Ray Richards
Encyclopedia
Raymond W. Richards was an American football
player and coach on both the collegiate and professional levels, including head coach for the National Football League
's Chicago Cardinals
.
Richards was an All-America
n lineman at the University of Nebraska from 1927–1929, then joined the NFL's Frankford Yellow Jackets
in 1930. During his playing days, he became known for a notorious move that has since been outlawed: the "lift", in which Richards used his elbow to hit the opposing center as he snapped the ball. Moves such as that helped him in his off-season pursuit of wrestling, an endeavor that saw him travel across the country competing in matches.
Richards played two seasons with the Yellow Jackets until the team disbanded in 1931, then he shifted to Chicago
, where he played another two seasons with George Halas
's Bears. In 1934, he moved on to play a season with the Detroit Lions
, who had just moved from their previous home in Portsmouth, Ohio
. After a final season with the Bears the next year, Richards headed west to serve as a player-coach for two seasons with the Los Angeles Bulldogs
of the fledgling American Football League
, helping the team finish undefeated during his second year.
On April 5, 1937, he was appointed line coach at UCLA, where he served under three different head coaches over the next decade. In an era marked by the looming specter of World War II
, Richards was part of two Bruin squads that competed in the Rose Bowl
. He resigned on December 11, 1947, and took a similar position in 1948 at nearby Pepperdine University
.
One season working with the Waves' linemen led to Richards's promotion to head coach on April 26, 1949. After two seasons in that capacity, he was let go on January 19, 1951 due to budget cuts, but found work seven weeks later as an assistant with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams
. During his first year working under close friend Joe Stydahar
, the team captured the NFL championship, but then dropped a first-round playoff game in 1952 after Stydahar was fired early in the season.
Richards was dismissed after the season, but was hired by the Baltimore Colts
on January 12, 1953. When Stydahar was named head coach of the Chicago Cardinals just weeks later, he attempted to bring Richards along, but NFL commissioner Bert Bell
stopped this effort, citing Richards's signed contract with the Colts.
After a disastrous campaign in which the Colts finished 3-9, Richards was among the coaches let go, allowing him to join the Cardinals' staff. The 1954 campaign proved to be even worse as the team won just two of 12 games, giving them a 3-20-1 record under Stydahar's leadership.
That lack of success resulted in a coaching change on June 2, 1955, when Stydahar was fired and Richards was elevated to head coach. Following a 4-7-1 season, the team appeared to be improving with a 7-5 mark in 1956. However, a 3-9 season the year after made another coaching change inevitable, and Richards resigned on January 4, 1958. Among the reasons Richards was unable to fashion a winner was his insistence on playing quarterback Lamar McHan
, whose lack of leadership skills were often cited as the team's weak spot.
Richards’s last stop would be one month later when he was hired as defensive assistant under Ray McLean with the Green Bay Packers. However, a 1-10-1 finish in the 1958 season resulted in Richards announcing his retirement from coaching.
In his post-football career, Richards would serve as a vice president of Pemaco, Inc., a Los Angeles
-based chemical company. He died of lung cancer
in Brea, California
at the age of 68.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach on both the collegiate and professional levels, including head coach for the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Richards was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n lineman at the University of Nebraska from 1927–1929, then joined the NFL's Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
in 1930. During his playing days, he became known for a notorious move that has since been outlawed: the "lift", in which Richards used his elbow to hit the opposing center as he snapped the ball. Moves such as that helped him in his off-season pursuit of wrestling, an endeavor that saw him travel across the country competing in matches.
Richards played two seasons with the Yellow Jackets until the team disbanded in 1931, then he shifted to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he played another two seasons with George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
's Bears. In 1934, he moved on to play a season with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, who had just moved from their previous home in Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...
. After a final season with the Bears the next year, Richards headed west to serve as a player-coach for two seasons with the Los Angeles Bulldogs
Los Angeles Bulldogs
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...
of the fledgling American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
, helping the team finish undefeated during his second year.
On April 5, 1937, he was appointed line coach at UCLA, where he served under three different head coaches over the next decade. In an era marked by the looming specter of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Richards was part of two Bruin squads that competed in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. He resigned on December 11, 1947, and took a similar position in 1948 at nearby Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
.
One season working with the Waves' linemen led to Richards's promotion to head coach on April 26, 1949. After two seasons in that capacity, he was let go on January 19, 1951 due to budget cuts, but found work seven weeks later as an assistant with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. During his first year working under close friend Joe Stydahar
Joe Stydahar
Joseph "Jumbo Joe" Lee Stydahar was an American football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears from 1936 to 1942 and 1945 to 1946 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was born and raised about east of Pittsburgh in the small mining community of Kaylor, Pennsylvania in Armstrong...
, the team captured the NFL championship, but then dropped a first-round playoff game in 1952 after Stydahar was fired early in the season.
Richards was dismissed after the season, but was hired by the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
on January 12, 1953. When Stydahar was named head coach of the Chicago Cardinals just weeks later, he attempted to bring Richards along, but NFL commissioner Bert Bell
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
stopped this effort, citing Richards's signed contract with the Colts.
After a disastrous campaign in which the Colts finished 3-9, Richards was among the coaches let go, allowing him to join the Cardinals' staff. The 1954 campaign proved to be even worse as the team won just two of 12 games, giving them a 3-20-1 record under Stydahar's leadership.
That lack of success resulted in a coaching change on June 2, 1955, when Stydahar was fired and Richards was elevated to head coach. Following a 4-7-1 season, the team appeared to be improving with a 7-5 mark in 1956. However, a 3-9 season the year after made another coaching change inevitable, and Richards resigned on January 4, 1958. Among the reasons Richards was unable to fashion a winner was his insistence on playing quarterback Lamar McHan
Lamar McHan
Clarence Lamar McHan was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. McHan played football collegiately at the University of Arkansas. He was ninth in the 1953 Heisman Trophy balloting.McHan played for the Green Bay Packers from 1959-1960...
, whose lack of leadership skills were often cited as the team's weak spot.
Richards’s last stop would be one month later when he was hired as defensive assistant under Ray McLean with the Green Bay Packers. However, a 1-10-1 finish in the 1958 season resulted in Richards announcing his retirement from coaching.
In his post-football career, Richards would serve as a vice president of Pemaco, Inc., a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based chemical company. He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Brea, California
Brea, California
Brea is a city in Orange County, California. The population, as of the 2010 Census was 39,282.The city began as a center of crude oil production, was later propelled by citrus production, and is now an important retail center because of the large Brea Mall and the recently redeveloped Brea Downtown...
at the age of 68.