Dudley Richards

Dudley Shaw “Dud” Richards (born February 4, 1932 in Providence , Rhode Island , † February 15, 1961 in Berg-Kampenhout , Belgium ) was an American figure skater who started in individual skating and pair skating .

Life

Dudley Richards was the second child of Byron and Ruth Richards. He grew up in Pawtucket , Rhode Island, with his brother Ross and sister Susan. He started figure skating at the Providence Figure Skating Club when he was nine. He later moved to the Skating Club of Boston and thus to the famous Montgomery Wilson . In 1946, having just become a US novice master, he broke his neck while diving. He survived and was able to skate again after a year and a half break. In 1951 he was the US junior champion.

Richards graduated from Harvard University in 1954 , where he was a roommate of his childhood friend, the future long-time Senator Ted Kennedy . He then did his military service, during which he u. a. participated in the Casa Carioca Eisschau in Garmisch-Partenkirchen . Richards was also a good sailor and tennis player.

In the individual run, Richards took part in three world championships . In 1951 and 1952 he was fifth and in 1953 sixth, although he was always only fourth-best American, because in the period after the Second World War until 1960, the Americans dominated the men's figure skating competition. After the resignation of Richard Button and James Grogan , he made it to the podium for the only time at the 1953 US Championships . He won bronze behind Hayes Alan Jenkins and Ronald Robertson .

In pair skating, he tried it first with the later Olympic and world champion Tenley Albright , then with Anita Andres and finally with Maribel Owen , the daughter of Maribel Vinson , who trained them both. With Owen he was on the national podium from 1958 to 1961 . In 1960 they finished tenth at the World Championships and at the Olympic Games in Squaw Valley . In 1961 they became US champions and aroused great expectations for the future.

As reigning US champions, they were on board Sabena flight 548 , which was to take them to the World Cup in Prague. Richards was the oldest participant to be named the first official team captain. The night flight should stop in Brussels . There, however, the pilot had to abort the landing approach and make another attempt to try another runway. The plane crashed on farmland in Berg-Kampenhout. All 72 passengers, the crew and a farmer on the ground were killed, including the entire 18-man US crew and their 16 relatives. The world championship in Prague was canceled.

Richards and Owen wanted to announce their engagement after the World Cup.

In 2011, Richards was inducted into the national Hall of Fame, as was the entire US team that crashed at the time.

Results

Single run

Competition / year	1951	1952	1953
World championships	5.	5.	6th
American championships			3.

Pair skating

(with Maribel Owen )

Competition / year	1958	1959	1960	1961
Olympic games			10.
World championships			10.
American championships	3.	3.	2.	1.

Web links

• Dudley Richards in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Richards at Find-A-Grave (with photos)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated November 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated November 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ http://www.boston.com/sports/packages/usfigureskating/stories/122900_shattered_dreams.htm
4. ↑ US Figure Skating Hall of Fame Members. In: worldskatingmuseum.org. World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame, accessed January 17, 2016 .