Pat Richter
Encyclopedia
Hugh Vernon Richter is the former University of Wisconsin–Madison
athletic director
and American football
player. He was responsible for hiring Barry Alvarez
from Notre Dame
in 1990 as head football
coach, restoring the Badgers
football program to national prominence.
three times each in football, basketball
and baseball
. He was also an All-America
n tight end
twice. Richter set a Rose Bowl
record with 11 catches for 163 yards in the 1963
game vs. No. 1-rated USC
Trojans
.
He was a first round draft pick of the Washington Redskins
in the 1963 NFL Draft
and went on to play eight seasons in Washington.
of Personnel at Oscar Mayer Foods Corp.
, recruited by then-chancellor Donna Shalala
. He inherited a program in disarray, with outmoded facilities, struggling teams, and a deficit of $2.1 million.
He made a priority of modernizing the University's sports facilities, including construction of the Kohl Center
and renovations to Camp Randall Stadium
. He reversed the financial fortunes of the department, erasing the deficit and building a budget reserve of $6.4 million.
When he stepped down as athletic director on April 1, 2004, he was the longest-tenured director of athletics in the Big Ten Conference
with 14-plus years. He was succeeded by Alvarez.
, the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
. He was named to Sports Illustrateds NCAA Football All-Century Team.
Richter is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C.
National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison twice honored Richter during the 2006 football season. On November 4, his number 88 was retired in a ceremony during that day's football game. On November 17 a bronze statue
of Richter was unveiled in the Kellner Hall plaza immediately outside Camp Randall Stadium.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He was responsible for hiring Barry Alvarez
Barry Alvarez
Barry Alvarez is a former American football player and coach and currently the Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served as the head football coach at Wisconsin for 16 seasons from 1990 to 2005, compiling a career college football record of 118–73–4...
from Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
in 1990 as head football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach, restoring the Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
football program to national prominence.
Playing career
Richter was one of Wisconsin's most-storied student-athletes. He was a nine-time letterman (the last person to earn such a distinction in school history), letteringVarsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
three times each in football, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He was also an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
twice. Richter set a Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
record with 11 catches for 163 yards in the 1963
1963 Rose Bowl
The 1963 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1963 at the end of the 1962 college football season. It was the 49th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42–37...
game vs. No. 1-rated USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
.
He was a first round draft pick of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in the 1963 NFL Draft
1963 NFL Draft
The 1963 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1962.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
and went on to play eight seasons in Washington.
Athletic Director
Richter returned to the University of Wisconsin–Madison as athletic director in 1989 after 17 years service as Vice PresidentVice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of Personnel at Oscar Mayer Foods Corp.
Oscar Mayer
Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut production company, owned by Kraft Foods, known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon and Lunchables products.-History:...
, recruited by then-chancellor Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalala served for eight years as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton and has been president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, since 2001. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest...
. He inherited a program in disarray, with outmoded facilities, struggling teams, and a deficit of $2.1 million.
He made a priority of modernizing the University's sports facilities, including construction of the Kohl Center
Kohl Center
The Kohl Center is an arena and athletic center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The building, which opened in 1998, is the home of the university's men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams. Seating capacity is variable, as the center can be rearranged to accommodate...
and renovations to Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...
. He reversed the financial fortunes of the department, erasing the deficit and building a budget reserve of $6.4 million.
When he stepped down as athletic director on April 1, 2004, he was the longest-tenured director of athletics in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
with 14-plus years. He was succeeded by Alvarez.
Legacy
Richter is a member of the College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame is a promenade in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dedicated to honoring distinguished members of Wisconsin's sports history. New members are honored at a biennial banquet.-History:...
. He was named to Sports Illustrateds NCAA Football All-Century Team.
Richter is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C.
The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C.
The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C., Inc. was founded in 1938 with the goals of "improving relationship between persons interested in the game of football; that there may be given encouragement for good, clean sport; that there may be a more perfect understanding among such persons; and, that...
National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison twice honored Richter during the 2006 football season. On November 4, his number 88 was retired in a ceremony during that day's football game. On November 17 a bronze statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Richter was unveiled in the Kellner Hall plaza immediately outside Camp Randall Stadium.
External links
- "The Richter Era" from the University of Wisconsin–Madison's website
- Announcement of Richter's retirement and review of his career
- Richter ends 14-year tenure The Daily CardinalThe Daily CardinalThe Daily Cardinal is a student newspaper that serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison community. The sixth oldest daily student newspaper in the country, it began publishing on Monday, April 4, 1892...
- Pat Richter's professional stats