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. The versatile athlete known as the Vaulting Vicar also competed in the Olympic decathlon in 1956. 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. The essential thing in life is not in the conquering, but in the fight. 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. He was 97. 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. In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. Richards hugged him back, for which he was criticized by some American officials and members of the news media. That mark (pending official ratification) surpassed his own previous five world records, all over 20 feet and all set since 2020. He emerged from the pit smiling for the first time during the day, the Times reported. Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald, via Associated Press. He was #1 in my book as a motivational speaker. championships in indoor and outdoor vaulting competitions, and United States decathlon championships in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He recovered, and in 2014, he was electrocuted with 14,000 volts of electricity. Here are 15 of the most popular motivational speakers from around the world. He was an inspiration to the late Jim Valvano, who coached N.C. State to the 1983 national basketball title ten years . If you want to be the person you ought to be, you've got to welcome competition. 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. It would be fair to say that his work's been very influential in developing the careers of countless people within the personal development industry, including Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen and Anthony Robbins. 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. Bob was world class in his events. Daymond John . Soviet athletes won the medals competition, 98 (37 gold) to 74 (32 gold) for the United States. 1. We are very fortunate to have Bob Richards come and speak at our college, Hill College President Dr. Pam Boehm said. In college, Richards tied for the national collegiate pole vault title, and he continued adding to his victories with 20 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) wins. The 1952 Olympic Games were a symbolic watershed in the Cold War. 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). 805.965.1400. [email protected]. 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. After his athletic career, the "Pole Vaulting Pastor" went on to become a sportscaster and motivational speaker, Brandon Richards said. Be a part of the solution, not the problem." ~ Stephen Covey. You don't beat these great ones until your form is perfect. American pole vaulter Bob Richards, left, talks with Brazilian pole vaulter Helcio Buck-Silva during a break in a training session in Helsinki, July 11, 1952. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. (Anonymous/AP). Goals give purpose. Chance of rain 100%.. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, died Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Richards became the face and voice of the cereal known as the Breakfast of Champions.. 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). Nick Vujicic was born on December 4th 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. He received the Sullivan Award in 1951 as the nations best amateur athlete. Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work, equals miracles. From a New York Times obit by Robert D. McFadden headlined Bob Richards, Pole-Vaulting Hero of the Cold War Era, Dies at 97: 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. Mainly clear. 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. You are what you do! That mark (pending official ratification) surpassed his own previous five world records, all over 20 feet and all set since 2020. AP Photo/Olympic World Photo, Pool, File 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 family that plays and prays together stays together, Richards intoned on countless occasions. Richards himself never vaulted more than 15 feet 6 inches. Bob Richards is a champion all-around athlete, a former holder of the Olympic pole vault record, the Olympic gold medalist in men's pole vault for 1952 and 1956, and former director of the Wheaties Sports Federation. No matter how good you may be, you've got to be willing to cut out of your life those things that keep you from going to the top. Faith gives courage. He emerged from the pit smiling for the first time during the day, the Times reported. 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. After a year at Bethany Biblical Seminary in Chicago, he taught at Illinois and then joined the faculty of the Brethren-affiliated La Verne College, now the University of La Verne, in California, and was pastor of a Brethren church in Long Beach until his busy athletic schedule forced him to resign. Check out our list of the other top Christian motivational speakers here. ICMI Speakers and Entertainers truly represent the best of the best. 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. In 1946, he was ordained and transferred to the University of Illinois. But from 1947 to 1957, he dominated national and international competitions by clearing 15 feet more than 125 times. Santos Tries a New Tack in Washington: He Introduces a Bill. Courage gives enthusiasm. There are many people who could be Olympic champions. 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 on Sunday at his home in Waco, Texas. "To achieve goals you've never achieved before, you need to start doing things you've never done before." ~ Stephen Covey. 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. In his Facebook post, Brandon Richards said his father began reading the Bible and preaching as a way to overcome his stuttering. 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. That marriage ended in divorce. Richards carried the Olympic torch across Interstate 35 in Waco, Texas, in 1996. Unique in the industry, DeVolder is one of the few speakers who teaches leaders how to change. 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). Alternatively, call a booking agent directly on 0207 1010 553. She died in 2019. En cliquant sur Accepter tout, vous acceptez que Yahoo et nos partenaires traitent vos informations personnelles et utilisent des technologies telles que les cookies pour afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss, et des fins de mesure des publicits et des contenus, dtude des audiences et de dveloppement de produit. Energy gives life. A motivational speaker (sometimes called an inspirational speaker) is a speaker who offers talks that inspire audiences. Register for online access, Bob Richards, pole vaulter who landed on Wheaties boxes. Bob Richards, Pole-Vaulting Hero of the Cold War Era, Dies at 97. admin Send an email 14 seconds ago. Even Richards 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. According to U.S.A. Track and Field, Brandon Richards even held the national high school record at one point. Jason Taylor for Cisco. Invalid password or account does not exist. 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. by Cass Anderson April 1, . In 1970 he married Vonda Joan Beaird, an actress. Anyone can read what you share. Richards made the Olympic team that competed in the Games in London in 1948 and won a bronze medal. The school said in arelease he held the ranking as the No. 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. Cold War tensions again played out in the 1956 Melbourne Games. When in was in Jr High School my PE/Health teachers had 30 minute films of Bob, that they showed us. This is true in all of life. 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