Richard Hancox came to Exeter City as a youth player in 1985 and, after not being retained, played non-league football in the Midlands prior to returning to Devon to make around eighty league appearances for Torquay United.

Richard, recruited from the West Midlands, played youth team football for Exeter City between 1985 and 1987 alongside the likes of Scott Hiley and Mark Robson. After failing to win a professional contract he played for Halesowen Town and Cheltenham Town before dropping down the leagues with Stourport Swifts. 

Scoring more than fifty goals in just over sixty games, Richard’s form attracted the interest of Torquay United for whom he signed in March 1993. Remaining at Plainmoor until 1997, he made over a hundred league and cup appearances in total. Afterwards he played for Taunton Town, Bideford and Dawlish Town.

By this time Richard had married Debbie, daughter of Torquay chairman and owner Mike Bateson and continued to live in South Devon before eventually returning to Plainmoor to help with the youth team. He actually played once more for the first team as a substitute in a 4–1 defeat at Rochdale in September 2005 and soon afterwards became assistant manager before leaving the club again in 2006.

A further spell in local non-league football followed before Richard returned to Plainmoor to assist new manager Luboš Kubík in the wake of Mike Bateson's sale of the club. After finally leaving Torquay in 2007, Richard did some youth coaching with Plymouth Argyle before later opening an indoor football centre in Newton Abbot.  

Richard and Debbie’s son Will made half-a-dozen first-team appearances for Torquay United between 2015 and 2017. Along with his brother Sam, Will was part of the Brixham team that won promotion from the Western League in 2025.