Ray Richards Raymond W . Richards ( July 16 , 1906 – September 18 , 1974 ) was an American football player and coach on both the collegiate and professional levels , including head coach for the National Football League ' s Chicago Cardinals . Richards was an All - America n lineman at the University of Nebraska from 1927 – 1929 , then joined the NFL ' s Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1930 . During his playing days , he became known for a notorious move that has since been outlawed : the " lift " , in which Richards used his elbow to hit the opposing center as he snapped the ball . Moves such as that helped him in his off - season pursuit of wrestling , an endeavor that saw him travel across the country competing in matches . Richards played two seasons with the Yellow Jackets until the team disbanded in 1931 , then he shifted to Chicago , where he played another two seasons with George Halas ' s Bears . In 1934 , he moved on to play a season with the Detroit Lions , who had just moved from their previous home in Portsmouth , Ohio . After a final season with the Bears the next year , Richards headed west to serve as a player - coach for two seasons with the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the fledgling American Football League , helping the team finish undefeated during his second year . On April 5 , 1937 , he was appointed line coach at UCLA , where he served under three different head coaches over the next decade . In an era marked by the looming specter of World War II , Richards was part of two Bruin squads that competed in the Rose Bowl . He resigned on December 11 , 1947 , and took a similar position in 1948 at nearby Pepperdine University . One season working with the Waves ' linemen led to Richards ' s promotion to head coach on April 26 , 1949 . After two seasons in that capacity , he was let go on January 19 , 1951 due to budget cuts , but found work seven weeks later as an assistant with the NFL ' s Los Angeles Rams . During his first year working under close friend Joe Stydahar , the team captured the NFL championship , but then dropped a first - round playoff game in 1952 after Stydahar was fired early in the season . Richards was dismissed after the season , but was hired by the Baltimore Colts on January 12 , 1953 . When Stydahar was named head coach of the Chicago Cardinals just weeks later , he attempted to bring Richards along , but NFL commissioner Bert Bell stopped this effort , citing Richards ' s signed contract with the Colts . After a disastrous campaign in which the Colts finished 3 - 9 , Richards was among the coaches let go , allowing him to join the Cardinals ' staff . The 1954 campaign proved to be even worse as the team won just two of 12 games , giving them a 3 - 20 - 1 record under Stydahar ' s leadership . That lack of success resulted in a coaching change on June 2 , 1955 , when Stydahar was fired and Richards was elevated to head coach . Following a 4 - 7 - 1 season , the team appeared to be improving with a 7 - 5 mark in 1956 . However , a 3 - 9 season the year after made another coaching change inevitable , and Richards resigned on January 4 , 1958 . Among the reasons Richards was unable to fashion a winner was his insistence on playing quarterback Lamar McHan , whose lack of leadership skills were often cited as the team ' s weak spot . Richards ’ s last stop would be one month later when he was hired as defensive assistant under Ray McLean with the Green Bay Packers . However , a 1 - 10 - 1 finish in the 1958 season resulted in Richards announcing his retirement from coaching . In his post - football career , Richards would serve as a vice president of Pemaco , Inc . , a Los Angeles - based chemical company . He died of lung cancer in Brea , California at the age of 68 . His heart was on the right and his apendix and all other organs were on the wrong side .