Story Courtesy: Clayton Barefield, ERAU Athletics
With his 37th season at the helm of the Embry-Riddle men’s basketball program drawing near, Steve Ridder has announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season.
With one of the most decorated coaching careers in the history of ERAU Athletics, Ridder has been the guiding force through decades of growth and change in Daytona Beach. The Bellevue, Ky. native has built a legacy defined not only by success on the court, but by his impact on generations of student-athletes, coaches, staff, and members of the ERAU community.
“When making the difficult decision to step away, I look back with an overwhelming sense of gratitude as this journey at Embry-Riddle is coming to an end,” Ridder stated. “38 years ago, Vicky and I never imagined what was ahead of us, coming to a place with so much potential, but very little in place for athletics. What we had was an opportunity, a belief that something special could be built, and people who were willing to believe in that vision.”
“What an amazing journey it has been,” Ridder said. “I am not only proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a basketball program, but as an athletics department as a whole. What makes me the most proud are the people that helped us along the way. The student-athletes, the coaches, the staff, the relationships, all of the connections that made this place so great. Without that foundation, we would’ve never been as successful as we have become as an athletics program.”
“Embry-Riddle Athletics is more than about one coach, one administration, or one era, it’s about the generations of people who believed in something,” Ridder added. “Embry-Riddle belongs to all of us who have cared enough to build it, support it, and believe in it and I believe the best is yet to come because I know what we have built is bigger than any one person.”
For over three-and-a-half decades, Coach Ridder has developed and sustained one of the premier college basketball programs in the country and has become the winningest college coach in Florida history. With over 800 career wins, 20 conference titles, 19 national tournament appearances, and the 2000 NAIA II National Championship, Ridder’s success on the court is indisputable.
However, his influence on Embry-Riddle Athletics has made a much larger impact through the lives of student-athletes, coaches, staff members, and ERAU supporters. Coach Ridder’s legacy extends far beyond the wins and the accolades accumulated over nearly four decades. His influence can also be measured though the relationships he built, the lessons he shared, and the people he helped shape.
Ask the former sports information directors who worked with Ridder about his legacy, and the conversation quickly moves beyond what happened on the court. Through the eyes of those who told the ERAU story, they remember the coach, but more importantly, they remember the person.
A Legacy Through the Eyes of Those Who Told His Story
Todd Guilliams – 1993-99
There may not be a more appropriate way to describe Steve Ridder and his impact on Embry-Riddle athletics. What college coach works prospects out on an outdoor court in the Florida heat and sells playing in a middle school? Steve Ridder. He made everyone feel like we were big-time when we were playing in a middle school. We believed because Steve vividly imagined and ardently desired and his enthusiasm made it all seem possible.
When Steve Ridder arrived on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus, there were five men’s sports and zero athletic facilities. In 1992, the Eagles defeated the #1 ranked NCAA II team in the country, Rollins College, at “The Sand Trap”, 78-74, ending Rollins’ 15-game win streak. In December 1992, the Orlando Sentinel published an article about how no one sat down at Embry-Riddle basketball games, because the stomping on the old wooden bleachers of Silver Sands Middle School made it impossible to sit. Within five years of Steve stepping into the Athletic Director role, the Eagles’ program had added Women’s Volleyball and the vast tree-covered lot across Clyde Morris Blvd opposite Spruance Hall had an amazing fieldhouse, soon to become the ICI Center, on it. That growth was just the beginning, as the program went on to add premier facilities and multiple nationally competitive teams, becoming a powerhouse in both NAIA and NCAA II over the years.
Longevity is one measure of Ridder’s time and success at Embry-Riddle, but it is his impact on the university, the community and the lives of players, fans and athletics staff that is the best measure of the man. Steve defines leadership; he’s a man of high character with a servant heart and his vision and passion for Embry-Riddle Athletics was contagious. We recognized it when we were there, but after being away for twenty years and seeing how other college athletics departments go about their business, our appreciation for Steve and his leadership has grown by leaps and bounds. We all feel so fortunate that we had the opportunity to be around Steve Ridder in whatever role we had – player, fan or staff. Many coaches talk about programs being a family, but those of us who worked for and with Steve were part of the real deal.
Who knew you could have so much fun at work?
Todd Utrup – 1994-1997
From 1994-97, Steve Ridder‘s Embry-Riddle men’s basketball program continued its emergence on the national stage. One of the most significant developments during that period was the opening of the ICI Center in 1995. Ridder was instrumental in helping make the facility a reality, giving the Eagles a true on-campus home and providing an important foundation for the continued growth of both the basketball program and Embry-Riddle Athletics. That period also included back-to-back appearances in the NAIA National Tournament in Boise, Idaho, in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
One of the defining moments of that era came at the end of the 1995-96 season, when Embry-Riddle hosted the conference tournament and faced St. Thomas University for the championship. St. Thomas had been one of Embry-Riddle’s toughest conference rivals during those years, adding even more significance to the matchup with a title at stake and a packed home crowd behind the Eagles. When the final horn sounded with a 71-67 Embry-Riddle victory, the crowd poured onto the court and Ridder was doused with Gatorade by his players, creating an unforgettable scene and one of my favorite memories from covering the program.
As memorable as those moments were, Steve’s impact on me went well beyond basketball. He had a way of getting the most out of people, and I was no exception. As both the coach I covered and our Athletic Director, he challenged me to do my best work and helped me grow professionally. The wins and championships are an important part of his legacy, but his greatest impact is the lasting influence he has had on the people who played for him and worked with him. I’m grateful to be one of them.
Alison Smalling – 1998-2025
I had the opportunity to meet Coach Ridder at a preseason basketball scrimmage at Seminole Community College that I went to with Maryellen Wynn. I was a student at the time and didn’t realize he’d come over to speak with Maryellen until there was a giant hand extended to me in introduction. I had no idea then that that brief meeting would impact the rest of my life. He offered me a job as a student assistant in the Athletics Department and just a few years later, I was a full-time employee in Athletics who had the privilege of watching Coach Ridder lead his team to a national championship.
Prior to the start of the 1999-00 season, Coach Ridder and his staff selected “Drive for Five” as their slogan for the season with the goal of returning to the NAIA II National Tournament for the fifth straight year. As regular season play drew to a close, the Eagles had to win just one of their final three games to secure that fifth conference crown. However, in a span of seven days the Embry-Riddle men’s basketball team lost all three games, lost the top seed, a first-round bye and the right to host the Florida Sun Conference tournament, and dropped from fifth to 12th in the NAIA II national rankings.
Coach Ridder and his staff strategized on what they could do and say to lead the team back to the form that went on an eight-game winning streak during regular season play. Their game plan worked as the Eagles won all three games in the conference tournament, cutting down the nets on Palm Beach Atlantic’s home court to see the “Drive for Five” realized.
Playing in the first national tournament hosted by the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri, the Eagles won their first-round game and downed Concordia-Oregon to advance past the first round for the first time in program history. The Blue and Gold downed Grand View College and Huntington and earned the right to play the host Bobcats in the title game. In front of a pro-Ozarks crowd, with a handful of ERAU faithful behind the Eagle bench, Coach Ridder led his squad to the first national title in Embry-Riddle history.
While winning the national title stands as one of his greatest accomplishments, Coach Ridder’s impact has gone far beyond the basketball coach. He had a vision for what the Athletics program could look like at Embry-Riddle, and he saw that vision realized with the addition of 10 sports, the start of scholarships for student-athletes and the development of the Athletics Complex that gave 16 sport programs playing and practice facilities on campus. He has also had the ability to instill confidence in people, encouraging them to see and do more than they thought they could, and his hallway chats with student-athletes have left an indelible impression on alumni from all sport programs, not just men’s basketball.
Dwyane Leach – 2000-2003
Across a three-year span from 2000 to 2003, the Eagles transitioned from a dominant national contender to a team navigating increased conference competition. The 2000–01 season marked the program’s peak, as a 32–4 record secured their fifth straight Florida Sun Conference (FSC) regular-season title, a fourth consecutive FSC tournament crown, and a Sweet 16 run led by first-team All-American Ryan Rothrock alongside Kyle Mas and Harold Pierson. Despite a strong 24–7 mark, a top-10 ranking, and repeat All-American honors for Rothrock and Pierson in 2001–02, a conference semifinal loss to Flagler snapped the Eagles’ seven-year streak of national tournament appearances. By 2002–03, rising FSC competition culminated in a 19–12 rebuilding year and another early conference tournament exit against Flagler, though Pierson capped the era with a third-team All-America selection while averaging 23.4 points per game.
I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the Sports Information Director at Embry-Riddle from 2000-2003, one of the most exciting periods of growth for the department. The men’s basketball team had won the NAIA National Championship the year before, women’s programs were being added to the list of teams, and the department staff was growing… all under the watchful eye of Coach Ridder, serving both as head men’s basketball coach and athletic director.
The legendary coach, Joe Davis, recommended me for the job, because he knew Coach Riddler was building something special, not only for his team but for his staff. Despite all the releases about exciting wins, promoting athletes that thrived under his tutelage to hometown papers, and the compilation of statistics that would make any program proud, two things stuck with me when I left the program and ultimately my previous profession – his smile and a mantra… “Prepare for your moment.”
Really talented coaches boast a “coaching tree” that serves as their legacy when they retire… a handful of assistants and players that go on to perpetuate their successes at other programs. Coach Ridder is among the rarified few that boasts a “total package tree” that extended well beyond the court… a plethora of grounded adults, successful not only in coaching, but in business, engineering, aerospace, administration, public service, and even corporate creative. Because of our time with Coach Ridder, we were given the resources and encouragement to prepare for our moments; and many of us, have had the privilege to pass that same message along to our children.
Congratulations Coach Ridder on a successful career. You have prepared us for our moments, now enjoy this one.
Jamie Joss – 2002-2007
From 2002 to 2007, Coach Steve Ridder guided Embry-Riddle through one of the most successful periods in program history, compiling a 120-43 overall record and establishing the Eagles as a consistent championship contender. The five-year stretch included three seasons of 25 or more wins, highlighted by a remarkable 31-3 campaign in 2005-06 and a perfect 20-0 record at home.
The foundation for that success was built year after year. After back-to-back 19-win seasons in 2002-03 and 2003-04, the Eagles broke through in 2004-05 with a 26-8 record and a Florida Sun Conference Tournament championship. One of the defining moments of that era came when Embry-Riddle defeated rival Flagler 63-59 in the conference championship game, earning the opportunity to cut down the nets and celebrate a title together. The Eagles followed that accomplishment with a trip to the NAIA National Tournament, defeating Bluefield before falling 73-71 to Walsh in a heartbreaking second-round game. The sting of that loss was softened only by the reality that Walsh went on to win the NAIA National Championship.
Ridder’s teams continued their momentum in 2005-06, posting a 31-3 record and advancing once again to the national tournament after conference tournament victories over Warner Southern and Florida Memorial. The Eagles opened national tournament play with a dominant 86-55 victory over Sterling before concluding the season against Mount Vernon Nazarene. The run further cemented Embry-Riddle’s place among the nation’s elite programs.
While the wins, championships, and postseason appearances defined the era on paper, the experiences along the way created memories that remain just as meaningful. Team travel took the program to destinations including Hawaii, Iowa, Chicago, and San Francisco. The road trips brought countless laughs, unforgettable experiences, and friendships that have endured long after the final buzzer. Looking back those remain some of the most enjoyable and impactful moments of my career.
While the victories and championships are easy to measure, Coach Ridder’s greatest legacy is the impact he has on people. Like so many members of his staff and generations of scholar-athletes, I learned far more from Coach Ridder about life and leadership than I ever did about basketball. He invested in people in transformational and genuine ways. He taught foundational lessons about leadership, accountability, service, and relationships that continue to influence me every day. Vicky was equally impactful, and she, Reed, Ryan, Rachel, and Rob were often part of our team experiences on the road. We were more than a basketball program; we were a family.
One of the moments that best illustrates Coach Ridder’s character came when former assistant coach Rob Graham suffered a cardiac arrest and nearly lost his life after leaving Embry-Riddle to coach at Bishop Moore. Coach Ridder was by Rob’s side in the hospital, providing support when it was needed most. That is who Steve is. He shows up for people. He is intentional in his relationships and unwavering in his commitment to those he cares about, and he cares about everyone.
On a personal level, Coach Ridder believed in me long before I fully believed in myself. He turned what others might have viewed as being a “geek” into a compliment, encouraging my passion for technology and helping me recognize its value. He supported me and my family, attended my wedding, and became much more than a boss. He has always been like a big brother, mentor, and trusted friend.
Perhaps the most important impact he has had on my life came away from the basketball court. Through a father’s study group, before I was even a father myself, Coach Ridder introduced me to Christ and helped shape the foundation of my faith. That gift changed the trajectory of my life.
Even after I left Embry-Riddle, his encouragement never stopped. To this day, every time I see him, he finds a way to lift me up, celebrate my successes, and remind me of my potential. That consistent support is the reason so many former staff members, coaches, and scholar-athletes remain connected to him decades later. His legacy is not simply found in championships and victories, but in the countless lives he continues to impact through his faith, leadership, friendship, and unwavering care for others.
Ryan Mosher – 2012-2023
From the 2012-13 season through the 2022-23 campaign, Ridder’s teams posted a 203-106 record. The Eagles made three trips each to the NAIA National Tournament and the NCAA II tournament, capturing two conference tournament titles, advancing to the NCAA II Sweet Sixteen in 2022, and reaching the NAIA National Semifinals in 2015.
During that decade, Ridder, partnering with long-time Assistant Coach Chad Keller, had 15 players earn All-Conference honors, six claim All-American status, and had Elijah Jenkins become the program’s first-ever three-time Academic All-American, perhaps the ultimate testament to Ridder’s Student-Person-Player philosophy.
Starting with a 74-58 win over Sterling (Kan.) on Nov. 3, 2012, and ending in the NCAA II National Tournament on March 11, 2023, Ridder’s teams averaged 17.3 assists per game, the most in a 10-season stretch in his coaching career. Speaking of assists, who could forget DeForest Carter’s triple-double (just the second in program history) to lead the Eagles to a Sun Conference Tournament semifinal win over Webber International in 2013. The next night, Carter, Cesar Pastrana and Jason Powell powered ERAU to a double-overtime upset over rival Northwood on the Seahawks’ home court to claim the program’s 10th conference tournament crown.
Ridder became the second-fastest coach in NAIA history reach 600 career wins, doing so on a last-second tip-in by Dalton Barnes against the Warner Royals on Jan. 25, 2014.
The following season, Carter, Pastrana, Barnes, and Powell, along with Reed Ridder, Daniel Kiesling, and others, put together the best regular season in Ridder’s illustrious career in Embry-Riddle’s final foray in the NAIA. Ridder’s Eagles took an undefeated record deep into January, finishing the regular season slate at 29-1 before bidding adieu to The Sun Conference by running away with the regular season title, sweeping through the league tournament and earning Ridder his 15th trip to the NAIA National Tournament.
ERAU had little trouble in its first three games in Branson, entering the national semifinals at 35-1 on the year before dropping a heartbreaker to Cornerstone in what many believed to be the de facto national title game.
Like the rest of the ERAU athletic department, Ridder’s program transitioned from the NAIA to NCAA following the 2014-15 season, embracing the challenge of moving into a new conference by posting back-to-back winning seasons during the Eagles’ ‘probationary period,’ ultimately breaking through in the 2019-20 season as the Blue and Gold—led by Romeo Crouch, Luka Majstorovic and Elijah Jenkins—earned a berth in the NCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history.
His 700th win came early in 2019, a 109-76 blowout of the Spring Hill Badgers … no last-second shot needed.
Earlier that same year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) honored the Kentucky-native with the Guardians of the Game Award for Leadership, one of the highest honors in the sport of college basketball. Joining coaching greats like Eddie Sutton, Don Meyer and Lorenzo Romar, Ridder was recognized as a giant of the game, providing moral and ethical leadership, both in the game of basketball, his community, and society.
Crouch and Jenkins led the Eagles to the NCAA II Sweet 16 in 2022, capping two of the best careers under Ridder. It was Ridder’s seventh Sweet 16, and 24th 20-win season.
Small College Basketball announced Ridder as the Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award later that spring, recognizing his use of the coaching platform to make a positive impact on players, coaches, and others due to his high character, integrity, and modelling excellence for all.
And then in 2023, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) presented the John Lotz ‘Barnabas’ Award to Coach Ridder for his leadership, dedication, and commitment both on and off the court. Ridder shares the honor with past winners John Wooden, Scott Drew, Tony Bennett and others.
One of Coach Ridder’s hallmarks is his propensity to write notes the old-fashioned way—with a pen, on a piece of paper. Ever the coach, ever the teacher, Coach uses these notes to test the reader’s ability to parse out his handwriting, be it for a comment on a recruit, or a quote for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. These notes always praise others. Their abilities, their contributions, the things he sees in them, that they don’t always see themselves. Often, those notes were Thank Yous … telling you how much he appreciates you, even though he’s the one that has done more for you than you could ever articulate.
One of the other great hallmarks of Coach Ridder’s tenure has been major trips—both across the United States and internationally. These trips are significant pieces of the Embry-Riddle Men’s Basketball culture.
Student-athletes, managers, athletic trainers, and untraveled SIDs from Iowa, have been gifted the special opportunity to experience places, people, and traditions they never had before. From players that grew up in the state of Florida, never having seen snow before, attempting to stay upright in an icy parking lot in Montana, to athletic staffers navigating the uneven and haphazard streets of Boston, or traffic in Los Angeles, to exploring the beauty of the natural world in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, these ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trips (Coach seemed to squeeze a lot of those in) allowed those who went on them to appreciate the natural splendor of the country, and of the world, grow in their understanding of other cultures, and to forge deep, lasting connections with each other.
Connection: a link, relationship, or bond that joins two or more things, ideas, or people. The bonds that connect those fortunate enough to have been a part of the Embry-Riddle men’s basketball program under Steve Ridder, are everlasting.
Friendships that began in Daytona Beach, Florida, or Sydney, Australia, or St. Joseph, Missouri, or Honolulu, Hawaii, or Barcelona, Spain—carry on to this day.
A Brotherhood that spans nearly 40 years, forged on the outdoor courts of the late 1980s, or in the locker rooms of the ICI Center, or on the very court that bears his and wife Vicky’s name. Coach is fond of saying that a true test of a team’s culture is how many teammates are in each other’s weddings. If that’s the case, then Embry-Riddle’s culture was unmatched.
An Eagle Family rooted, not in its love of basketball or exhilarating wins (811 of them to be in fact), but rooted in the person at its center, the values he stood for, the mantra he championed, the love he showed each and every person that entered his orbit.
A Family that includes every single player, every assistant coach, every graduate assistant, every manager, every staff member, every custodian, concession worker, PA announcer, stat keeper, broadcaster, and bus driver.
A Family that extends even further out. To the thousands of campers that learned how to celebrate each other’s victories or cheer someone on as they’re taking a charge to the chest. To the hundreds of players coached by those in his coaching tree. To the many families of players, Embry-Riddle coaches, and support staff, who saw in Coach Ridder what a devoted husband, father, and grandfather looks like, and became better husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers because of it.
A Family connected by one man being Fired Up every day, being Bought In from day one, being Real with everyone he interacted with, being Humble to a fault by giving every other person around him the credit.
A Family connected by the memories one man helps create, the bonds he helps build, the example he sets, the Person he is.
A Legacy That Has Left an Impact for Generations
Coach Ridder’s impact reaches far beyond the couple hundred student-athletes he’s coached as part of the men’s basketball program. His influence reaches even beyond the thousands of student-athletes that competed at Embry-Riddle during his tutelage as Athletic Director. His impact reaches further than the thousands of campers that have attended his summer camps over the years and reaches beyond the families and friends of the Eagle basketball faithful. His legacy has gone further than the Daytona Beach community and surrounding areas. This type of legacy is a lifetime of service and dedication to building something greater than oneself.
One piece of the legacy left behind is Coach Ridder’s whole-person approach to college athletics. If you’ve been around Embry-Riddle enough, you know of the “Student-Person-Player” philosophy that Coach Ridder instilled into the culture of Eagles Athletics.
Part of this ideology is his investment into the student-athlete experience through the Ridder Transformational Program and the Steve & Vicky Ridder Scholarship, both of which help support student-athletes in the classroom and in the real world. To help be a part of that legacy, click the link here for more info on how to support.
The 2026-27 season will be one to remember and honor Coach Ridder’s legacy with many opportunities to show up and support Embry-Riddle men’s basketball. ERAU men’s basketball is excited to announce two specific events to honor and celebrate Coach Ridder.
On Oct. 24, 2026, Embry-Riddle will host NCAA Division I opponent Mercer to the ICI for a special exhibition contest as son Ryan Ridder and the Bears visit Daytona Beach for a friendly bout against Coach Ridder and the Eagles. Embry-Riddle will also host a special night to honor the Ridder legacy on Feb. 13, 2027, as Embry-Riddle hosts Palm Beach Atlantic at the ICI Center.
