He dove. Caterpillar and the United Auto Workers Union have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, possibly averting a strike. Hospital food is a punchline. Bob Richards Track and Field. Anonymous - pool, Olympic World Photo He had become a Brethren minister in 1946 and in 1948 received his M.A. At the 52 Games, the United States was very much engaged in the Cold War with Russia, but Richards befriended his Russian competitors, who in turn cheered when Richards cleared the bar to claim gold. I cant do anything. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. The versatile athlete known as the "Vaulting Vicar" also competed in the Olympic decathlon in 1956. The salesman is on the field! You have permission to edit this article. Sportswriters called him the Vaulting Vicar because he was an ordained minister. Mr. Richardss 1946 marriage to Mary Leah Cline ended in divorce. A year later, General Mills tapped him as its pitchman on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes and in television commercials. Joe Dial ('81) and nephew Bruce Dial ('93) both ranked No. The Lakers also fear James could miss more than a week while healing. Several of his children and grandchildren became competitive pole vaulters, surpassing his 15 feet 6 inches by several feet - though they werent vaulting with a metal pole. We'd love to hear eyewitness [1952] Was the Gold Medalist in Pole Vault at the Pan American Games in Mexico City. Be Proactive. She died in 2019. Keep it Clean. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. In 1946, he was ordained and transferred to the University of Illinois. article ul li { list-style: disc; padding: 5px 0; } Illinois pole vaulting legend Bob Richards has passed away. American pole vaulter Bob Richards won the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in London in 1948. Bob Richards, two time Olympic Gold Medalist in the pole vault, moved to Waco and the vision became a reality. Richards' exploits in track and field earned him three Olympic medals, a record, and 20 national titles. 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. He was also a successful businessman who formerly owned Bear Ridge Golf Course and Lake Waco Golf Club. 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. They each will now pursue consideration to be the No. In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. He retired to a ranch in Waco, where he owned a golf course. His son, Brandon, wrote in a social media post that his father "passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones.". Upload media . They remain pole vault gold for all that take the time to listen to his stories. Bob Richards, the first person to win two Olympic pole vault gold medals, has died at age 97, according to USA Track and Field. With the help of gynecologic oncology specialists at Providence, Amy beat cancerand found the courage to accomplish things shed never dreamed of. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983 after a career that included winning at the Millrose Games 11 straight times. 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. He is an actor, . The versatile athlete known as the Vaulting Vicar also competed in the Olympic decathlon in 1956. Bob Richards . He won a bronze medal in his first Olympic go-around, followed by back-to-back gold medals. The school said in a release he held the ranking as the No. He took gold medals at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There was a time when former Olympic athlete Bob Richards seemed the personification of the all-American man: A two-time gold medal winner in the pole vault, he was the first jock to appear on the front of boxes of Wheaties "the breakfast of champions . He also appeared on a box of Wheaties cereal. Im terrible. We wonder why we dont do anything when we dont believe we can. Its the climax of all your dreams. He became a pastor who went all around to give lectures, leading to a career as a motivational speaker. 1 pole vaulter. His son, Brandon, wrote in a social media post that his father "passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones.". Richards also became involved in politics, and he was the Populist Partys presidential candidate in the 1984 election; he received approximately 66,000 votes. So did his grandson Riley, who won two state championships for China Spring High School before going on to compete at Baylor. The Champaign native went on to become a six-time NCAA champion at the University of Illinois. He won gold medals in pole vault in both 1952 and 1956, becoming the only male two-time champion in the event in Olympic history. 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. Illinois pole vaulting legend Bob Richards has passed away. He also appeared on a Wheaties box. American Bob Richards waves his hands to the crowd after winning the pole vault final at the Olympic Stadium at the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, Nov. 26, 1956. With none of the nine candidates running for Chicago mayor achieving more than 50% of the vote for an outright victory, the election moves to a runoff. The only other person to win two Olympic pole vault titles is Yelena Isinbayeva from Russia. A Facebook post by his son Brandon said that Richards "passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones." A Facebook post . 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. Richards ran for president in 1984. Corrections? AP Photo/Olympic World Photo, Pool, File Robert Eugene Richards was born on Feb. 20, 1926, in Champaign, Ill., the third of five children of Leslie and Margaret (Palfrey) Richards. Bob Richards, a two-time . You have permission to edit this article. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois family lost one of its most decorated athletes with the passing of Bob Richards on Sunday, February 26, 2023. Staff report. A native of Pomona, California, Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Bob Richards, the first person to win two Olympic pole vault gold medals and the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties box, died at age 97 on Sunday. He was 97. February 28, 2023 at 11:15 a.m. EST. In a matter of minutes he has the Evansville salesmen in his grip. His daughter Tammy Richards LeSure confirmed the death but did not cite a specific cause. He became a pastor who went all around to give lectures, leading to a career as a motivational speaking. Arrest warrant issued for NFL prospect Jalen Carter on reckless driving, racing charges. Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, has . Richards competed at the 1948, 52 and 56 Olympics in the pole vault. Richards also competed as a decathlete . 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. Richards was also a family man, and all four of his sons followed in their fathers footsteps as pole vaulters. Besides winning two gold medals in the Olympics in the 1950s, he took a bronze medal at the 1948 Olympics in London and gold at the Pan American Games in 1951 and 1955. Richards competed at the 1948, '52 . Bob Richards, the first person to win two Olympic gold medals for pole vaulting, died at 97 on Sunday. 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. He taught sociology at the University of Illinois in the late 1940s and later was a member of the faculty of La Verne College (California; now University of La Verne) as well as holding pulpits in the Church of the Brethren. The school said in a release he held the ranking as the No. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983 after a career that included winning at the Millrose Games 11 straight times. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). To feel that youve got it? He married the college presidents niece, Mary Leah Cline, in 1946. Richards competed at the 1948, '52 and '56 Olympics in the pole vault. Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Class Of 1983, Olympian. He got into some typical teenage troubles in high school, but was set straight by a minister of the Church of the Brethren. Wacos Bob Richards, the first person to win two Olympic gold medals in pole vaulting, died Sunday at age 97, his son Brandon confirmed in a social media post. 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. ', 'Saturday Night Live' skit with Woody Harrelson takes place at Naval Submarine Base New London, Los Charros Cantina closes in Essex, will relocate to Branford, Second winter storm could hit parts of CT Friday, National Weather Service says, Bo Hickey, former New Canaan hockey, football coach and NFL player, has died. His son, Brandon, wrote in a social media post that his father passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones.. 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. USA Track and Field confirmed his death. Travis Scott caught on camera howling Back the f*** up at DJ before alleged nightclub assault, Jimmy Kimmel: Im fighting to lose weight before Oscars because I looked like a homemade sausage!, Olivia Wilde ready to date again after Harry Styles split but only with amazing guy, Drug task force arrests Mt. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. His sons followed in his pole-vaulting footsteps. The group, which includes 810 residents, fellows and interns at UB, announced their intent to organize with the Union of American Physicians a. 1 pole vaulter, Geno Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens basketball looks to find footing in March: 'Poorly coached team. The Champaign native went on to become a six-time NCAA champion at the University of Illinois. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, Ravens hope to extend Lamar Jackson by Tuesday, but will consider options. 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