Bob Richards
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Robert Eugene Richards, known as Bob Richards (born February 20, 1926, in Champaign, Illinois
), known as the "Vaulting Vicar" or the "Pole Vaulting Parson" in his competitive days, was a versatile athlete who made three Olympic
teams in two events. He competed in the 1948
, 1952
, and 1956 Summer Olympics
as a pole vault
er, and also was a decathlete
in 1956.
He was the second man to pole vault 15 ft (4.6 m), and is
the only two-time Olympic gold medal winner in the pole vault (1952 and 1956), with a bronze medal in 1948. He also was 13th in the 1956 decathlon. While a student at the University of Illinois
, Richards tied for the national collegiate pole vault title and followed that with 20 national Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU) titles, including 17 in the pole vault.
Richards later became involved in promoting physical fitness and continued to vault in his later years. He was the first athlete to appear on the front of Wheaties
cereal boxes in 1958 (though not the first depicted on all parts of the packaging), and also was the first Wheaties
spokesman, setting up the Wheaties Sports Federation, which encouraged participation in Olympic sports.
He had four sons who also were skilled pole vaulters; Brandon
, held the national high school record at 18'2" for fourteen years from 1985; Tom won the CIF California State Meet
in 1988; Bob, Junior was second in the same meet in 1968 and later ranked #7 in the USA in 1973.
Ordained in 1946 as a minister in the Church of the Brethren
, he was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
in 1983 and the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame
in 1975. As he aged, Richards continued participating in Track and Field in a variety of events, particularly throwing events. He was one of the first regular participants in the origins of what now has become Masters athletics
In 1984, the Reverend Bob Richards ran for president of the United States on the newly formed far right
, U.S. Populist Party
ticket. He and running mate Maureen Salaman earned 66,324 votes. In 1988, that same party nominated white-supremacist David Duke
for president. In 2010, Richards reportedly expressed support for a white nationalist
political party called the American Third Position.
He and his wife now operate the Olympian Ranch in Gordon
in Palo Pinto County
in north central Texas
, breeding miniature horses.
In 1957, the actor Hal Stalmaster
played Richards as a teenager in an episode of the ABC
anthology series Cavalcade of America
.
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
), known as the "Vaulting Vicar" or the "Pole Vaulting Parson" in his competitive days, was a versatile athlete who made three Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
teams in two events. He competed in the 1948
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
, 1952
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, and 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
as a pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er, and also was a decathlete
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
in 1956.
He was the second man to pole vault 15 ft (4.6 m), and is
the only two-time Olympic gold medal winner in the pole vault (1952 and 1956), with a bronze medal in 1948. He also was 13th in the 1956 decathlon. While a student at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, Richards tied for the national collegiate pole vault title and followed that with 20 national Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
(AAU) titles, including 17 in the pole vault.
Richards later became involved in promoting physical fitness and continued to vault in his later years. He was the first athlete to appear on the front of Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
cereal boxes in 1958 (though not the first depicted on all parts of the packaging), and also was the first Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
spokesman, setting up the Wheaties Sports Federation, which encouraged participation in Olympic sports.
He had four sons who also were skilled pole vaulters; Brandon
Brandon Richards
Brandon Richards is an American Track and Field athlete and a son of double Olympic Gold Medalist in the pole vault, Bob Richards. He is the third of four of Richards' sons who all excelled at the pole vault--Bob Jr...
, held the national high school record at 18'2" for fourteen years from 1985; Tom won the CIF California State Meet
CIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
in 1988; Bob, Junior was second in the same meet in 1968 and later ranked #7 in the USA in 1973.
Ordained in 1946 as a minister in the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
, he was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
United States Olympic Hall of Fame
The United States Olympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic athletes.The Hall of Fame was established by the United States Olympic Committee in 1979; the first members were inducted in 1983. Between 1992 and 2003, the Hall of Fame went dormant, with no induction of new...
in 1983 and the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
in 1975. As he aged, Richards continued participating in Track and Field in a variety of events, particularly throwing events. He was one of the first regular participants in the origins of what now has become Masters athletics
In 1984, the Reverend Bob Richards ran for president of the United States on the newly formed far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
, U.S. Populist Party
Populist Party (United States, 1984)
The Populist Party was a political party in the United States between 1984 and 1996. It was far-right and often white nationalist in its ideology...
ticket. He and running mate Maureen Salaman earned 66,324 votes. In 1988, that same party nominated white-supremacist David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
for president. In 2010, Richards reportedly expressed support for a white nationalist
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
political party called the American Third Position.
He and his wife now operate the Olympian Ranch in Gordon
Gordon, Texas
Gordon is a city in Palo Pinto County, Texas, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 Census.Former Olympic athlete and conservative political figure Bob Richards raises miniature horses in Gordon.-Geography:...
in Palo Pinto County
Palo Pinto County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,026 people, 10,594 households, and 7,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile . There were 14,102 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
in north central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, breeding miniature horses.
In 1957, the actor Hal Stalmaster
Hal Stalmaster
Harry Lapidus Stalmaster, known as Hal Stalmaster , is a former actor best known for his lead role in the 1957 Walt Disney film of the American Revolution, Johnny Tremain, based on the 1943 Esther Forbes novel of the same name.-Johnny Tremain:In the dramatization, Stalmaster is an apprentice...
played Richards as a teenager in an episode of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
anthology series Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...
.