Alma Richards

Alma Wilford Richards (February 20, 1890 – April 3, 1963) was an American athlete. He was the first resident of Utah to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, in 1912, in the running high jump event.^[1][4]

Alma Richards

Richards in 1912
Personal information
Birth name	Alma Wilford Richards
Full name	Alma Wilford Richards, Esq.
Born	February 20, 1890 (1890-02-20) Parowan, Utah, U.S.[1]
Died	April 3, 1963 (1963-04-04) (aged 73)
Alma mater	Brigham Young High School
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	High jump, long jump, shot put, discus throw, decathlon
University team	Cornell University Big Red
Coached by	Eugene L. Roberts[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	HJ – 1.956 m (1915) LJ – 7.125 m (1915) SP – 14.01 m (1916) DT – 44.12 m (1922)[3]
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1912 Stockholm High jump

Biography

Richards graduated from Brigham Young prep school in 1913, and then attended Cornell University with a scholarship, where he was also a member of the Quill and Dagger honor society,^[5][6] and earned a law degree.^[7]

He taught science at Venice High School in Los Angeles for 32 years.^[1] Richards was buried, according to his wishes, in the Parowan Cemetery.^[8] He was posthumously inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (1970),^[9] Helms Hall of Fame and Brigham Young University Hall of Fame.^[1]

Personal life

Richards’ first wife was Marian Gardiner Richards. They had one child, Joanne Richards. His second wife was Gertrude Huntimer Richards, and they had three children: Mary Richards Schraeger of La Habra Heights, California; Anita Richards Ricciardi of Whittier California; and Paul Richards of Los Angeles, California.^[8] Richards was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, their first member to compete in the Olympics.^[10]