Robert Eugene Richards (February 20, 1926 - February 26, 2023) was an American athlete, minister, and politician. Although there is no cost to attend the Feb. 15 Alden J. Blanar Smith Speaker Series, seating is limited in the Performing Arts Center. He also won 17 AAU championships in indoor and outdoor vaulting competitions, and United States decathlon championships in 1951, 1954 and 1955. Soviet athletes won the medals competition, 98 (37 gold) to 74 (32 gold) for the United States. This article highlights the most influential and well-paid motivational speakers across the globe, as reported by LearnBusiness Studies. That mark (pending official ratification) surpassed his own previous five world records, all over 20 feet and all set since 2020. When Richards finally triumphed with an Olympic record of 14 feet 11-1/4 inches, a defeated Soviet rival, Viktor Knyazev, clasped him in a bear hug. 805.965.1400. info@bigspeak.com. Informations sur votre appareil et sur votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresseIP, Navigation et recherche lors de lutilisation des sites Web et applications Yahoo. According to U.S.A Track and Field, Richards had been the oldest living track and field gold medalist at the time of his death. He received the Sullivan Award in 1951 as the nations best amateur athlete. In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. 1. He was the greatest dad I could ever ask for and I will miss him dearly., #ada-button-frame { She died in 2019. They both cleared 4.50m with their second attempt and then missed twice at 4.55m. Until 2012, he had lived on a ranch in Santo, Texas, which he named the Crossbar Ranch after the obstacles that he famously vaulted over, and which was involved in numerous commercial activities, including oil and gas exploration and horse and cattle grazing. His hands were pointed toward heaven in an attitude of prayer., Bob Richards, Pole-Vaulting Hero of the Cold War Era, Dies at 97, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/sports/olympics/bob-richards-dead.html. He was 97. . Bob Richards, olympic pole vault champion, dies at age 97 . He became one of Americas most lionized and familiar celebrities. His daughter, Tammy Richards LeSure, confirmed the death but did not cite a specific cause. 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. 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. He is also the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box in 1958. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. Cold War tensions again played out in the 1956 Melbourne Games. I acknowledge having read the Union Leaders, Already subscribe? Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, died Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Germany Kent. 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. Bob Richards Motivation for Living - Side 2Robert Eugene Richards (born February 20, 1926) is an American athlete who made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two ev. He received the Sullivan Award in 1951 as the nations best amateur athlete. All-Americans who have never tried. Richards also earned two gold medals for pole vault in the 1951 and 1955 Pan American Games. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. Joe Theismann for DHL. Rain ending early. Bob Richards, byname of Robert Eugene Richards, (born February 20, 1926, Champaign, Illinois, U.S.died February 26, 2023, Waco, Texas), American athlete, the first pole-vaulter to win two Olympic gold medals. He married the college presidents niece, Mary Leah Cline, in 1946. Pole vaulter Rev. He recovered, and in 2014, he was electrocuted with 14,000 volts of electricity. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. We won't share it with anyone else. 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. The world record is held by Armand Duplantis, an American-born Swedish athlete known as Mondo, who on Feb. 25 vaulted 20 feet 4-3/4 inches. Richards in 1951. Topeka Mayors Advice for Mayor Adams: Learn Humility. Bob Richards of La Verne, California, hurdles earthward after clearing the bar during the pole vault event in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. In 1946, he was ordained and transferred to the University of Illinois. Nightingale was the author of The Strangest Secret . Purpose gives faith. And Richards made history, becoming the only male two-time winner of the Olympic pole vault, and with another record: 14 feet 11-1/2 inches. He had been a pastor in California only briefly, but the dual image of minister and champion athlete was irresistible on the speaking circuit. Their experience moved them, and they pulled out this fighting spirit, making them what they are. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. His son Paul confirmed the death. 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, Tokyo and Montreal; and delivered some 12,000 motivational speeches to corporate sales forces, high school students and community organizations. an accomplishment he parlayed into a successful career as a motivational speaker, died Feb. 26 at his home in Waco, Texas. Robert Eugene Richards was born on Feb. 20, 1926, in Champaign, Illinois, the third of five children of Leslie and Margaret (Palfrey) Richards. Santos Tries a New Tack in Washington: He Introduces a Bill. No matter how good you may be, you've got to be willing to cut out of your life those things that keep you from going to the top. His parents were divorced when he was a teenager, but a minister gave him a home, steered him away from the streets and awakened his interest in religion. Signup today! Many people have a life experience that can motivate others. Be a model, not a critic. He won 11 championship titles at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. Nick Vujicic. At 20, he had been ordained a minister of the Church of the Brethren, an Anabaptist denomination, and the news media had reflexively called him the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Pastor. His image was on Wheaties boxes from 1958 to 1970, and from 1958 to 1972 he was a ubiquitous presence on television and radio and made numerous national tours, speaking to school and community groups, presenting awards at athletic banquets and generating torrents of publicity. What Ive Learned in My First Hundred Years, that came out Tuesday. In 1970, he bicycled 3,300 miles from Los Angeles to New York to promote fitness. His father was a telephone lineman. The world record is held by Armand Duplantis, an American-born Swedish athlete known as Mondo, who on Feb. 25 vaulted 20 feet 4 inches. Cold War tensions again played out in the 1956 Melbourne Games. One of the finest motivational speakers in history, Richards has delivered over 12,000 talks in his lifetime. And he was perfect on the Wheaties box: a muscular all-American with a smile that radiated confidence, health and upright living. Richards himself never vaulted more than 15 feet 6 inches. But he escaped the street life into religion and athletics. Be a light, not a judge. 0 0 6 minutes read. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Please enter valid email address to continue. That distinction, as Richards acknowledged, belonged to Cornelius Warmerdam, a Californian who used bamboo poles to set world records of about 15 feet 8 inches in the early 1940s. The story of his rise from rags to riches is one of the most inspiring stories of the 21 st century. He was 97. He joined The Times in May 1961 and is also the co-author of two books. Long before modern athletes began riding fiberglass poles to unimaginable heights, the Rev. He tallied about 66,000 votes out of 92.6 million as President Ronald Reagan and the Republicans trounced Walter Mondale, the former Democratic vice president and senator from Minnesota. He tallied about 66,000 votes out of 92.6 million as President Ronald Reagan and the Republicans trounced Walter Mondale, the former Democratic vice president and senator from Minnesota. The world record is held by Armand Duplantis, an American-born Swedish athlete known as Mondo, who on Feb. 25 vaulted 20 feet 4 inches. Richards is survived by two sons, Paul and Robert Jr., and a daughter, Carol Stasiewicz, from his first marriage; two sons, Thomas and Brandon, and a daughter, Tammy Richards LeSure, from his second; a brother, Kenny;12 grandchildrenand 19 great-grandchildren. Capitalizing on his fame, Richards became director of the Wheaties Sports Federation, founded in 1958 after President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for a national physical fitness campaign. There are many people who could be Olympic champions. Richards carried the Olympic torch across Interstate 35 in Waco, Texas, in 1996. It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by setback. That distinction, as Richards acknowledged, belonged to Cornelius Warmerdam, a Californian who used bamboo poles to set world records of about 15 feet 8 inches in the early 1940s. 10. Wrote Brandon Richards, We lost a national treasure, adding that his father always motivated us kids the same way to be the best we could be. And Richards made history, becoming the only male two-time winner of the Olympic pole vault, and with another record: 14 feet 11 inches. He graduated from high school in 1943, and in 1944 he enrolled at the Brethren-affiliated Bridgewater College in Virginia. He graduated from high school in 1943, and in 1944 he enrolled at the Brethren-affiliated Bridgewater College in Virginia. The family that plays and prays together stays together, Richards intoned on countless occasions. Even Richardss 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. The family that plays and prays together stays together, Richards intoned on countless occasions. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Robert E. Richards, an ordained minister nicknamed the Vaulting Vicar, won Olympic gold medals in 1952 at Helsinki, Finland, and in 1956 at Melbourne, Australia, using aluminum poles to clear bars set at just under 15 feet. The Suez crisis and the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian revolution led some nations to withdraw in protest. He retired to a ranch in Waco, where he owned a golf course. Robert Eugene Richards was born on Feb. 20, 1926, in Champaign, Ill., the third of five children of Leslie and Margaret (Palfrey) Richards. USA Track and Field confirmed his death. And he was perfect on the Wheaties box: a muscular all-American with a smile that radiated confidence, health and upright living. 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. Richards hugged him back, for which he was criticized by some American officials and members of the news media. Bob showed early abilities in basketball and was a pole-vaulter and a star quarterback at Champaign Central High School. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. He took home bronze in pole vaulting in his first year, but secured the gold medal in each of his next two appearances. Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Just before graduation, he suffered a terrible accident. Top 20 Richest Motivational Speakers in the World. 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