Be a model, not a critic. Biography. Remaining cloudy. The New York Times. Here's my list of the top 10 motivational speakers in the world. Even Richardss 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. Richards grew up as a "skinny poor kid from Illinois with stuttering speech," his son wrote. Topeka Mayors Advice for Mayor Adams: Learn Humility. Choose wisely! Robert E. Richards, an ordained minister nicknamed the Vaulting Vicar, won Olympic gold medals in 1952 at Helsinki, Finland, and in 1956 at Melbourne, Australia, using aluminum poles to clear bars set at just under 15 feet. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. Bob Stoops for Hard Rock, Tulsa. Cold War tensions again played out in the 1956 Melbourne Games. "It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.". "He passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones. American - Athlete Born: February 20, 1926. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Paul Snelgrove, Dr. Hendrik Poinar, Michael Archer, Bart Knols and Bruno Maisonnier. 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. 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 became a pastor who went all around to give lectures, leading to a career as a motivational speaker. An ordained minister known as the Vaulting Vicar, he was an Olympic gold medal winner and the first athlete to appear on the front of Wheaties boxes. Jason Taylor for Cisco. His son Paul confirmed the death. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly . He retired to a ranch in Waco, where he owned a golf course. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos . He was 97. Communicate with the Motivational Speaker you select to work out the details of your event. In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. He is in a better place now and at peace.". "We are very fortunate to have Bob Richards come and speak at our college," Hill College President Dr. Pam Boehm said. 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. AP Photo/Olympic World Photo, Pool, File He won 11 championship titles at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. He was 97. The 1952 Olympic Games were a symbolic watershed in the Cold War. Daymond John . Bob was world class in his events. Until 2012, he had lived on a ranch in Santo, Texas, which he named the Crossbar Ranch after the obstacles that he famously vaulted over, and which was involved in numerous commercial activities, including oil and gas exploration and horse and cattle grazing. Bob Richards is shown during a training session in 1952, the year he won his first Olympic gold in pole vaulting. Bob Richards, the ordained minister nicknamed the Vaulting Vicar, at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952, when he won a gold medal. Low 24F. 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. Pour en savoir plus sur notre utilisation de vos informations, veuillez consulter notre Politique relative la vie prive et notre Politique en matire de cookies. Besides winning two gold medals in the Olympics in the 1950s, he took a bronze medal at the 1948 Olympics in London and gold at the Pan American Games in 1951 and 1955. That distinction, as Richards acknowledged, belonged to Cornelius Warmerdam, a Californian who used bamboo poles to set world records of about 15 feet 8 inches in the early 1940s. USA Track and Field confirmed his death. His autobiography, Heart of a Champion, was published in 1959. Every day we present the best quotes! His father was a telephone lineman. Jason Garrett for Bynum School. Bob Richards, an ordained minister who became the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties box after he won two Olympic gold medals in the pole vault during the 1950s, an accomplishment he parlayed into a successful career as a motivational speaker, died Feb. 26 at his home in Waco, Tex. 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. 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. 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. Robert Eugene Richards was born on Feb. 20, 1926, in Champaign, Illinois, the third of five children of Leslie and Margaret (Palfrey) Richards. 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. J.R. Eyerman/The LIFE Picture Collection, via Shutterstock, In 1958, Richards became director of the Wheaties Sports Federation as well as the face and voice of the cereal known as the Breakfast of Champions.. His son Paul confirmed the death. 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. He received the Sullivan Award in 1951 as the nations best amateur athlete. Be a part of the solution, not the problem." ~ Stephen Covey. His autobiography, Heart of a Champion, was published in 1959. The family that plays and prays together stays together, Richards intoned on countless occasions. Browse Motivational Speakers in Orlando and contact your favorites. He also won 17 A.A.U. One day, well get out of all this flag-waving and nationalism. Besides winning two gold medals in the Olympics in the 1950s, he took a bronze medal at the 1948 Olympics in London and gold at the Pan American Games in 1951 and 1955. Bob Proctor is an icon in the self-help arena and is a world-renowned motivational speaker and coach who helps people realize their limitless potential and develop the skills they need to succeed. 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. When Richards finally triumphed with an Olympic record of 14 feet 11-1/4 inches, a defeated Soviet rival, Viktor Knyazev, clasped him in a bear hug. Robert E. Richards, an ordained minister nicknamed the Vaulting Vicar, won Olympic gold medals in 1952 at Helsinki, Finland, and in 1956 at Melbourne, Australia, using aluminum poles to clear bars set at just under 15 feet. The family that plays and prays together stays together, Richards intoned on countless occasions. After his athletic career, the "Pole Vaulting Pastor" went on to become a sportscaster and motivational speaker, Brandon Richards said. He retired to a ranch in Waco, where he owned a golf course. Bob showed early abilities in basketball and was a pole-vaulter and a star quarterback at Champaign Central High School. We are very fortunate to have Bob Richards come and speak at our college, Hill College President Dr. Pam Boehm said. They often encourage their audience to look at things from a different and perspective, and motivate them to take positive action in their lives. But he escaped the street life into religion and athletics. He emerged from the pit smiling for the first time during the day, the Times reported. Richards made the Olympic team that competed in the Games in London in 1948 and won a bronze medal. ABOUT BOB RICHARDS- Three-time Olympic pole vaulter (1948 bronze medal; 1952 gold medal; and 1956 gold medal), - Member of 100 Golden Olympians Team (1996), - Spokesperson for Wheaties/General Mills (1958-72), - National Indoor/Outdoor Champion 27 times, - Physical Fitness Leader/Bob Richards Fitness Crusade (1970), - World Master Track and Field Champion (1983-91), - U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Inductee (1983), - U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame Inductee (1970), - National Track and Field Hall of Fame Inductee (1970). The pole-vault competition lasted more than four hours. 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. Bob has pioneered the vision of Love Does (formerly Restore International) to fight for freedom and human rights, working to improve educational opportunities and to be helpful to those in need of a voice and a friend. Long before modern athletes began riding fiberglass poles to unimaginable heights, the Rev. He graduated from high school in 1943, and in 1944 he enrolled at the Brethren-affiliated Bridgewater College in Virginia. The story of his rise from rags to riches is one of the most inspiring stories of the 21 st century. 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. Mainly clear. Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. Long before modern athletes began riding fiberglass poles to unimaginable heights, the Rev. Richards made the Olympic team that competed in the Games in London in 1948, but he won no medals. Richards competed at the 1948, 52, and 56 Olympics in the pole vault. Until 2012, he had lived on a ranch in Santo, Texas, which he named the Crossbar Ranch and which was involved in numerous commercial activities, including oil and gas exploration and horse and cattle grazing. 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. 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. Richards himself never vaulted more than 15 feet 6 inches. CHICAGO Sister Jean of Loyola University, who stands atop Chicagos A-list of celebrity religious, waited until she was 103 to write her memoir. Richards became the face and voice of the cereal known as the Breakfast of Champions.. 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, Austria; Tokyo and Montreal; and delivered some 12,000 motivational speeches to corporate sales forces, high school students and community organizations. Bob is an ordained minister and motivational speaker who has given over 3,000 speeches. They have transformed many people's lives including mine. And he was perfect on the Wheaties box: a muscular all-American with a smile that radiated confidence, health and upright living. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. Down to Business: Helping children learn to communicate empowers whole family, speech-language pathologist says, Richard Zoller likes to take charge for Mount Carmel. Although he was a successful professional wakeskater, he felt called by God and attended college for theology. Bike-Path Attackers Mother Says She Wanted Tired Son to Leave U.S. Kellyanne Conway Meets With Prosecutors as Trump Inquiry Escalates, U.K. Police Charge 3rd Man in Effort to Kill Russian Dissident, Review: For Armory Recitals, a Modest but Memorable Return, Review: After Merce, the Dances Go On, and Go On to Inspire, Yaya DaCosta Joins Elite Society in Our Kind of People, All of Aaron Judges Home Runs, From 1 to 40, For Colored Girls to Close on Broadway, Reflecting Tough Season, Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleks Kilde Are Ski Racings Power Couple. 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. She died in 2019. At 20, he had been ordained a minister of the Church of the Brethren, an Anabaptist denomination, and the news media had reflexively called him the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Pastor. Richards carried the Olympic torch across Interstate 35 in Waco, Texas, in 1996. Richards made the Olympic team that competed in the Games in London in 1948 and won a bronze medal. 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. Bob Richards, a three-time olympian and the first athlete to ever be featured on a Wheaties cereal box, has died, his son said on social media. Bob Richards of La Verne, California, hurdles earthward after clearing the bar during the pole vault event in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. Richards was elected to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983, and to the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975. Bob Richards Motivation for Living - Side 1 Robert Eugene Richards (born February 20, 1926) is an American athlet Show more ICTV - 3 months ago Motivational Speech over. These people who want to wave the flag and play the band, thats not the real spirit of the Olympics, he told The New York Times years later. 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. Invalid password or account does not exist. High 42F. He graduated from high school in 1943, and in 1944 he enrolled at the Brethren-affiliated Bridgewater College in Virginia. And Richards made history, becoming the only male two-time winner of the Olympic pole vault, and with another record: 14 feet 11-1/2 inches. Would you like to receive our daily news? #Bob Odenkirk. And Richards made history, becoming the only male two-time winner of the Olympic pole vault, and with another record: 14 feet 11 inches. In 1970, he bicycled 3,300 miles from Los Angeles to New York to promote fitness. Richards became the face and voice of the cereal known as the Breakfast of Champions.. Russian athletes were participating for the first time since the Czarist days before the 1917 Russian Revolution, and Helsinki was alive with tensions as the United States rolled to 76 medals (40 gold) to the Soviet Unions 71 (22 gold). Robert (Bob) Richards generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Your email address will not be published. He also was the first athlete to appear on a box of Wheaties cereal. Bob Richards. They are champions because they've been hurt. He was 97. The 1952 Olympic Games were a symbolic watershed in the Cold War. Bob Richards, byname of Robert Eugene Richards, (born February 20, 1926, Champaign, Illinois, U.S.died February 26, 2023, Waco, Texas), American athlete, the first pole-vaulter to win two Olympic gold medals. 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. She died in 2019. Thats not what the Olympic spirit is all about.. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. Life lifts you over the bar. Faith gives courage. In 1970, he bicycled 3,300 miles from Los Angeles to New York to promote fitness. Nick Vujicic. Richards himself never vaulted more than 15 feet 6 inches. His son,. At 20, he had been ordained a minister of the Church of the Brethren, an Anabaptist denomination, and the news media had reflexively called him the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Pastor. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. One of the great lessons I've learned in athletics is that you've got to discipline your life. According to U.S.A Track and Field, Richards had been the oldest living track and field gold medalist at the time of his death. Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work, equals miracles. Unique in the industry, DeVolder is one of the few speakers who teaches leaders how to change. Bob Richards, a three-time olympian and the first athlete to ever be featured on a Wheaties cereal box, has died, his son said on social media. 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 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. He was 97. He was 97. Slectionnez Grer les paramtres pour grer vos prfrences. 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 at his home in Waco, Texas. 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. Richards, of Champaign, Ill., was a six-time NCAA champion at the University of Illinois. Richards' two sons followed in his footsteps and also became pole vaulters. He is a frequent presenter at top management meetings around the world, both live . He was 97. He had been a pastor in California only briefly, but the dual image of minister and champion athlete was irresistible on the speaking circuit. One day, well get out of all this flag-waving and nationalism. You are what you do! Alternatively, call a booking agent directly on 0207 1010 553. One of the finest motivational speakers in history, Richards has delivered over 12,000 talks in his lifetime. Russian athletes were participating for the first time since the Czarist days before the 1917 Russian Revolution, and Helsinki was alive with tensions as the United States rolled to 76 medals (40 gold) to the Soviet Unions 71 (22 gold). The world record is held by Armand Duplantis, an American-born Swedish athlete known as Mondo, who just this month vaulted 20 feet 4 3/4 inches, surpassing his own previous five world records, all over 20 feet and all set since 2020. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Start a Free Trial Motivational speakers 1. We did not have a grand wedding celebration, just a simple city-h. He received the Sullivan Award in 1951 as the nations best amateur athlete. Soviet athletes won the medals competition, 98 (37 gold) to 74 (32 gold) for the United States. His hands were pointed toward heaven in an attitude of prayer., Bob Richards, Pole-Vaulting Hero of the Cold War Era, Dies at 97, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/sports/olympics/bob-richards-dead.html. Wrote Brandon Richards, We lost a national treasure, adding that his father always motivated us kids the same way to be the best we could be. 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. 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. Of his rise from rags to riches is one of the most inspiring of! 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