PAROWAN, Utah — How did a farm boy from Parowan become Utah’s first Olympic gold medalist? With one giant leap.
Born in 1890 to Mormon pioneer parents sent by Brigham Young to help settle the southern Utah outpost of Parowan, Alma Richards was the ninth of 10 children.
A lanky teen at 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, Richards began his track and field career while attending the Murdock Academy in Beaver after a teacher asked him to consider athletics.
Upon taking up the sport, Richards immediately became a star in multiple disciplines; not because he trained hard, but Richards claimed his exceptional running and jumping skills came from farm life chasing jackrabbits near his home.
“I would assume that most of them would probably never lift weights,” said former BYU track coach Mark Robison. “They hadn't done a lot of jumping, it was just a natural ability. And they probably went out and messed around with different things and go, Hey, you know what, I can jump pretty high. And it's just unbelievable what they were able to accomplish under the circumstances.”
After high school, Richards brought his natural ability to Brigham Young Prep School, training under the tutelage of coach Eugene L, Roberts and focusing on the high jump which, back then, looked a little different, with Richards' style even more unorthodox for the time.
“In those days, he looked almost like a baseball or softball person that was sliding and jumping as high as he could," said Robison, "because you had to land on your feet. Now we don't even care because we have these massive pads that are amazing”
Richards' prowess caught the attention of the U.S. Olympic commissioner who helped the Utahn grab a spot on the Olympic team.
On the boat over to Stockholm for the 1912 Summer Games, Richards' teammates teased the 18-year-old for being a "country hick," and nobody dreamed he was a serious contender to medal.
But while competing against the best in the world, Richards proved everyone wrong; winning gold in the running high jump with a new Olympic record.
“I think the wonderful thing about the Olympics, it doesn't matter where you're from, doesn't matter if you're from a big city, a small town, he was just an average farm boy in Utah, who figured out a few things and became a world champion and Olympic gold medalist,” Robison said.
Richards went on to win more than 245 medals and trophies while excelling academically and in the army. One general even called him "the Army's greatest athlete."
The high jump star went to Cornell University for his bachelors and then attended graduate school at Stanford before enrolling in law school at the University of Southern California. He got his law degree and eventually he passed the bar. Richards chose not to practice law. Instead he went into teaching.
After passing away in 1963, Richards has been honored in several places, including the BYU Track, Utah Sports and U.S. Track and Field Halls of Fame.
While some might not remember the name Alma Richards, it was his leap of faith that paved the way for generations of athletes.
“I think anybody that is a pioneer, or anybody that that is able to do something so that others can learn from his experience112 years ago, things are very, very different, but it's still the sacrifice," said Robison. "His level of athleticism and what he was able to do, you just can't discount it.
"It's a feat that very few in especially in the state of Utah, will ever be able to obtain.”
