Golden Richards, the renowned receiver for the Dallas Cowboys who scored a touchdown pass off a gadget play in the 1978 Super Bowl and was noted for his flowing blond hair, passed away on Friday at his Murray, Oklahoma, home from congestive heart failure. He was seventy-three.
Lance Richards, Richards’ nephew, posted on Facebook to confirm the death.
Lance Richards commented, “My uncle Golden passed away peacefully this morning.” “I’ll never forget going hunting and having conversations about Dallas Cowboy football. He was a good and gentle man, and I’m glad he’s no longer in pain.”
Having played for seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas, Chicago, and Denver, the former standout player from BYU is most remembered for his more than five years as a deep-play threat with the Cowboys. During his tenure in Dallas, he averaged over 21 yards per reception twice, culminating in a career total of 18.3.
That was particularly clear when Denver was the opponent in the 1978 Super Bowl. Richards went behind the defense to catch a 29-yard touchdown pass from fullback Robert Newhouse with the Cowboys leading 20-10 in the fourth quarter. The play all but guaranteed the Cowboys their second championship.
Before being forced to retire in 1980 due to injury, Richards concluded his career with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He was born and raised in Salt Lake City. After excelling at Granite High School, he went on to play receiver and punt return, leading the country in returns for touchdowns as a junior at neighboring BYU.
While playing for Hawaii in his final season of college, Richards caught 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys were drawn to that and selected him in the second round of the 1973 draft.
According to the Deseret News, Richards battled drug addiction and health issues after retirement, but he spent the last ten years of his life sober.
“Seven or eight years of wear and tear on the football field for a 175-pound wide receiver who was concussed several times, too,” brother Doug Richards, a former basketball player for BYU, said to the newspaper. “That obviously took its toll.”
After receiving a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2011, Richards spent his latter years living with his adult sons, Jordan and Goldie Jr. According to Doug Richards, his brother endured four hip surgeries after breaking his hip on Christmas in 2022.
Doug Richards declared, “He has left us and gone to a better place.” “He fought pretty good there to the end, until it was his time.”
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