Bob Richards Obituary

American pole vaulter and decathlete Robert Eugene Richards competed in three Summer Olympics. He was also a successful politician and religious figure. He was the only man to win the pole vault gold medal twice in the Olympics, in 1952 and 1956.

Richards received his ministerial ordination while he was still in the race, and in 1984, he even campaigned for president of the United States on the platform of the Populist Party.

Bob Richards Obituary

Richards was a very accomplished pole vaulter who won numerous national championships, but he never broke a world record. After Dutch Warmerdam, who in 1942 achieved the world record of 15 feet 7 and 34 inches, he was the second man to clear 15 feet in the pole vault.

After ending his competitive career, Richards stayed active in sports and promoted physical fitness. In 1958, he even made an appearance on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes as the company’s first spokesperson. He also founded the Wheaties Sports Federation to support Olympic sports.

All four of Richards’ kids, who were pole vaulters too, followed in his footsteps and became athletes. Tom won the CIF California State Meet in 1988, Bob Jr. finished second in the same competition in 1968, and Brandon established a US high school record in 1985. Tom also won the CIF California State Meet in 1988.