Richard Clark Named Head Rifle Coach

Former Army West Point assistant coach Richard Clark has been named head coach of the University of Nebraska rifle program, Athletic Director Troy Dannen announced Wednesday.

Clark, who helped Kentucky to a pair of NCAA team titles during his collegiate career, joins the Husker program after spending the 2023-24 season at Army West Point. The Cadets finished 14th in the final CRCA Rankings, while Anusha Pakkam captured All-Great American Rifle Conference honors and was Army's Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient.  In addition, Chris Jennings placed third in both smallbore and air rifle at the 2023 USA Shooting Junior Olympics, becoming the first Army shooter to make the finals at the event since 2019.

“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to coach at the University of Nebraska!” Clark said. “The University provides unmatched resources on the range, in the classroom and professional development, making it a one-of-a-kind experience for our student-athletes. I plan to build a championship winning culture that enables our athletes to reach their full potential on the range while building the necessary skills for a successful career upon graduation. Nebraska is like no other, I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish in the next few years.”

“Richard brings a strong background in competitive shooting as well as collegiate coaching experience,” Dannen said. “He was a part of two NCAA Championships while at Kentucky and understands what it takes to compete for championships at an elite level. Richard is poised to build on the success that Nebraska rifle has enjoyed in recent seasons.”

A member of the USA Shooting Development Team, Clark most recently represented Team USA at the 2023 ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. He was also the 2022 NRA National 3-Position Champion, while setting two national records in the process and was a 2022 Pershing Team Member, representing the highest-scoring American and highest scoring competitor in the annual match between the United States and Great Britain.  Clark also won the 2022 Lones Wigger Iron Man Trophy, which recognizes the champion of the 14-day NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championship with over 100 competitors. 

Clark, a native of Jackson, Mich., enjoyed a distinguished college career shooting at the University of Kentucky. He was a three-time All-American during his career, helping Kentucky to NCAA titles in 2021 and 2022. As a senior, he earned CRCA All-America honors in all three disciplines, earning second-team honors in both air rifle and smallbore while being a third-team honoree in aggregate.  He averaged 585.538 in smallbore and 597.077 in air rifle for an aggregate average of 1179.615, while posting career highs in both smallbore (592) and air rifle (598).  During his junior year, he earned honorable-mention All GARC honors while his scores of 585 (smallbore) and 594 (air rifle) helped Kentucky to an NCAA title.  Clark was a five-year contributor for the Wildcats, earning honorable-mention All-America honors in 2020. 

Clark graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a minor in coaching from Kentucky in 2022 before completing a master’s in business administration in 2023.