", Olympic pole vault champ Richards dies at 97, Companies charged in Tokyo Olympic bid-rigging, Serbia grabs last spot in Basketball World Cup, Olsen earns WC slalom win after Ginnis DQ'd, US Olympic Sailing Team executive director quits. He always motivated us kids the same way to be the best we could be. In a matter of minutes he has the Evansville salesmen in his grip. Bob Richards, two time Olympic Gold Medalist in the pole vault, moved to Waco and the vision became a reality. Most of us say, Im the worst. Bob Richards 2.jpg 801 1,000; 128 KB. The next year, he competed with the U.S. Olympic team in London, winning a bronze medal. Hes out there in the middle of the fight.. It sounds cornball, but when you finally realize that dream and you walk up that podium and The Star-Spangled Banner plays, Im telling you, the tears just start flowing. Larry Keller. His track and field legacy will endure, too. His sons followed in his pole-vaulting footsteps. Sam Kendricks (Nik) 19-2 | 5.85: 2t. FILE - American pole vaulter Bob Richards, left, talks with Brazilian pole vaulter Helcio Buck-Silva during a break in a training session in Helsinki, July 11, 1952. I cant do anything. [1955] He was 97. With the ministers help, Mr. Richards enrolled at Bridgewater College, a Brethren-affiliated school in Virginia, where he dominated collegiate pole vaulting. In fact, as a youth Richards, the son of a broken home, had run with a gang of thieves and brawlers, and five of his friends went to prison for robbery. Bob Richards, an ordained minister who became the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties box after he won two Olympic gold medals in the pole vault during the 1950s, an accomplishment . He won a bronze medal in his first Olympic go-around, followed by back-to-back gold medals. He was 97. Richards competed at the 1948, 52 and 56 Olympics in the pole vault. He was 97. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Richards, The Olympic Movement - Biography of Robert Richards. He took gold medals at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Warmerdam, known as Dutch, might have been an odds-on Olympic favorite, but he never got to compete because the quadrennial Games were suspended in 1940 and 1944 for World War II, when he was serving as a Navy officer. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. They had never tried. INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The Green Bay Packers want to know Aaron Rodgers' 2023 playing plans within the next three weeks, but have not set a date to meet with the quarterback, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday in Indianapolis. Olympic-winning pole vaulter, pastor Bob Richards dies at 97. His autobiography, Heart of a Champion, was published in 1959. 1 in final CT wrestling poll for second straight year, 2023 NHC Boys Hockey Tournament Schedule / Scoreboard, Girls ice hockey top performances from conference tournaments, GameTimeCT Top 10 Girls Basketball Poll (March 1), CIAC boys basketball tournament scoreboard and schedule, UConn men kick off March with last home game of season vs. DePaul, CT native named Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator, Latest GameTimeCT Top 10 Boys Hockey Poll, son, Brandon, wrote in a social media post that his father, release he held the ranking as the No. Richards served as a spokesman for General Mills from 1956 to 70. Richards competed at the 1948, 52 and 56 Olympics in the pole vault. He motivated millions of people to achieve their dreams through positive sports stories, Brandon wrote. Wrote Brandon Richards of his dad: We lost a national treasure. He added that his father always motivated us kids the same way to be the best we could be. Bob Richards of La Verne . Known alternatively as the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Pastor, Mr. Richards was one of the most dominating athletes of his time, leaping as high as 15 feet 6 inches with a stiff metal pole in the days before flexible fiberglass helped Olympic vaulters cross over bars nearly 20 feet in height. He was 97. Robert E. Richards, an ordained minister nicknamed the Vaulting Vicar, won Olympic gold medals in 1952 at Helsinki and in 1956 at Melbourne, Australia, using aluminum poles to clear bars set at just under 15 feet. In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. February 28, 2023 at 11:15 a.m. EST. Even Richards son Brandon, as a teenager using a fiberglass pole in 1985, vaulted 18 feet 2 inches, which was then a national record for a high schooler and stood for 14 years. Chris Nilsen (Nik) 19-4 | 5.90: t2. Jeff's good friend and old training partner, Brandon Richards had an 8th grade son that vaulted at the school that Jeff was coaching at. In between pole vaulting competitions, he taught at LaVerne College, a Brethren-affiliated school in Southern California. Richards retired from athletics in 1957 and became a spokesman for Wheaties cereal. The year 1951 also saw Richards become just the second man in history to clear the 15-foot mark in the pole vault, which he accomplished at the Millrose Games, and subsequently . The versatile athlete known as the Vaulting Vicar also competed in the Olympic decathlon in 1956. Robert Eugene Richards was born on Feb. 20, 1926, in Champaign, Illinois, the third of five children of Leslie and Margaret (Palfrey) Richards. In his Facebook post, Brandon Richards said his father began reading the Bible and preaching as a way to overcome his stuttering. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Ex-NFL star Irv Cross, who died in 2021, diagnosed with CTE. Mr. Richards is still the only Olympic pole vaulter to win two gold medals, but hes not the familys lone record holder. Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, has . Mayor Lori Lightfoot came in third and becomes the first elected Chicago mayor to lose a reelection bid since 1983, when Jane Byrne, the citys first female mayor, lost her Democratic primary. Richards competed at the 1948, 52 and 56 Olympics in the pole vault. The family that plays and prays together stays together, Richards intoned on countless occasions. Boo-tiful! This big Russian picked me up and gave me a hug, and that photo was seen all over the world.. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was 97. He became a pastor who went all around to give lectures, leading to a career as a motivational speaker. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, died Sunday. His son, Brandon, wrote in a social media post that his father "passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones.". Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. The Buffalo Sabres' mostly injury-free season at forward took a decidedly darker turn Saturday night when the club placed top-line right winge. INDIANAPOLIS -- Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, died Sunday. He was 97. Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, has died. USA Track . 1 min read. The salesman is on the field! Feb. 20, 1926 - Feb. 26, 2023. Bob Richards is Illinois greatest pole vaulter in school history, while also earning a spot as one of the best U.S. vaulters in the history of the event. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, Ravens hope to extend Lamar Jackson by Tuesday, but will consider options. Growing up, he excelled in sports. He became a pastor who went all around to give lectures, leading to a career as a motivational speaking. He was the greatest dad I could ever ask for and I will miss him dearly., AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. American pole vaulter Bob Richards, left, talks with Brazilian pole vaulter Helcio Buck-Silva during a break in a training session in Helsinki, July 11, 1952. Robert E. "Bob" Richards came to Bridgewater in 1944 and was a two-sport athlete. He was also a football quarterback in high school. Richards was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983, and to the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? In the United States presidential election, 1984 Richards ran for President of the Uni Arrest warrant issued for NFL prospect Jalen Carter on reckless driving, racing charges. Robert Eugene Richards was born on Feb. 20, 1926, in Champaign, Ill., the third of five children of Leslie and Margaret (Palfrey) Richards. In 1984, saying the country must work to get rid of these tyrants who rule us, he ran for president on the Populist Party ticket. American athletics competitor, pole vaulter. 2023 University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. INDIANAPOLIS, March 1 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Ravens hope to agree to a contract extension with Lamar Jackson before the NFL's March 7 franchise tag deadline, general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine. Bob Richards . He became an ordained minister and preached at churches and gatherings all over the world, earning the monikers the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Pastor. Richards became a popular and prolific public speaker who gave more than 25,000 speeches to businesses and organizations worldwide, Brandon said. I bawled like a baby., In many ways, the Summer Olympics are the Halleys Comet of sporting events. After winning a second goal medal, Mr. Richardss career as pitchman took off, buoyed not just by Wheaties but also his popular 1959 autobiography Heart of a Champion.. Bob Richards Gold Medalist Monday, February 15, 2016, 7:30 p.m.. A two-time Olympic gold medalist in pole vaulting - and the first person ever to appear on a Wheaties cereal box - will be this year's speaker at the Hill College Alden J. Blanar Smith Speaker Series on Feb. 15 in the Vara Martin Daniel Performing Arts Center in Hillsboro. Brandon`s father, Bob Richards, is to the pole vault what Babe Ruth is to the home run: a standard of comparison. Bob Richards, the only male two-time winner of the Olympic pole vault, who in the 1950s became a hero of American Cold War competition with the Soviet Union and a . When he turned 20, Mr. Richards was ordained in the Church of the Brethren. The Washington Post - Bob Richards, an ordained minister who became the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties box after he won two Olympic gold medals in the pole vault during the 1950s, an accomplishment he parlayed into a successful career as a motivational speaker, died Feb. 26 at his home in Waco, Tex. [1] He won gold medals in pole vault in both 1952 and 1956, becoming the only . With his wife by his side and his dog in his lap, Bob Richards sat on a couch in the Zero G Elite Pole Vault Club that's on his ranch in Waco. London 1948, bronze (pole vault) Helsinki 1952, gold (pole vault) Melbourne 1956, gold (pole vault) . PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. In his life after sports, Richards portrayed himself in a television biography, Leap to Heaven (1957); hosted a weekly childrens television program in Los Angeles; reported for NBC, CBS and ABC on the Olympic Games in Rome; Innsbruck, Austria; Tokyo and Montreal; and delivered some 12,000 motivational speeches to corporate sales forces, high school students and community organizations. In addition to the gold medals he won at the 1952 Olympics in Finland and the 1956 Games in Australia, Mr. Richards won 17 national pole vault championships and was ranked No. And he was perfect on the Wheaties box: a muscular all American with a smile that radiated confidence, health and upright living. By Robert D. McFadden Bob Richards, the only male two-time winner of the Olympic pole vault, who in the 1950s became a hero of American Cold War competition with the Soviet Union and a breakfast-table hero to millions as the first champion on the front of the Wheaties box, died Sunday at his home in Waco, Texas. So did his grandson Riley, who won two state championships for China Spring High School before going on to compete at Baylor. He won a bronze medal in his first Olympic go-around, followed by back-to-back gold medals. General Mills. The school said in a release he held the ranking as the No. A year later, General Mills tapped him as its pitchman on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes and in television commercials. Bob Richards is Illinois' greatest pole vaulter in school history, while also earning a spot as one of the best U.S. vaulters in the history of the event. But it also came to be known for the far-right extremist views of one its founders, Willis Carto, a Holocaust denier and neo-Nazi hero. From Champaign, Illinois, Richards went on to become a six-time NCAA champion at the University of Illinois. article ul li { list-style: disc; padding: 5px 0; } Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He was 97. 1 pole vaulter, Geno Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens basketball looks to find footing in March: 'Poorly coached team. Survivors include three children from his first marriage, Carol Stasiewicz of Reno, Nev., Robert Richards Jr. of Garden Grove, Calif., and Paul Richards of Waco, Tex. A Facebook post by his son Brandon said that Richards "passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones." Bob Richards of the US team eases over the bar to set a new record for the . (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). KC Lightfoot (Bay) 19-2 | 5.85: 4. His sons followed in his pole-vaulting footsteps. He was 97. Copyright 2023, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy. Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange. Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole . During his travels, Mr. Richards became frustrated that the American Dream was slipping away for farmers and blue-collar workers struggling to buy homes and hold steady jobs. To feel that youve got it? Richards was the first athlete to appear on the front of the Wheaties cereal box in 1958 and was a national promoter of physical fitness. Actor: Cavalcade of America. And the bigger your challenge, the bigger you become as a person. Pole vault. or anything. In the same period he also won eight indoor championships. Dad: we lost a national treasure Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens looks. A two-time Olympic pole vault in both 1952 and 1956, becoming the Olympic... 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