Coach Rich Hansen P’03,’09, a 2015 Legends of Prep honoree, Prep’s Athletic Director since 1988, and Prep Football’s head coach from 1988-2020, has announced that 2025-26 will be his last school year at the helm of Prep Athletics.
Coach Hansen joined Prep Football’s coaching staff in 1982, as defensive coordinator for then-Head Coach Gerry Bellotti, P’88. Later that year he also became a member of Prep’s physical education department. A 44-year journey in leading Prep’s athletic program to true greatness, both on and off the field, had begun. Along the way, his leadership has transformed Prep Athletics into an elite powerhouse, with 18 varsity-level programs and nearly 85% of Prep students competing on the varsity, JV, or freshman levels in 2024-25.
“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve Prep all of these years,” Coach Hansen said. “The relationships I’ve been able to forge with my players, athletes, colleagues, alumni and dedicated staff will last a lifetime and fuel me forever. Prep has never been a job to me. It has been my passion, and for that I am so fortunate.”
Prep President Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 drew a parallel between Coach Hansen’s impact and the theme for the school year. “Rich has led with the same fierce love and radical humility that define Prep,” he said. “For 44 years he has unashamedly exhibited a fierce love for Prep, our teams, our coaches, and our athletes, building a program and a culture where excellence is defined in hard work, integrity, togetherness, and a daily commitment to being ‘all in.’”
Dr. Gomez continued: “Behind this indomitable spirit and competitive fire is a deep humility. It comes to life not just in teaching young men the right way to win, but in the other wins—lessons learned, characters built, friendships formed, and countless quiet acts of guidance that never made the headlines.”
After he steps down as AD, Coach Hansen Rich will remain a part of Prep life in other ways—continuing to give his guidance not just in athletics but in the long-term vision for Saint Peter’s Prep. But for now, with his typical work ethic, he remains focused on finishing strong.
“When I accepted the position as Athletic Director,” he recalled, “I promised Father Ed Salmon, our then President, one thing: that I would leave the program better than I found it. I will spend my remaining time in this role making sure that is indeed the case.”
Dr. Gomez will lead Prep’s process of selecting Coach Hansen’s successor, beginning in mid-to-late October.