Marc Richards enters his fourth season with the Chiefs and first as the Director of Football Research & Development. He spent the previous three seasons as a Football Research Analyst (2022-24).
In his current position, Richards helps oversee R&D efforts and assists the Chiefs coaching and personnel staffs by developing metrics and processes for player and team performance, decision making, trade valuations, and in-game situational analysis.
Prior to arriving in Kansas City, Richards spent time with the Oklahoma City Thunder working with the Thunder's Strategic Planning Group in Basketball Operations.
In 2021, Richards took home the grand prize in the Big Data Bowl. His team used Next Gen Statistics to develop a framework for accessing individual defensive performance in coverage. Richards was also a finalist in the 2022 NFL Big Data Bowl as his team used Next Gen Statistics to explore punter's optimal aiming location and hang time.
As he worked on a Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Pittsburgh, Richards TA'd and taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in statistics. Advised by Dr. Lucas Mentch, his main research areas involved using classical statistical inference to understand modern machine learning algorithms as well as spatial-temporal modeling of crime such as quantifying the impact of COVID-19 on crime across US Cities. Prior to graduate school, he spent nearly four years working in the reinsurance industry helping model, assess and evaluate insurance companies' risk to natural and man-made disasters.
The Wayzata, Minn., native also has a background in hockey. On the ice, Richards played right defense at St. Olaf and was elected team captain for the 2015-16 season. Off the ice, he won the RITSAC Data Competition in 2019 and was a finalist in the Big Data Cup in 2021.
Education: St. Olaf College (B.A. 2016); Pittsburgh (M.A. 2021). Born: Wayzata, Minn. Family: Wife - Kate. Son - Macklin.
