Voting Station

Bob Richards

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Athlete

The Resume

    (February 20, 1926-February 26, 2023)
    Born in Champaign, Illinois
    Won two Olympic gold medals (1952,1956) and one bronze medal (1948) in the pole vault
    Won 17 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles in pole vault, three in decathlon
    Ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren
    Nicknamed ‘the Vaulting Vicar’
    Inducted in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975) and US Olympic Hall of Fame (1983)

Why he might be annoying:

    Despite having been the dominant pole vaulter of his day, he never set a world record in the event.
    He ran for president as candidate of the U.S. Populist Party (1984), a party founded by Holocaust denier Willis Carto.
    He joined the ‘white nationalist’ American Freedom Party (2010).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was the first (and, through the 2012 Olympics, only) two-time gold medalist in the pole vault.
    At the 1952 Olympics – the first in which the Soviet Union competed – he encouraged mingling among Western and East Bloc athletes.
    He was the first athlete featured on the front of a Wheaties box.
    He continued pole vaulting for decades, at 60 setting a record of 12 feet for his age group.
    He broke with the Populist Party and denounced it as antisemitic.
    He said, ‘I don’t believe that you should pray to win or for someone to lose…. I am certain that the God of this big universe is not concerned about me pole vaulting 14’6.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 102 Votes: 55.88% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying