Andrew (Andy) Richards is a writer, rugby coach, entrepreneur, and stay-at-home dad. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Classical Studies from the Open University in the United Kingdom.

Andy retired from the British Army in 2002 after 23 years of service with the Adjutant General’s Commendation. He served in the Life Guards regiment in the Gulf War and in United Nations peacekeeping tours. His service also included seven years experience managing a team of outdoor pursuit instructors within a military environment and teaching principles of leadership through professional development courses. 

In 2002, Andy emigrated from England to the United States and later established citizenship in 2009. He launched his own professional development consulting company, Acorn Leadership, which he ran for two years in Maryland. He co-founded a second small business, Little Computer Bugs, in 2008 offering computer enrichment classes for kids ages 2-7 in North Carolina. 

Also in 2008, Andy co-founded the Atlantic Coast Invitational Rugby Tournament, which brings together men’s teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) universities and is now in its fourth year. He is an experienced and qualified sports coach in Rugby Football, and has coached college men’s teams at The University of Maryland – Baltimore County, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and now Virginia Tech. He is also a qualified instructor in caving, sailing, climbing, mountaineering and kayaking.

Married with two young daughters and a son in college, Andy and his family live in Blacksburg, Virginia. He is a regular writer and contributor of rugby coaching columns for various publications, including American Rugby News and Rugby America. He was editor of his father’s non-fiction book Return to Aden (by Peter Richards, 2004). The Devil’s Wave is Andy’s first novel. He and his wife, Melissa Farmer Richards, author a joint blog, Role-Reversal.com.