Marquette, MI – November 7th, 2025 – On Tuesday, Northern Michigan placed Head Football Coach Shane Richards and Offensive Line Coach Joe Gatz on administrative leave, citing privacy concerns and declining to disclose further details. Today, Rick Comley, NMU Athletic Director, announced that Shane Richardson resigned effective immediately and announced the search for a new head coach would begin. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Billy Lindquist will serve as interim head coach. Gatz is set to rejoin the team on November 10, before the season finale.
Richardson was first part of the NMU football team from 1996-2000, when he played for the Wildcats. He started at linebacker for three of those seasons, and during his senior year was awarded the Gildo Canale award (awarded to NMU’s top male athlete). Richardson earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education/social studies in 2001. After capping off his education, Richardson’s first stop would take him to Iron Mountain High School, where he served as the strength and conditioning coach. Later that year, he would go back to his alma mater to serve as a graduate assistant, making him responsible for coaching the linebackers, and also assisting with the special teams, strength and conditioning, and recruiting.
After a season at NMU, Richardson moved to become a linebackers and conditioning coordinator at Jamestown College in North Dakota (2002), then to North Dakota State University as a graduate assistant coaching defensive backs (2003). He spent the bulk of his career at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, starting as linebackers coach (2005-06), then defensive coordinator for seven years, and ultimately serving as head coach from 2014 to 2022. In 2016, he set a program record with a 10-2 season, capping a 17-year tenure at UNCP.
This experience formed the foundation for his hiring as the NMU head football coach in December 2022, becoming the 23rd head football coach at Northern Michigan University. During his first two seasons, he would go winless 0-22 (0-13 GLIAC). Despite the struggles, Richardson was determined for his first win, which would come this season during a matchup with Roosevelt in which NMU set a new program record for single-game rushing yards (538 yards). Leading the way for a 42-21 win for the first time in 1,071 days and the first win under coach Shane Richardson.
Richardson’s time came to an end today after he put in his letter of resignation, following his administrative leave, which caps off his three seasons with the Wildcats. During his three seasons with the Wildcats, he had a record of 1-30. Billy Lindquist will serve as interim head coach as the team gets ready for Saturday’s game against Davenport.
