In Murray, Utah Golden Richards, the renowned wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys who famously grabbed a touchdown pass off a gadget play in the 1978 Super Bowl, passed away on Friday at his Murray, Oklahoma, home from congestive heart failure. Richards was also noted for his flowing blonde hair. He was seventy-three.
Lance Richards, Richards’ nephew, posted on Facebook to confirm the death.Lance Richards commented, “My uncle Golden passed away peacefully this morning.” “I’ll never forget going hunting and having conversations about Dallas Cowboy football. He was a good and gentle man, and I’m glad he’s no longer in pain.
In the 1978 Super Bowl against the Broncos, with the Cowboys ahead 20-10 in the fourth quarter, fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Richards, who got behind the defense to all but assure the Cowboys of their second championship. The former BYU star spent seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas, Chicago, and Denver, but is best known for his five-plus seasons as a deep-play threat with the Cowboys. He twice averaged more than 21 yards per catch, ending his time in Dallas with an 18.3 career mark.
Before being forced to retire in 1980 due to injury, Richards concluded his career with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, he excelled at Granite High School and later at neighboring BYU, where he played punt return and receiver. As a junior, he set a national record with four touchdown returns.While playing for Hawai’i, Richards caught 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns during his final season in college. The Cowboys were drawn to that and selected him in the second round of the 1973 draft.
According to the Deseret News, Richards battled drug addiction and health issues after retirement, but he spent the last ten years of his life sober.
Brother Doug Richards, a former BYU basketball player, told the newspaper, “seven or eight years of wear and tear on the football field for a 175-pound wide receiver who was concussed several times too.” “That obviously took its toll.”After receiving a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2011, Richards spent his latter years living with his adult sons, Jordan and Goldie Jr. According to Doug Richards, his brother endured four hip surgeries after breaking his hip on Christmas in 2022.
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