Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards was an Australian rules footballer who played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1941 and 1955.
16 Facts About Lou Richards
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Lou Richards captained the team from 1952 to 1955, including a premiership win in 1953.
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Lou Richards 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.
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Lou Richards was captain of the club for four years, including Collingwood's 1953 premiership team.
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Lou Richards was a very popular commentator on both radio and television, the latter on Channel 7 with his great mates Jack Dyer and Bob Davis.
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Lou Richards appeared on the popular World of Sport program.
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In 1972, Lou Richards was appointed Court Jester to King of Moomba Johnny Farnham and was the King of Moomba himself in 1981.
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Lou 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.
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In 1996, Lou 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.
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Lou Richards was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Lou Richards married Edna Lillian Bowie in 1948; the couple had two daughters.
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On 8 May 2017, Lou Richards died at his nursing home in the Melbourne suburb of Windsor at the age of 94.
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The Lou 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.
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Lou Richards' funeral was attended by many prominent politicians, footballers, coaches, media personalities, family, and friends.
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Lou Richards told me his farewell would be bigger than Texas.
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Lou Richards told me that I'd have to speak at his funeral.