Christopher Richards Jr.
From Usgs
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| Representative, Michigan 9th Congressional District | ||||
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| In Office: 2017 - Present | ||||
| Preceded by | Joe Xavier Incognito | |||
| Succeeded by | Incumbent | |||
| Born | May 15th, 1970 Pontiac, Michigan | |||
| Political Party | Democrat | |||
| Spouse | Carolyn Berryhill Richards | |||
| Religion | Christian (ELCA Lutheran) | |||
Christopher Richards Jr. is an American businessman and politician. He is co-founder, co-owner and former CEO of Richards-Stevenson Aerospace Corporation as well as the current US Representative from Michigan's 9th Congressional District.
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Early Life
Christopher Richards Jr. is the son of Christopher Richards Sr. and Sarah Jameson Richards. The first of four children, Richards's family was solid middle class. His father worked full time as an engineer at Ford Motor Corp while his mother tought science at Pontiac High School. Chris Richards was born May 15th 1970. From an early age he excelled at mathematics, posting superior grades through elementary and middle school. He started playing football in the 6th grade, joining a local pop warner league. He played Middle Linebacker and halfback. At Pontiac High School he starred for the football team at Linebacker and Halfback, winning all-State honors his senior year at the former. He lead the Pontiac High team to the state semi-finals his junior year, and lost in the finals as a senior. He also continued his excellence at Math and Science, graduating 3rd in his class.
College and the NFL
Undergraduate Studies and Football
Christopher Richards Jr. attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor on a full athletic scholarship. Rejecting the normal "cupcake" academic courses taken by most on the football team, Richards majored in Aerospace Engineering. Richards did about average academically as a Freshman, earning a 2.8 GPA while playing special teams for the Wolverines. Both his athletic and academic fortunes increased his sophomore year, as he was named the starting middle linebacker for the football team and made Deans List. In later interviews he attributed this turnaround to "Cutting back on the partying and slacking that cost me my Freshman year." He continued to make strides as a Junior and Senior, making Academic All-American both years. Richards graduated with a 3.61 GPA in 1992. That same year he married his girlfriend of three years, Carolyn Berryhill.
NFL Career
While Richards was widely regarded as too small to play NFL Linebacker, Richards decided to give it a try anyway and entered the NFL draft his Senior year. He had a fairly good showing at the NFL Combine, but was hurt by the fact that he did not clearly fit into any one defensive position and had not played offense sense high school. Richards was drafted in the 6th round by the Seattle Seahawks. He tried to make the roster as a special teams player but was cut at the end of training camp. In September he signed a one year deal with the Washington Redskins and was immediately inserted into their kickoff and punt coverage teams. He was fairly successful, but when his contract expired the Redskins showed no interest in re-signing him. He then signed with his hometown Detroit Lions. Playing within walking distance of his old house in Pontiac (the Lions played in the Pontiac Silverdome at the time) Richards thrived on the special teams and cracked the depth chart at backup strong safety. When the starter went down with a broken arm mid-season, Richards filled in, starting 10 games. He played decently, but not good enough to solidify his hold on the position. The next season he was a backup again, until he was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round draft pick. Two weeks later he was traded again, this time to the Green Bay Packers. Week 15 he started a game for the Packers (again filling in for an injured Strong Safety), but he himself received a major knee injury. He attempted to make a comeback the next year, but on a not fully healed knee was unable to make the team. Not wanting to upend his life again, Richards retired from the NFL at the age of 25.
Postgraduate Studies
In 1995, his NFL career over, Richards decided to attempt to earn a Masters Degree. He went back to his alma matter, attending Michigan for two years before getting his Masters in Aerospace Engineering in 1997. Also in 1997, Chris and Carolyn Richards had their first kid, a son named Joseph
Richards-Stevenson
The Founding of Richards-Stevenson
The RU-94 Contract and Subsequent Success
Political Career
The 2016 Michigan 9th District Congressional Race
The House Years
Education
BS In Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MS in Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
