One day, well get out of all this flag-waving and nationalism. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, died Sunday. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. U.S.A. Track and Field also put out a statement remembering the legendary "Vaulting Vicar," a nickname Richards earned after he became an ordained minister while still competing. Richards was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983 after being inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1975, according to U.S.A. Track and Field. Earl Nightingale V (March 12, 1921 - March 25, 1989) was an American radio speaker and author, dealing mostly with the subjects of human character development, motivation, and meaningful existence. 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. The 1952 Olympic Games were a symbolic watershed in the Cold War. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. You don't win until you conquer the little flaws. He also ran for president on the far-right Populist Party ticket in 1984, espousing a platform that called for abolishing personal income taxes, cutting the federal budget in half, repudiating the national debt, deporting illegal immigrants and denying the right to vote to anyone on welfare for more than a year. Although he hung up his cleats long ago, he continues to travel around the country as a motivational speaker. 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. 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. The pole-vault competition lasted more than four hours. An American motivational speaker, author and entrepreneur. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. 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. 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. His hands were pointed toward heaven in an attitude of prayer.. In 1946, he was ordained and transferred to the University of Illinois. Richards himself never vaulted more than 15 feet 6 inches. Facebook . "He passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones. Bob Richards, Pole-Vaulting Hero of the Cold War Era, Dies at 97. He married the college presidents niece, Mary Leah Cline, in 1946. In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. 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. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege. 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. WASHINGTON Veterans can now access their disability benefit claim decision notice letters electronically on VA.gov, empowering them to quickly and easily see their disability decisions. Todays top male vaulters, with refined techniques and springy fiberglass poles that bow almost to U shapes, routinely soar over crossbars set above 19 feet. Men that were stronger, bigger and faster than I was could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, never made the feeble effort to pick their legs off the ground trying to get over the bar. He had been a pastor in California only briefly, but the dual image of minister and champion athlete was irresistible on the speaking circuit. A flaw in a product can ruin a business. Richards became the face and voice of the cereal known as the Breakfast of Champions.. Santos Tries a New Tack in Washington: He Introduces a Bill. The pole-vault competition lasted more than four hours. Invalid password or account does not exist. 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. One of the finest motivational speakers in history, Richards has delivered over 12,000 talks in his lifetime. Everything that happens to you can happen for good if you have this spirit. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. J.R. Eyerman/The LIFE Picture Collection, via Shutterstock. When Richards finally triumphed with an Olympic record of 14 feet 11 inches, a defeated Soviet rival, Viktor Knyazev, clasped him in a bear hug. Sportswriters called him "the Vaulting Vicar" because he was an ordained minister. He emerged from the pit smiling for the first time during the day, The Times reported. Cinco claves de la Ley de Chips de EE. He was the voice during the early 1950s of Sky King, the hero of a radio adventure series, and was a WGN radio program host from 1950 to 1956. Todays top male vaulters, with refined techniques and springy fiberglass poles that bow almost to U shapes, routinely soar over crossbars set above 19 feet. He is a frequent presenter at top management meetings around the world, both live . Its pretty amazing., Basketball scores for Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Purpose gives faith. 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. Create a password that only you will remember. Unique in the industry, DeVolder is one of the few speakers who teaches leaders how to change. Bob Richards of La Verne, California, hurdles earthward after clearing the bar during the pole vault event in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. He graduated from high school in 1943, and in 1944 he enrolled at the Brethren-affiliated Bridgewater College in Virginia. 3. 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. 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. Although he broke Olympic records and Russian hearts, and although he became one of Americas most lionized and familiar celebrities a motivational speaker and Wheaties pitchman who personified wholesome values and once ran for president of the United States on a third-party ticket Richards, even at the peak of his athletic power, was not the greatest American pole-vaulter of all time. He also won 17 AAU championships in indoor and outdoor vaulting competitions, and United States decathlon championships in 1951, 1954 and 1955. Nick Vujicic. }Customer Service. Bob Richards, olympic pole vault champion, dies at age 97 . According to U.S.A. Track and Field, Brandon Richards even held the national high school record at one point. Packed with options that allow you to completely customize your website to your needs. Sometimes in life, God gives us a difficulty in order to bring out the fighting spirit. He earned a bachelors degree in 1947 and a masters in 1948. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. He had been a pastor in California only briefly, but the dual image of minister and champion athlete was irresistible on the speaking circuit. Richards carried the Olympic torch across Interstate 35 in Waco, Texas, in 1996. 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. His autobiography, Heart of a Champion, was published in 1959. 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. 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 emerged from the pit smiling for the first time during the day, The Times reported. His hands were pointed toward heaven in an attitude of prayer.. He was 97. 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. Life lifts you over the bar. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. championships in indoor and outdoor vaulting competitions, and United States decathlon championships in 1951, 1954 and 1955. To book Leicester Tigers Legend, Dean Richards, as the rugby speaker for your corporate event , function or conference, simply contact the Champions Rugby Speakers agency by filling in our online contact form. He was 97. . Top 20 Richest Motivational Speakers in the World. 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