Richard 'Dick' William Richards (14 February 1890 – 27 January 1934) was a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 footballer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

. Richards was born in Glyncorrwg

Glyncorrwg

Glyncorrwg is a village in Britain. It is set in the Afan Valley, in south Wales.Glyncorrwg is also the name of an electoral ward and a community covering the village and surrounding countryside, in Neath Port Talbot county borough.- History :...

 and he played as an amateur for Bronygarth, Chirk and Oswestry United. Upon turning professional, Richards played for English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 teams Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

, West Ham United

West Ham United F.C.

West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...

 and Fulham

Fulham F.C.

Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

.

Biography

During his time at Wolves, Richards played 88 League games either side of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, scoring 22 goals. He gained five caps

Cap (sport)

In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 for Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 while with the club, scoring in a 2-1 win against England

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 during the 1920 British Home Championship

1920 British Home Championship

The 1920 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1919–20 season between the British Home Nations. Wales eventually took the trophy as the first of three victories they claimed during the 1920s, their last undisputed triumphs...

.

He joined West Ham United in 1922 for a fee of £300 and made 43 League appearances for them. He also made 10 cup appearances for the club, including the 1923 FA Cup Final

1923 FA Cup Final

The 1923 FA Cup Final was a football match between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United on 28 April 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the first football match to be...

 loss to Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

. Richards picked up more international caps at the 1924 British Home Championship

1924 British Home Championship

The 1924 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1923–24 season between the British Home Nations...

, which saw victories for Wales against all three other teams.

Richards left for Fulham in 1924 and made 24 appearances for the west London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 club, scoring twice, but his time there was hampered by injury. He went on to play for Welsh teams, Mold, where he gained the last of 9 caps, and Colwyn Bay United, where he finished his career. He then went to work for an electricity company in Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, where he sustained a back injury which led to his death, age 42.