An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Nov. 30, 2018

Idaho Army Guard Soldier coaches school to football title

By Capt. Robert Taylor Idaho National Guard

SUGAR CITY, Idaho - When Sugar-Salem High School won its first football state title Nov. 17, the win solidified five years's worth of work Idaho Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tyler Richins put into building his championship roster.

"If I've learned anything since I took over as head coach, it's (that) success isn't something that falls into your lap," Richins said. "It's taken a great deal of time and hard work to build a culture of what we want in a program. To be able to win one with this group of kids, coaching staff and school is really special."

Richins didn't have to look far to find an organization with a culture he wanted to duplicate. The high school math teacher has served in the Idaho Army National Guard since he was a junior in high school.

"I use so much of what the Army has taught me as a Soldier to teach and coach my players," he said. "The Army Values in general are a great place to start building a program. We talk constantly about duty, integrity, personal courage and selfless service and about being part of a team. That's what the Guard is: a team."

Sugar-Salem High School is located in Sugar City, Idaho, and has about 530 students. Its athletic teams compete in the Idaho High School Activities Association's 3A classification, which is for schools with 320-639 students. Richins knows more than most about winning football championships at small Idaho high schools.

Richins quarterbacked nearby Teton High School to a state title as in 1999. That team was coached by his dad, Dwight Richins, who also coached Shelley High School to four 3A state titles, most recently in 2009.

Richins got into coaching while working on his engineer degree while he studied at Idaho State University and Brigham Young University – Idaho. He found he didn't have a passion for engineering but he quickly realized he liked coaching young student-athletes. He was able to apply the math classes he took as an engineering student toward a degree in math education and history education. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at Northwest Nazarene University.

While Richins hadn't planned on following his dad into coaching, he did intend to follow him into the Idaho Army National Guard. Dwight Richins retired from the Idaho Army National Guard in 2012 as a lieutenant colonel.

"For me, the Guard was something I grew up around," he said. "My dad was a Guard officer and I got to see his passion for serving and being part of the organization. When I got to be a junior in high school, I started looking into my future and seeing where I wanted to go and what I wanted to be. The Idaho Army National Guard offered me a way to accomplish some of those goals through education benefits."

Richins's grandparents and several family friends also served in the military. He saw enlisting into the Idaho Army National Guard as a way to give back to those who had served before him.

"The Guard has treated me well," he said. "A lot of what I have, where I've been and who I've met, I can attribute to the Guard."

Richins currently serves as a 13J fire direction controller in A Battery, 1-148th Field Artillery Regiment and is a section chief. His brother, 2nd Lt. Chase Richins, also serves in the 1-148th FAR as an artillery officer.

"I'm thankful the Guard gives a guy like me a chance to serve and teach and coach," Richins said. "The Idaho Army National Guard has shaped me into who I am."

 

 

Related Articles
The Republic of Zambia's Brig. Gen. Choonga Mutandalike speaks to senior leaders from the North Carolina National Guard, representatives from the Republics of Moldova, Botswana, Malawi, and Zambia at a hurricane response symposium in Raleigh, N.C. April 22, 2025. The symposium was part of a six-day event hosted by the National Guard’s State Partnership program, reviewing and sharing lessons learned from Hurricane Helene.
North Carolina Guard Welcomes SPP Partners to Hurricane Response Exercise
By Lt. Col. Ellis Parks, | April 25, 2025
RALEIGH, N.C. – Senior leaders from the North Carolina National Guard are hosting representatives from Moldova, Botswana, Malawi and Zambia this week for a hurricane response exercise. The six-day event, from April 21-26 in...

A HH-60M Black Hawk, assigned to Wyoming Army Aviation Support Facility, releases water during an interagency bucket drop training at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming, on April 16, 2025. The training brought together Wyoming Aviation crews and partners including Wyoming State Forestry, Camp Guernsey Fire Department, Cheyenne Fire Rescue’s Wildland Team, Glendo Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Albany County Volunteer Fire Department, Yoder Volunteer Fire Department, Guernsey Rural Fire District, and the Platte County Fire Warden. The exercise was designed to sharpen skills like water bucket deployment, aerial coordination, and ground-to-air communications.
Wyoming Guard Aviators Sharpen Wildfire Response Skills in Training
By Staff Sgt. Cesar Rivas, | April 25, 2025
CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. – Wyoming Army National Guard aviators, in coordination with local and state firefighting agencies, conducted annual interagency bucket drop training April 16 at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center,...

Tech. Sgt. Franklin Angel, 105th Airlift Wing production recruiter, poses for a photo with his two Blue Suit Awards at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, April 22, 2025. The Blue Suit Award recognizes the 14 top-performing recruiters from around the world, including those in active duty, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve.
Meet the New York Air National Guard’s Record-Setting Recruiter
By Senior Airman Sarah Post, | April 23, 2025
STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – One recruiter at the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing is standing out from his peers, having recruited more Airmen in 2024 than any other recruiter in the Air Force and...