Richard Hawks is helping lead the Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers to victory
By Dyuce Woodson
April 24, 2023—During the past few years, Pleasure Ridge Park High School (PRP) baseball has dealt with its fair share of adversity.
“When it all happened in 2018, you become the head coach but you become the head coach under circumstances that you don’t really want to become the head coach under,” said Richard Hawks, PRP assistant baseball coach.
Hawks was an assistant under legendary PRP head coach Bill Miller from 1991 until Miller died from cancer in 2018. Hawks was tasked with being the head coach, a position he held for the remainder of 2018 and 2019.
“It was great to be the head coach for that short amount of time. I just needed to take a step back for me because there were so many things going on in my life at that two-year period,” Hawks said. “It was a lot for me.”
He was grieving, like many others, from losing Coach Miller. His father had also fallen ill. The time away from baseball was dedicated to spending the last few years of his father’s life with him.
In 2022, he returned to coaching under head coach Brad Burns. This year’s Panthers squad started the season with 11 straight wins.
Hawks says he's glad to be back as part of PRP baseball's rich legacy.
“I still like coming here every day,” Hawks said. “PRP is a great place to be.”