Born in 1993, the Kickers have been one of USL’s premier franchises. Following two average seasons in its first two years, the club saw remarkable success in 1995, winning the Premier League (PDL) championship and the U.S. Open Cup. The Kickers defeated the El Paso Patriots for the coveted Open Cup title in penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie. The club moved on to the Select League (Division Three) the following season and posted a respectable 10-8 mark in its first professional season and played host to the league’s Select Six championship tournament. With the addition of the A-League the following year, the Kickers took another step up the USL ladder and have not looked back. The club has not suffered a losing season since 1994 and has grown beyond just a professional team. The organization developed a youth league, a Super Y-League program and a PDL team. The Kickers reached the A-League Championship game in 2002, defeating the defending two-time A-League champion Rochester Raging Rhinos in penalty kicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Richmond was downed in overtime by the Milwaukee Rampage, 2-1, in the final. Richmond was honored as the A-League Organization of the Year in 2000. Two of the founding members of the Richmond Kickers were Bobby Lennon and Cookie Ketchum, who returned to USL after four years in 2000 with the Palm Beach Pumas of the PDL.