Lewis Thomas Charles Richards RIP

LEWIS THOMAS CHARLES RICHARDS
Born: March 15, 1923
Dies: May 8, 2017
Collingwood: 1941-55, 250 games, 423 goals
Captain: 1952-55
Premiership captain: 1953
Leading goalkicker: 1944, '48, '50
Victorian representative: three games
Hall of Fame: Collingwood
Hall of Fame: AFL

March 15, 1923: Born Lewis Thomas Charles Richards.
1941: Makes Collingwood debut in Round 6 v Carlton, following in the footsteps of grandfather Charlie Pannam and uncles Charles and Alby Pannam.
1944: Leads Collingwood's goalkicking for the first time.
1947: Represents Victoria for the first time.
1948: Collingwood leading goalkicker and Victorian representative. Marries Edna Lillian Bowie.
1950: Collingwood leading goalkicker.

Lou Richards played 250 games for Collingwood.

1952: Appointed Collingwood captain, leads Magpies to a losing Grand Final v Geelong.
1953: Leads Collingwood to a drought-breaking premiership, reversing the previous year's result v Geelong. The flag is the Pies' first in 17 years.
1955: Retires after 250 games.
1956: Replaces great friend Jack Dyer as resident tipster at The Sun. His Kiss of Death column becomes legendary due to the outrageous dares he took on if his tips failed. "Louie the Lip" once had to cut Ted Whitten's lawn with nail scissors, while he rowed along the Barwon River in a bathtub with Billy Goggin another time.

Lou Richards with great mate Jack Dyer at the MCG.

1959: Joins Channel 7 and forms part of the original World of Sport panel with Jack Dyer and Ron Casey. Also stars with Dyer and Bob Davis on Seven's League Teams on Thursday nights. Over 26 years with the station, he not only features prominently on two of football's most popular shows, but provides match-day commentary on games and is a regular on radio.
1972: Appointed Court Jester to King of Moomba John Farnham. Becomes King of Moomba himself in 1981.
1987: Switches to Channel 9 after Channel 7 loses the football rights for a year. He becomes a regular on both The Footy Show and The Sunday Footy Show, where `Lou's Handball' was a highlight.

Lou Richards and Max Walker on the set of The Sunday Footy Show.

1996: Inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.
2004: Named captain of the Greek Team of the Century.
2008: Wife Edna dies, aged 87, following a three-year battle with dementia.
2009: In his own poor health, Richards ends his 67-year involvement with football. Stops hosting "Lou's Handball" and remains mostly out of the public eye.
2014: Immortalised with a bronze statue at the club's headquarters.
2017: Dies, aged 94, just two days after Collingwood celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Lou Richards with the 1953 premiership cup.