Early on Friday morning, John “Golden” Richards passed suddenly in his Murray, Utah, home from congenital heart failure, according to his brother Doug.
Golden Richards, a former wide receiver for the BYU and Dallas Cowboys, was one of the most gifted and troubled athletes Utah has ever produced. He battled numerous health issues and prescription drug abuse issues that plagued his later years before passing away early on Friday morning in his Murray home from congestive heart failure.
He was 73.
Doug Richards, a former standout basketball player for BYU, revealed, “He has left us and gone to a better place.” “Until it was his turn, he fought very good there to the end.”
According to Doug Richards, his brother had a hip fracture on Christmas Day in 2022 and underwent four hip surgeries, all of which exacerbated his deteriorating health.
According to Doug, his mental abilities had also been fast declining.
“Seven or eight years of wear and tear for a 175-pound wide receiver who also suffered multiple concussions on the football field,” Doug remarked. “That clearly had an impact.”
Golden Richards signed a football contract with BYU after graduating from Granite High School in Salt Lake City and earning all-state accolades in football, basketball, and track.
In remembrance of his childhood hero, retired Cowboys receiver Bob Hayes, he selected the No. 22 jersey. He went on to play for the Cowboys from 1973 to 1978.
In the 1978 Super Bowl, Richards scored a touchdown throw from 29 yards out to help the Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos 27-10.
He was regarded as the team’s fastest player at BYU, where as a sophomore, he caught 36 receptions for 513 yards and a touchdown.
He was BYU’s top receiver in his junior year, and he also had 33 punt returns for 624 yards at an average of 17.9. In addition to being named All-WAC, he led the country in punt return yards and ranked 16th in all-purpose yards.
Prior to sustaining a knee injury that would sideline him for the duration of his professional career, Richards transferred to Hawaii for his senior year. There, he caught 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns.
1974 was his greatest season as a Cowboy, with 26 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns.
He played for the Chicago Bears in 1978–1979 and the Broncos in 1980 before ending his professional career.
Richards, who was well-known for his long blond hair and movie star appearance, experimented with television after retiring and appeared on the program “ESPN Outdoors.”
Richards started a protracted and agonizing road towards alcoholism and drug addiction shortly after he retired, which resulted in numerous legal troubles. However, he never ran from his concerns and, according to his brother, he eventually sobbed for the final ten years of his life.
In 2011, he received a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
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