Brandon Richards (born February 6, 1967) is an American

Track and Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete. He was the national high school record holder in the

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

and a son of double Olympic Gold Medalist in the pole vault,

Bob Richards Robert Eugene Richards (born February 20, 1926) is an American retired athlete, minister, and politician. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. He ...

. He is the third of four of Richards' sons who all excelled at the pole vault—Bob Jr. finished second in 1968 and Tom won the CIF California State Meet in the pole vault. Richards began vaulting at age fivehttp://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-06-17/sports/8502080638_1_brandon-richards-pole-vault-meet/2 Chicago Tribune June 17, 1985 and by age 18, he vaulted , which stood as the highest pole vault for a high schooler for 14 years. The record still stands as third best jump for a high schooler and the best ever by a Californian. Richards also set the Indoor record in the pole vault at , which only lasted a year before Pat Manson marginally improved upon it, but it still ranks as the second best ever. Richards' high school record jump was set at an

All-comers track meet All comers track meets are usually small local events, considered the grassroots of the sport of track and field athletics. Organization of these meets can range from "professional" to almost disorganized. Some meets are so small that only a coup ...

in Eugene, Oregon, not in high school competition. He chose not to compete for his San Marcos High School team during his senior year. As a junior, Richards was the Texas state champion at

Midway High School Midway High School is a public high school located in the city of Waco, Texas, USA and classified as a 6A school by the UIL. It is part of the Midway Independent School District, which serves the Waco, Texas area. Although the school is located ...

. Richards' set his personal record five years later at . That mark is the Richards family record, but not in contention with the 19-foot vaulters in the Olympics. He ranks number 260 on the all-time list. Richards attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

, where he is ranked as the #10 vaulter in school history.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ucla/sports/m-track/auto_pdf/m-alltime-top10.pdf

References

External links

California State Records before 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Brandon 1967 births Living people Sportspeople from Santa Barbara, California Sportspeople from Waco, Texas American male pole vaulters American track and field coaches UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from California San Marcos High School (Santa Barbara, California) alumni