Alma Wilford Richards (February 20, 1890 – April 3, 1963) was an American athlete. He became the first resident of Utah to win an Olympic gold medal, achieving this feat in the running high jump event at the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.
Biography Richards graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1913 and then attended Cornell University with a scholarship, where he was also a member of the Quill and Dagger honor society. He earned a law degree.
He served in the US Army during World War I. He was discharged as a first lieutenant.
Rather than practice law, he chose to teach science at Venice High School in Los Angeles for 32 years. Richards was buried, according to his wishes, in the Parowan Cemetery. He was posthumously inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (1970),Honorees. Utah Sports Hall of Fame Helms Hall of Fame, and Brigham Young University Hall of Fame.
Personal life Richards’ first wife was Marian Gardiner Richards. They married in 1918. They had three children: Joanne Richards, Marion Richards, who died in infancy (1924), and Carolyn Richards, who died when she was two years old (1928). His second wife was Gertrude Anita Huntimer Richards. They married in 1932 and had three children: Mary Richards Schraeger of La Habra Heights, California; Anita Richards Ricciardi of Whittier, California; and Paul Richards of Los Angeles, California. His third and final wife was Lenore Catherine Griffin, whom he married in 1948. They did not have any children.Wallechinsky, David and Loucky, Jaime (2008). "Track & Field (Men): High Jump." In "The Complete Book of the Olympics – 2008 Edition." London: Aurum Press, Limited. p. 197. Richards was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, their first member to compete in the Olympics.
A movie, Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story was released in April 2025. It was written and directed by LDS filmmaker, T.C. Christensen, who is a grand-nephew of Alma Richards.
References
External links
Photograph of Alma Richards in a triumphal parade after his return from the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, UA P 2 Series 2 Item 1100 box 7 folder 70–89 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University
Alma Richards: Mormon Athlete at mormonwiki.com/