Coach Richardson was born in El Paso, Texas. He played collegiately at Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) playing for two years under the future Basketball Hall of Famer Don Haskins.

Coach Richardson began his coaching career at Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas. He then moved to Western Texas College, where he won the National Junior College championship in 1980. He was the head coach at Tulsa from 1981 to 1985, leading Tulsa to the NIT championship in 1981. In 1985 Richardson became the head coach at the University of Arkansas, where he gained national recognition.

Richardson took the University of Arkansas to the Final Four three times, losing to Duke in the semifinals in 1990, winning the National Championship in 1994 against Duke, and losing in the Championship game to UCLA in 1995. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1994. His teams typically played an up tempo game with intense pressure defense - a style that was known as "40 Minutes of Hell." He is the winningest coach in Arkansas history, compiling a 389-169 record in 17 seasons.

Coach Nolan Richardson was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. On October 20, 2009, Richardson was named head coach of Women's National Basketball Association's Tulsa Shock, formerly known as the Detroit Shock, a position he held until July 8, 2011.