Columbia International University Athletics Director Darren Richie has died at 58

The athletics director at a Christian college in Columbia has died after contracting a serious illness while away at a soccer tournament, school officials said.

Columbia International University Athletics Director Darren Richie, 58, died Dec. 1, according to a Friday evening release from the university. A member of the National Christian College Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Richie had been the AD at Columbia International since 2020.

According to the University, Richie traveled in late November to Florida to support the school’s women’s soccer team in a national tournament. While on the trip, Richie contracted bacterial meningitis, which is a sudden inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. School officials said Richie was hospitalized in Orlando, and died there on Dec. 1.

“Darren dedicated his passion, energy, and expertise to our athletics program, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of student-athletes, coaches, and colleagues alike,” CIU interim President Rick Christman said in a statement. “More importantly, he loved and served his savior, Jesus Christ, and worked to point others to Him.”

School officials said there will be a memorial service for Richie on the Columbia International campus. Details of that service are still being planned.

Before arriving at Columbia International in 2020, Richie led the athletics program at Colorado Christian University for 12 years, where teams under his watch won a host of conference titles and Christian college national championships.

At Columbia International, officials said Richie initiated a Bible study for coaches and served on mission trips to Central America, among other faith-based activities.

The school said an interim athletics director will be named at a later date.