Alma Wilford Richards (February 20, 1890 – April 3, 1963) was an American athlete. He was the first resident of Utah to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, in 1912, in the running high jump event.[1][4]
 Richards in 1912 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Alma Wilford Richards | |||||||||||
| Full name | Alma Wilford Richards, Esq. | |||||||||||
| Born | February 20, 1890 Parowan, Utah, U.S.[1] | |||||||||||
| Died | April 3, 1963 (aged 73) | |||||||||||
| Alma mater | Brigham Young High School | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | |||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||
| Event(s) | High jump, long jump, shot put, discus throw, decathlon | |||||||||||
| University team | Cornell University Big Red | |||||||||||
| Coached by | Eugene L. Roberts[1] | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | HJ – 1.956 m (1915) LJ – 7.125 m (1915) SP – 14.01 m (1916) DT – 44.12 m (1922)[3] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editRichards graduated from Brigham Young prep school in 1913, and then attended Cornell University with a scholarship, where he was also a member of the Quill and Dagger honor society,[5][6] and got a law degree.[7]
He taught science at Venice High School in Los Angeles for 32 years.[1] Richards was buried, according to his wishes, in the Parowan Cemetery.[8] He was posthumously inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (1970),[9] Helms Hall of Fame and Brigham Young University Hall of Fame.[1]
Personal life
editRichards’ first wife was Marian Gardiner Richards. They had one child, Joanne Richards. His second wife was Gertrude Huntimer Richards, and they had three children: Mary Richards Schraeger of La Habra Heights, California; Anita Richards Ricciardi of Whittier California; and Paul Richards of Los Angeles, California.[8] Richards was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, their first member to compete in the Olympics.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Reese, W. Paul (February 1995) Alma Richards Was Utah's First Olympic Gold Medalist. History Blazer
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Alma Richards". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
- ^ Alma Richards. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ "Alma Richards". Olympedia. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ "Alma: BYA Boy Wins Olympic Gold". Y Magazine. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Alma Richards (1986) - Hall of Fame". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Benson, Lee; Robinson, Doug (January 1, 1992). Trials & Triumphs/Mormons in the Olympic Games. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 978-0875796284. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Wallechinsky, David and Loucky, Jaime (2008). "Track & Field (Men): High Jump." In "The Complete Book of the Olympics – 2008 Edition." London: Aurum Press, Limited. p. 197.
- ^ Honorees. Utah Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News. 1998. p. 555. ISBN 1573454915.
External links
edit
- Photograph of Alma Richards in a triumphal parade after his return from the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, UA P 2 Series 2 Item 1100 box 7 folder 70–89 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University
- Alma Richards at Find a Grave
- Alma Richards
- Alma Richards at Olympedia
- Alma Richards at Olympics.com
- Alma Richards at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Olympics 1912 High jumpers (16-second-video) on YouTube
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