered by his peers
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