Nolan Richardson receives Segundo Barrio person of year award

A basketball legend and El Paso native received a grand recognition in El Paso.

Nolan Richardson is the Segundo Barrio person of the year. A parade was held in his honor Saturday. It’s a title once held by Father Rahm, who ministered in the Segundo Barrio more than half a century ago.

“The things he tried to do to make this a better place for us all to live is incredible,” Richardson told ABC-7. “So to be in the same breath is great and rewarding.”

Richardson grew up in the Segundo Barrio neighborhood. He says his fondest memory was playing games with the other kids.

“Probably thinking back to when I was 4, 5 years old even,” Richardson said.

Little did he know he’d have great success playing basketball at Texas Western College, now UTEP. He’d go on to coach at Bowie High School, then at Tulsa and Arkansas. Richardson is the only coach in history to win a national championship in junior college, the NIT and the NCAA.

But the basketball legend remains humble.

“If I can reach the kingdom of heaven, he’s not going to ask me how many games I’ve won and what awards I got,” Richardson said.”I think he might ask me how many lives have you touched so I would rather be remembered touching lives.”