The Dallas Cowboys defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 37–31 on Sunday, September 29, 1975, in Irving, Texas. Tight end Billy Joe Dupree (89) holds the football high and is greeted by wide receiver Golden Richards (83) after a game-winning touchdown throw. (AP Photo/Ferd Kaufman)AP
Golden Richards, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, passed away on Friday.
He was seventy-three.
Richards was reportedly experiencing congestive heart failure.
Richards had recently suffered with a number of health concerns, according to a Deseret News story.
Doug, his brother, informed the website that Golden had to have four hip surgery after falling on Christmas Day in 2022. He said that this contributed to his deteriorating health. Additionally, Doug Richards said on the website that his brother’s mental abilities had deteriorated.
“Seven or eight years of wear and tear for a 175-pound wide receiver who also suffered multiple concussions on the football pitch,” he remarked. “It took its too, obviously.”
Additionally, the website mentioned Richards’ 2011 Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Richards, a Salt Lake City native, attended Brigham Young as a collegiate athlete before moving to Hawaii as a senior. In the 1973 draft, the Cowboys selected him 46th overall in the second round.
He finished his playing career in 1980 after spending time with the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos after playing for Dallas through the 1978 season.
Richards lacked the striking statistics. At the end of his career, he had 17 touchdowns and 2,136 yards from 122 receptions. Even so, he was a Cowboys legend because of his 29-yard touchdown reception on a ball from fullback Robert Newhouse, which was the game-winning score in Dallas’ Super Bowl XII victory over the Denver Broncos, 27-10.
