A  Real Friend 

A baby is born, a baby grows into a man. This man lives, serves and loves – then time runs out in his lifespan. 

What is accomplished by this man in these few seconds while he is here. What does this man do for his friends, neighbors and family, so dear. 

If a man can serve, his fellow man  not for today, but for tomorrow. If he can only do this, then when he goes, he will have so sorrow. 

If he can but change the lives of many young men – 

to work and try to accomplish to change these ways from what it has been. 

But never forgetting to work and strive for his family. Giving them love and a sense of security. For if he can be a doer and not a dreamer. For this man was a worker, and not a sleeper. 

Then will boys begin to work for and love this man. They respect him, they have grown, they have changed from what they have been.

If he can do the things he was meant to do. If he can work, love and serve for me and you. 

For if he can change the life of these boys into men. Yes, this is what he did, a tribute to Coach, Oscar Richardson. A real friend, to many young men. 

One of many 

Ted Dee Payne 

A Beautiful Person 

A very beautiful person left us last week and some of us who were close to him couldn’t watch him leave without expressing our appreciation to him and his family. 

Coach Richardson, as we knew him around the wrestling bench, was such a good coach and he proved that in the three years he coached at Box Elder. His first year was discouraging as it is for many coaches but his determination won over as I quote him saying, “with this bright and talented group of sophomores and juniors, I wouldn’t be surprised that the next two years we will be one of the toughest teams in the state.” And the records show that they were. 

When he came to Box Elder wrestling was labeled a minor sport, but Coach made it come alive and now it is the fastest-growing sport we have. Last year we had an 8-1 record and we all felt we should have had the trophy right then. But it didn’t come that year. It still didn’t stop Coach, though. His first words about wrestling the next year were, “we’re tough”. And they went all the way this year and took first in Region 1 with a 5-1 mark. 

Most of us did not realize what it takes to be a coach until Coach Richardson came. He did so much more than just coach. He was also a doctor, bandaging all the cuts, scrapes, and burns wrestlers manage to accumulate. He was a psychiatrist, reassuring the boys when they were down in the dumps and somehow making them keep fighting. 

In the eyes of some of us who are timers and scorekeepers, he was a very understanding man who always wore a smile, no matter what.

He was not only a friend but a second father to all of us. We felt we could take any problem we had to him and he would listen. Parents and boosters saw him turn boys into men and teach them the importance of sportsmanship. Overall he was a very beautiful person.

Not one person can talk to him for 5 minutes and go away not loving him. In fact he didn’t even have to say one word because his eyes told the whole story. He was kind, considerate, and very generous.

Those of us that knew him a little better knew that he was a very special spirit in the eyes of God. Trying to describe this man is like trying to describe the word love.

Coach Richardson may have left us physically, but to each wrestler he left a small part of himself, and you can see it in their eyes.

Sincerely,

Wrestling Boosters 

Don’t Let It Die 

Coach Richardson died a few weeks ago and I felt that I would like to express myself to his family and friends. 

He was a great man and took a deep interest in people. He came to our school in 1971, where I was privileged to have him as a football and wrestling coach. He was worried about me after football because I wasn’t in a winter sport and I roamed the streets instead. It was through his coaching that I started wrestling. Now I can proudly say it’s the greatest program I have ever been involved in. I could turn to him with any of my problems and he would give me counsel. His whole life was wrapped up in wrestling. It was second only to his family.

He felt there was more than skill in this sport and that you can apply everything you learned there into your daily life. He used to tell us that a man who can’t be beat won’t be beat. I feel he proved this theory by giving his life trying to rescue his daughter, Sherry, and he was not beaten. My pledge to the community is to help keep the wrestling program going. Oscar did a tremendous job. And I have seen the program grow steadily. Let’s not let it die with the man.

Sincerely,

Kevin Woodruff

Tribute to Coach 

Many people who knew Coach Richardson loved and admired him for himself and what he did for youth. 

As a motto I think he would have said, “Let no man think of himself until all others have been taken care of.”

He took kids off the streets and taught them respect, responsibility for property and people. He would help people before he would consider himself. Even if it took time, money and effort just as long as it was done.

Selfishness was a word that he never heard of, always helping others.

Box Elder came alive when he came with his family.

Teaching and coaching the youth was his pleasure. The first year I watched wrestling was the first year he came. He didn’t have a good year but one trait he had was “never give up for nothing.”

The second year, with a lot of work and worry, he brought out a team of superiority over others, but by a narrow margin so thin, he missed the region Championship.

The third year he went all year and this team he knew could make it and he did!

Speaking for the sophomore football and wrestling team we will all admired him for his hard work. He was truly a man of God.

End for the school board, we feel that you’ll not find a coach like Coach Richardson but we want a coach as close to that fine as you can find.