Coach James 'Friday' Richards: Funeral Arrangements Set

MARIETTA, GA — Funeral arrangements have been announced for James "Friday" Richards — who went from being water boy for the Marietta High School football team as a child to being a superstar running back for them in the '70s and coming back to coach them as an adult.

Richards, 64, died Sunday at his home. No cause of death has been announced, but friends say he had recently undergone heart surgery.

A wake for Richards will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 28 at Hanley Shelton Funeral Directors, at 473 Lawrence St. in Marietta, Marietta City Schools announced. A "celebration of life" ceremony will be held Friday, June 29, at 7 p.m. at Marietta High's Northcutt Stadium, where a locker room is named in Richards' honor.

His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m.. on Saturday, June 30, at Zion Baptist Church of Marietta at 165 Lemon St. NE.

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"Coach Friday has been a pillar in this community to say the least," said MCS Director of Athletics, Paul Hall, said in a written statement. "He will be greatly missed. Please keep the Richards family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Richards was an all-state football player at MHS in 1971, when he rushed for 2,090 yards. He went on to play at the University of Florida and was drafted in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets in 1976, spending two seasons on the squad, though never seeing playing time in a regular-season game.

Richards would return to his alma mater to coach in 1978. He became Marietta High's head football coach in 1995 and led the Blue Devils to a 108-57 record and four region titles during his tenure.

He worked at the school until his retirement in 2010, also coaching basketball and track. In 2016, the home team locker room at Northcutt Stadium was named in Richards' honor.

"Coach Friday impacted countless lives in his role as the long-time Marietta High School football coach and a father figure and beacon of support for many Marietta students through the years," the city school system said on its website. "Coach Friday was a pillar in the Marietta community."

Photo courtesy Marietta City Schools