Richard Lee Bass (March 15, 1937 – February 1, 2006) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

from who played for the Los Angeles Rams of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) from 1960 to 1969.

Early life and education

Born in Georgetown, Mississippi in 1937, Bass moved as a youth with his family in the Great Migration to California, where they settled in Vallejo. He had a brother, professional athlete Norm Bass and a sister, Dorothy. Many migrants from the South were attracted to the jobs in defense-related industries and other opportunities. Bass played football and other varsity sports for Vallejo High School in the old

North Bay League The North Coast Section (NCS) is a part of the California Interscholastic Federation, governing the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, up along the northern coast of the state of California, from Fr ...

. Bass blossomed as a three-sport star at Vallejo High, where he ran for 3,690 yards and scored 68 touchdowns in 18 games. Bass scored a state-record 37 touchdowns in 1954, when he led the Apaches to an undefeated season at 9-0. The team averaged 54 points per game in 1954. Bass went on to star at College of the Pacific, now University of the Pacific. ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine described him as a "One-Man Show" in 1958, after he ran for 700 yards in six games to become the season's leading NCAA ground gainer, while passing for the Tigers as well. He was a 1958

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. As a senior in 1958, Bass led the nation in rushing with 1,361 yards, including a dazzling display in the season opener in Berkeley, where he gained 215 yards and scored one touchdown in the Tigers' win over a Cal team that would reach the 1959 Rose Bowl. Bass was named to The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.

Professional career

After being taken by the Rams as the second pick in the 1959 NFL draft, Bass was selected for the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

three times, in

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

, and 1966. He rushed for 1,000 yards in a season two times (1962 and 1966). He finished his career with the Rams in 1969 with 5,417 yards rushing, the most among active players. Following his retirement, he did some work with the NFL alumni association. He also made appearances in TV commercials. He worked as a color analyst on Rams radio broadcasts from 1977 to 1986. He also worked as executive director of the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce (1990-2004). He died at his home at age 68 in

Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census and an estimated 103,949 in 2019. It is the 58th most densely-populated city in California. Founded in the late 19th century, Nor ...

.Ron Kroichick, "Dick Bass: Obituary"
''San Francisco Chronicle'', 4 February 2006, accessed 11 June 2015 Kody Scott, alias Sanyika Shakur, a Los Angeles gang member known as "Monster" reported in his 1998 autobiography that his mother had identified Bass as his father.

Legacy and honors

* 1983 – Inducted as a Charter Member of the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame. * 2005 – Inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. * May 25, 2012 – Vallejo High School football practice field was officially dedicated as "Dick Bass Field". * No. 22 retired by

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific (United States), University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members ...

.RETIRED NUMBERS/JERSEYS
at Pacifictigers.com

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Dick 1937 births 2006 deaths American football running backs Los Angeles Rams announcers Los Angeles Rams players National Football League announcers Pacific Tigers football players Players of American football from California Sportspeople from Vallejo, California Western Conference Pro Bowl players People from Copiah County, Mississippi

Early life and education

Professional career

Legacy and honors

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links