Lou Richards facts for kids

Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards, MBE (15 March 1923 – 8 May 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1941 and 1955. He captained the team from 1952 to 1955, including a premiership win in 1953. He later became a hotel manager and a highly prominent sports journalist in print, radio and television for more than 50 years, and he was known for his wit and vivacity. The Collingwood leader of the cheer squad at the time of Richards' death, Joffa Corfe, remarked that "Louie was a knockabout sort of bloke," adding that "he was easy to approach and he was easy to talk to".

Playing career

Born in Collingwood, Victoria, Richards' passion for Collingwood grew out of family connections—he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Charlie Pannam and uncles Charles and Alby Pannam, both former Magpie players. His brother Ron Richards also played for the club. The Richards–Pannam dynasty made Collingwood the only club to have been captained by three generations of the one family. As a family, they played over 1,200 games between them.

Recognised for his skill and toughness, Richards played as a rover, resting in the forward pocket.

He was captain of the club for four years, including Collingwood's 1953 premiership team. Additionally, he represented Victoria on three occasions in State of Origin matches.

Post-playing career

After his retirement from football, Richards managed a number of Melbourne hotels, including the well-known Phoenix Hotel in Flinders Street, whose regular customers included journalists from the nearby Herald and Weekly Times.

Richards also had a long career in the media, beginning as a sport journalist for The Argus and later The Sun News-Pictorial, where he gained the nickname of "Louie the Lip". He was a very popular commentator on both radio and television, the latter on Channel 7 with his great mates Jack Dyer and Bob Davis. He also appeared on the popular World of Sport program. In the 1990s and 2000s, he made regular appearances on both The Footy Show and the Sunday Footy Show.

His radio career commenced just after his retirement in 1955, when he teamed up with Jack Dyer as 3XY's commentary team. In 1959, he transferred to 3DB, where, as well as being a football commentator, he participated in sports panels and for four years teamed up with well-known DB personality Dick Cranbourne to host the station's breakfast program.

As a football tipster, Richards was known as a Kiss of Death and regularly backed up his tips with famous dares: "I'll cut Teddy Whitten's lawn with nail scissors" or "I'll jump off St Kilda pier."

In 1972, Richards was appointed Court Jester to King of Moomba Johnny Farnham and was the King of Moomba himself in 1981.

In 1989, he released a memoir, The Kiss of Death: Memoirs of a Sporting Legend; an updated version was released in 2012, entitled Lou: My Wonderful Life.

At the end of 2008, Richards retired from hosting the handball segment on the Sunday Footy Show, and subsequently made only occasional public appearances.

Honours

Richards was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1981, received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000, and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001. In 1996, Richards was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame; in 2004, he was named as the captain of the Greek Team of the Century, due to his Greek heritage, and was inducted into the Collingwood Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2008.

Additionally, a statue was dedicated in his honour on 17th April, 2014.

Personal life

Richards married Edna Lillian Bowie in 1948; the couple had two daughters. Edna was admitted into care with dementia in 2005. She died, aged 87, in March 2008.

On 8 May 2017, Richards died at his nursing home in the Melbourne suburb of Windsor at the age of 94. The Richards family accepted the Victorian Government's offer of a state funeral, which took place at St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral on 17 May 2017.

State funeral

Richards' funeral was attended by many prominent politicians, footballers, coaches, media personalities, family, and friends. Prominent people who paid their respects included Nathan Buckley, Garry Lyon, Billy Brownless, Ron Barassi, Rex Hunt, Kevin Sheedy, Bob Skilton, Mick Malthouse, Peter McKenna, and Eddie McGuire, who was one of Lou's eulogisers. Labor leader Bill Shorten, Victorian senator Derryn Hinch, and bosses of the AFL were also among those gathered. Additionally, the 2017 Collingwood team formed a guard of honour for Richards.

Discography

Singles