By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Tre Richardson is extremely grateful for all the people in his life who have helped him become the athlete and person he is today.
Tre Richardson
And now the former multi-sport Highland Park star, who is beginning his first season with the Washburn University football team, is determined to do whatever he can to help others in the Hi Park and Topeka community.
Richardson announced last week on X (formerly Twitter) that he plans to launch a scholarship program to benefit a pair of seniors (one male and one female) from his alma mater.
"I just wanted to give back to the community after they have given so much to me,'' Richardson said. "Me and my mom (Kawanda) talked about it and thought about making it for Highland Park kids and just helping a little bit.''
Richardson's plans are to begin accepting applications through his LockedIn Mentality Foundation Oct. 1 through Jan. 1, 2025, with the scholarship winners to be announced next April 1.
"It's a start and that's why we're going to start with HP and then we want to expand it to other schools and make it bigger and for everybody to to get a chance to win it,'' Richardson said.
Richardson said his major objective is to let local students know that he has their back.
"It helps a lot having people in your corner and that's why I try to help all the kids and young adults that I talk to and do what I can to stay in their lives,'' Richardson said.
Washburn receiver/returner Tre Richardson was a multi-sport star for Highland Park before earning first-team All-America honors at Hutchinson last fall. [File photo/TSN]
After being named the Topeka Shawnee County Male Athlete of the Year in 2023, Richardson, an All-Shawnee County pick in football, basketball and track, earned first-team All-American football honors for Hutchinson Community College last season.
He finished his freshman season ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 27.1-yard average on kickoff returns and was No. 2 with a 16.2-yard average on punt returns while returning one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns and finishing the season with 1,332 all-purpose yards.
Richardson, a multi-time state champion in track at Highland Park, signed with Toledo out of Hutch but returned to Topeka in the spring and eventually committed to Washburn, where he will double up in football as a receiver/returner and also run track for the Ichabods.
"I've been here a couple of months now and it's great,'' said Richardson, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound sophomore. "We're all cool together and it's a great family.''
Washburn football coach Craig Schurig thinks Richardson can be an impact player for the Ichabods, who are looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2-9 record last fall.
"He's highly athletic and I think he fits into our scheme really well and obviously he'll add to the return game, too, so it's been fun having him out here already in the first two days (of practice),'' Schurig said. "He and D.J. (Bell), Maury (Sullivan) and Tyce (Brown) and some of the other receivers, it gives us a number of weapons to get the ball to.
"In offensive football nowdays you're always just trying to get those guys the ball in space and get them touches so we're going to get those guys as many touches as we can.''
As he has throughout his career Richardson is setting his sights high.
"I want to do the same things -- All-American -- and if they have newcomer of the year I'm going to try to take that and try to take all the awards that I can, but most of all have a positive team record,'' Richardson said.
"I'll receive, return, rush and do a little bit of everything I can.''
