Collingwood and AFL legend Lou Richards' impact on the game he loved went far beyond his impact on the field with the Magpies.
After his decorated 250-match career ended in 1955, Richards became a media pioneer who changed forever the way football was covered.
First with Melbourne's The Argus newspaper and then later with Channel Seven's World of Sport, Richards began a career that would span half a century.
On March 15, 1923, Lewis Thomas Charles Richards was born in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood into a famous Magpies family.
His grandfather Charlie and uncles Charles and Alby played in a total of six Collingwood premierships between them.
Richards, a nuggety 170cm rover, made his debut for Collingwood in round six of the 1941 season - a 17-point loss to Carlton - under iconic coach Jock McHale and went on to play 13 games.
Known for his ferocious approach on the field, he won his first club goal kicking award in 1944 and achieved the feat again in 1948 and 1950.
In 1952, under coach Phonse Kyne, Richards was named Collingwood captain and went on to skipper the side to a grand final win over Geelong in 1953.
He held the post for four seasons until his retirement at the end of the 1955 season at the age of 32 - his last game a round 17 loss to Essendon.
In 250 games, Richards played in 14 finals, kicked 423 goals and represented Victoria three times.
Richards turned his hand to newspaper journalism after his retirement and joined Channel Seven in 1959 as a match-day commentator, later appearing on hugely popular shows World of Sport and League Teams.
Alongside fellow football legends Jack Dyer and Bob Davis, who became known as 'The Three Wise Monkeys', he brought entertainment to legions of football fans.
Richards, whose quick wit and cheeky manner endeared him to many and earned him the nickname 'Louie the Lip', wrote the hugely popular "Kiss of Death" column in The Sun newspaper.
After a long and illustrious career with Channel Seven, Richards switched to the Nine Network where he appeared on The Footy Show, which featured his famous segment "Lou's Handball".
Richards is a member of the Collingwood and AFL Halls of Fame, with many of the belief he should have already been elevated to Legend status in the latter.
Richards married Edna Bowie in 1948 with their relationship enduring until her death, aged 87, in 2008.
Lou Richards, Collingwood legend, AFL icon and Australian media trailblazer, passed away in Melbourne on Monday, aged 94.
Share
