BY DONALD HUNT
Lawrence Richardson is certainly one of the top football players in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Richardson, a former Bishop McDevitt star, is an outstanding linebacker for Morgan State, who recently earned first-team All-MEAC honors.
Richardson, a 6-1, 215-poud senior, had 77 total and 48 solo tackles last season. He’s worked diligently to become one of the league’s best defensive players.
“It’s just a blessing,” Richardson said. “I got to keep pushing it. These are blessings of my life. I got to keep it going.”
Richardson credits former Morgan State assistant coach Isaac Williams, who is now the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line coach, for giving him encouragement hist first year playing for the Bears.
“I’ve improved a lot,” Richardson said. “I would say my freshman year was just kind of a growth process. I had to step out of my shell. I was worried about what people thought of me. I was so scared of messing up it got to that point.
Morgan State linebacker Lawrence Richardson received All-MEAC honors. (Photo/ Morgan State Athletics)
“Coach [Isaac] Williams is the offensive line coach for the [Pittsburgh] Steelers now. He put this Kobe [Bryant] video on and Kobe said, ‘Just get over yourself.’ That just stuck with me. The spirit from that quote about not being scared just prepare and at the end of the day you tired your hardest. I just really applied the quote to my game.”
Morgan State located in Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the nation’s best historically black colleges and universities. Morgan State has produced a lot of great football players over the years such as Leroy Kelly (former Simon Gratz star), Willie Lanier, Roosevelt Brown, Raymond Chester, Len Ford and others. Richardson has learned a lot about the Bears’ storied football tradition.
“They have the pictures hanging right in the gym,” Richardson said. “Coach [Damon] Wilson [Morgan State head coach] gave us reports on all the Hall of Famers and not just the players, but the coaches. We had to learn about Morgan a little bit later in my years. It’s good to know about that.”
Richardson feels Wilson, who came to Morgan State in 2022 from Division II Bowie State, has made a big difference in the Bears’ football program.
“Coach Wilson is just a great leader,” he said. “He’s bringing a lot of attention to Morgan. He’s making us a better team. This is the most I’ve ever won [4-7 overall, 2-3 league]. I know it’s only four games, but it’s the most I’ve won my whole time at Morgan.”
Richardson is one of several players from the Catholic League playing Division I football. He seems to be primed to have another big year at Morgan State.
Lawrence Richardson was a standout TE and All Catholic Selection for Archbishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, PA. (PSD photo by Kathy Leister)