Over the weekend news broke of the passing of former Cowboys receiver Golden Richards at the age of 73.
The cause of his death — at his home in Murray, Utah – was given as congestive heart failure. Richards’ nephew, Lance Richards, broke the news in a Facebook post on Friday.
Richards had been 10 years clean after fighting substance abuse addiction.
He had also been battling Parkinson’s since 2011 and recovering from four hip surgeries following a fall in late 2022.
Funeral arrangements are still pending as of this writing.
A Second Round Pick
Born on the last day of 1950 in Salt Lake City, Richards played for BYU in 1970 and 1971. In 22 games he had 50 catches for 799 yards and two touchdowns.
He also added four punt returns for a touchdown in 1971, his junior year.
Richards played his senior year for Hawaii. There he caught 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns.
Those numbers caught the eye of Gil Brandt and the Cowboys.
After taking Billy Joe Dupree with the 20th pick in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft, Dallas made Richards the 46th overall pick in the next round.
He would spend the next five full seasons in Dallas – four as a starter.
Quiet Rookie Season
Richards would suit up in 12 of the Cowboys’ 14 games in 1973. In the third week of the season, he finally saw the field and made a solid debut.
After Roger Staubach had led Dallas to a 31-3 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of the third quarter, Craig Morton took over at quarterback.
Morton connected with Richards on a 53-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring in the fourth. In the same game, fellow rookie Dupree would catch three touchdown passes.
It would be Richards’ only touchdown catch of the regular season in 1973. He finished the year with six catches and 91 yards.
He also returned 21 punts and had one two-yard rush.
Richards did score the Cowboys’ lone touchdown in that season’s NFC Championship game, a 27-10 loss to the Vikings.
His 63-yard punt return for a touchdown cut the Vikings’ lead down to 10-7 in the second quarter. But Dallas’ offense was non-existent.
Teaming Up With 88
In 1973 the Cowboys had added one other receiver to the roster, signing Drew Pearson as an undrafted free agent.
Pearson would have a more productive rookie season, catching 22 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns.
In 1974 Richards and Pearson would be the Cowboys’ starters at wide receiver. And the combo took off.
While Pearson was Staubach’s top target – with 1,087 yards in 1974 followed by three straight 800+ seasons after – Richards was doing damage as the second receiver.
Over the next three years Richards posted yardage of 467, 451, and 414. He caught 26, 21, and 19 passes in this three year run.
And he added five touchdowns in 1974, four the following season, and another three in 1976.
He continued returning punts, adding a touchdown on a 43-yard punt return in a 20-17 win over the Eagles on Oct. 26, 1975.
The Beginning Of The End
In 1976 the Cowboys drafted Butch Johnson and in 1977 followed that up by drafting Tony Hill. Both receivers were taken in the third rounds of their drafts.
While Richards remained the starter opposite Pearson, it was clear that Johnson and Hill were the future in Dallas.
Richards caught just 17 passes for 235 yards but led the receivers with three touchdowns. While DuPree matched that number at tight end, running back Preston Pearson led Dallas with four touchdown catches in 1977.
Johnson took over the punt return duties in 1977 and the writing was on the wall.
Still, Richards would have one last moment in the spotlight.
The Super Bowl Clinching Catch
After catching the first touchdown against the Vikings in the NFC Championship game two weeks earlier, Richards found himself backing up Drew Pearson and Butch Johnson in Super Bowl XII.
He had caught a nine-yard pass near the end of the third quarter. But otherwise, he’d had a quiet game against the Broncos.
With Dallas up 20-10 with seven minutes left, Robert Newhouse threw a pass on a halfback option.
It landed in Richards’ hands for a 29-yard score that sealed the Cowboys’ second NFL championship.
Traded To Chicago
Richards began the 1978 season in Dallas, catching a pass for two yards in the season-opening 38-0 win over Baltimore.
It was his final catch at Texas Stadium wearing the number 83 for the Cowboys. He was traded to Chicago where he would play the rest of 1978 and the first five games in 1979.
He would return to Texas Stadium with the Bears in 1979 and he reminded his former team of why they had drafted him.
On Sept. 16, 1979, in the third game of the year, Richards caught a 52-yard pass from Vince Evans to give Chicago a 13-10 third-quarter lead.
The Cowboys would rally back to win 24-20. A 22-yard pass from Staubach to Hill – the man that had made Richards expendable in Dallas — being the game-winner.
It was Richards’ best game of what proved to be his final year in football. He had three catches for 79 yards.
He would play in two more games for the Bears, catching two passes for 28 yards.
Injuries cut short his 1979 season. He would sign with Denver in 1980, but would retire after the season after being placed on injured reserve that August.