After 21 seasons at Feather River College, head coach Randy Rick has announced his retirement. The six-time Golden Valley Conference Coach of the Year (2000, 2003, 2005, 2012, 2016 and 2017) has led the Golden Eagles to seven Golden Valley Conference Championships and contributed to leading Feather River College to California?s state number one ranked team in 2016 with an overall record of 27-2 and 10-0 in GVC play. In 2016-17, the Golden Eagles won their first Back-2-Back GVC championship going 10-0 with an overall record of 26-4 while making it to the California State Final Four and advancing one game shy of the State championship game, a first in schools? history. During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the Golden Eagles entered the CCCMBCA as the second seed in the north state behind City College of San Francisco.
When Coach Rick came to Feather River College, he found a program that was in desperate need of a basketball ?facelift?. He inherited a program that went 2-29, 3-25 and was dead last in crowd attendance in the GVC. In his first season (1999-2000) at FRC, Rick orchestrated the greatest performance turnaround in the nation rejuvenating the Golden Eagles program with a 25-5 overall record and the first Golden Valley Conference Championship in FRC?s history. The Golden Eagle program has produced six California All-State selections (Eddie Shelby, Jose Taylor, Larry Brackins, Andrew Lotts, Derrick Randolph, and Anthony Smith) and produced several DI, DII and NAIA players. The Golden Eagles currently have six former players playing professionally overseas at the international level. Among the successful highlights was the 2005 GVC Most Valuable Player Larry Brackins who went on to be drafted by the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers straight out of Community College as a wide receiver. As a result of the Golden Eagle?s success, FRC has drawn attention from NCAA Division 1 programs such as, Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, UNR, Utah St, Middle Tennessee, Iowa State, University of Oregon, Southern Miss and many more and coach?s visits from West Virginia, UNLV, Gonzaga, San Diego St, Fresno St, Indiana St, Idaho St, UC Irvine, Grambling, U of Pacific and more.
Prior to coaching at Feather River College, Rick?s coaching stints include coaching overseas at the international level in Australia, for the Albury/Wodonga Border Bandits, Chico State University Freshman team, Butte College Assistant and six years at the high school level.
As a player, Rick played point guard at Red Bluff High School on the greatest team to ever come out of Red Bluff. The Red Bluff high school Hall of Fame Inductee was named First Team All-NSCIF and went on to play at Butte Community College. There, he led the nation in free throw percentage at one point, making 49 out of 50 free throws, guiding the Roadrunners to the California State Community College Final Four while also being inducted to the Butte College Hall of Fame. Rick then attended Chico State University where he held the single season and career all time field goal percentage record for over twenty-five years at 62.3%. As a shooting guard, he played a significant role in leading the Wildcats to a 13-1 league record, and winning the NCAC league championship. That same year, Chico State beat Stanford University making CSU-Chico the only Division II team to ever defeat a PAC-10 team. From there, Rick played professionally in Albury, Australia for two years before coming home to the States to start his coaching career.
We as a basketball program and institution are so grateful for Coach Rick?s leadership and commitment to Feather River College.
Words cannot describe the amount of love Coach Rick put into his students and their growth on and off the court. Congratulations on your retirement Coach Randy Rick!