Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-07
RY ALAN ]. GOULD.
Associated Press Sports Editor.

n YEW YORK, January IA
dreamer whose dreams came
NJ true, yet man of action
with the born spirit of a
gambler passes on with the
death of George Lewis (TeX) Richard.
The most dominating as well as most
daring individual promoter in the his
tory of professional sports leaves behind
him, at the age of SO, after over %
years connection with boxing, an I'M
paralleled record of achievement and
success.
Richard entered boxing when it was
generally taboo, an outlaw sport, for
the most part. harried by the law Yet
even then, in 1906, his flair for the
spectacular prompted him to offer a
purse of $751; 900 for the famous Cans
Nelson fight at Goldfield, New.
He leaves the sport on a big bust
ness scale, hobby of society and
fashion, in an era of million dollar
purses for its heavyweight principals
and of costly. almost luxurious arenas
for its setting
Rickard needed rare courage of his
convictions. the vision of a pathfinder
and the skill of a diplomat as we'll as
the chance taking spirit OF gambler to
fit boxing above its rowdy. disreputable
",
He could not separate from the game
all its undesirable elements or features.
But he developed it in New York to a
point where white ShirtfrontS and eve
ming gowns became conspicuous at the
ringslde; and where the stock of its
Madison Square Garden Corporation
obtained standing in Wall Street
Visionary, But Practical.
The general public knew Richard as
keen-eyed, keen-Sighted promoter of
extrayaganzaS. a lean. bronzed figure
with cigar and cane. His business asso-
ciates knew him as a visionary who also
had practical ideas: boxing managers
as a. shrewd handler of situations and
keen analyst of boXofflce values.
To newspapermen, Richards door,
whether to his old tower quarters in
the original Garden or in the more
luxurious suite of the new Garden, was
always open. To old-time boxers and
old associates, men with their fortunes
gone. Tex was a ready-handed friend.
Rlckard always was more interested
In the spectacular side of his ventures.
in the size of his crowds and magnitude
OF the undertaking than in the actual
fights themselves. He possessed an I'M
canny ability to anticipate popular in
terest in his matchmaking, especially
among the heavyweights. He was a
past master at what is now recognized
as the art of the ballyhoo. But it was
the arena and its human importing
that chiefly interested the promoter.
Richard got his biggest thrill out of
the crowd of around 10000, that paid
nearly $4,000, 900 to see the first Demp-
sey-Tunney fight in the rain at Phila-
delphia.
PhiIIy Crowd Thrilled.
'T shall never forget that sight," he
said often. "As looked back from the
ringSide over those thousands, tens of
thousands, it sends the chills up and
down my back"
The chief reason Richard took the
second Dempsey unney fight to Soldier
Field, Chicago, for the greatest of all
heavyweight extravaganzas, was his de-
sire to attract the biggest crowd In
history. He succeeded and the mark
of nearly So, 1000, 600 for the gate from
some $4,000 spectators may stand in
definitely
From the time he came to New York
until the new Madison Square Garden
was completed and opened, in 1925,
Richard envisioned this modern sports
palace as monument to his achieve
nent. Years before it was realized or
even considered more than a dream,
Richard poured over plans and specif1-
cations. 1t took years for him to con-
vince his financial hackers and part
ners that it was worth while.
Richard was intensely proud that the
big men of Wall Street supported him
and that important people IL all walks
of life came to boxing matches as he
raised the standards of their promo
ton. He often spoke of this as one
OF his outstanding achievements.
His slogan. when he first undertook
to promote the game on big scale in
New York, was "a seat for every
customer and every customer in his
own seat" To this, perhaps more than
TO any other idea was due his success
In the great outdoor spectacles ne put
on.
The patrons of boxing who used to