A match made in heaven

A match made in heaven

Dot Richardson has given her life to softball; this summer she
hopes to fulfill a childhood dream

By Brent Boyd

Daily Bruin Contributor

An hour after the UCLA alumni softball game on Sunday, throngs
of adoring fans stood in line for an autograph and a picture of
softball great Dot Richardson.

Whereas many athletes prefer to head home after a long day,
ignoring the masses that await them, Richardson, a former Bruin and
future Olympian, loved every moment of it. Accompanying every
request from the young softball players was the large grin that can
so often be seen on Richardson’s face while playing the game she
loves so much, and in many cases, along came a word of advice to
her fans.

"Don’t play softball because you have a goal to get a
scholarship to college or you want to be part of an Olympic team,"
explained Richardson to a young softball player, whom she
remembered from a clinic held earlier in the day. "Make sure your
goal is to be the best you can be and see how far it takes – you
have to love the game first."

Loving the game is one thing that nobody seems to do better than
Richardson. She enjoys playing softball so much that she is still
playing at the age of 34, not just every once in a while, but
constantly. And this summer she will participate in the 1996
Olympics in Atlanta as part of the first-ever Olympic softball
team.

To do this, Richardson has taken a year’s hiatus from her
residency at USC medical school, where she is training to become an
orthopedic surgeon. Two days after the gold-medal game, she will
begin her third year of the five necessary to become the full-time
surgeon she has always wanted to be.

"The reason I am able to do both is because I have a passion for
both," said Richardson, explaining her ability to stay on top of
two fields – softball and medicine. "I can’t imagine giving either
thing up – I just love both so much."

Richardson believes that all the hard work will pay off when she
takes the field for the first time in Atlanta.

"The feelings will be of energy, excitement and adrenaline – all
the energy from all my years of playing softball will be impacted
into one week of softball," Richardson said. "I have always dreamed
about playing for the United States in athletics since I was a
little girl."

In fact, her road to the Olympics started when she was only 10
years old. Every night when she went to bed, she would conclude her
prayers with, "…and please God, let there be a baseball field in
heaven."

When playing catch with a baseball along with her brother in a
park, she was approached by a coach who wanted to recruit her to
play for his boys baseball team. She was ecstatic at the
proposition until she was told that she would have to cut her hair
and assume the identity of "Bob" on the field. This she refused to
do, but that same day was recruited to play on a ladies softball
team, where the average age was 21.

Richardson continued playing, and at the age of 13 became the
youngest player ever to play in the nationals and began being
recruited by colleges. She initially chose to attend Western
Illinois because its coach laid a guilt trip on her – but she
always knew she wanted to attend UCLA.

While playing in the Pan American Games, the UCLA women’s
basketball coach, and the coach of the contingent in Puerto Rico,
Billie Moore, had a day off and decided to attend the softball
game. She saw Richardson and immediately called UCLA head softball
coach Sharron Backus and told her to recruit Richardson.

Once Richardson discovered UCLA was looking at her, there was no
way of stopping her from going to Westwood.

She transferred to UCLA in her sophomore year, and immediately
felt pride in being a Bruin.

"After my first game at UCLA, I just sat on the bench for a half
hour after the game, taking deep breaths and realizing that I was
living my dream and that I had met my goals," Richardson said.

Richardson’s career would flourish as a Bruin, as she led the
team in hitting every year and became a four time All-American
shortstop. She led UCLA to its first ever NCAA softball
championship in 1982 and was later named the NCAA Player of the
Decade for the 1980s.

"There is no player in the history of the game that can match
her passion for her career," current UCLA co-head coach Sue Enquist
said. "She gave 100 percent every day she wore blue and gold."

This was exemplified in the 1983 NCAA semifinal game. The entire
UCLA starting lineup had come down with a case of food poisoning,
and Richardson was no exception. But she refused to sit on the
bench and and was forced to slide into second base after knocking
out a double.

At this point, she called for a trainer to come out to the field
and she proceeded to vomit into the bucket he had brought with him.
However, this was not enough for Richardson to be removed from the
game, and she eventually came around to score.

Although the Bruins were not able to pull out a victory, they
provided an unforgettable showing of dedication.

"I have never been more proud of any team than that one,"
Richardson said. "We never gave up and gave it the best that we
had. We learned what it really meant to be champions – to do your
best in the circumstances given."

That game ended Richardson’s illustrious collegiate softball
career, but she went on to become a 14-time Amateur Softball
Association All-American selection and has played all over the
world in international tournaments. However, none of those moments
compare to those she had as a Bruin, and all those UCLA memories
came back to her on Sunday when she put the blue and gold uniform
one more time.

"It was as chilling as ever," Richardson said. "I felt like the
first time I ever put it on. The sense of pride and tradition I
felt was just awesome."

Richardson completed the afternoon 2-for-4, scoring one run with
one RBI.

Richardson’s next major competition will be in Atlanta, but she
doesn’t plan to hang up her spikes after the Olympic games.

"I want to continue to play for awhile, because I want to give
back to the youngsters and to see and be a part of the future of
the game," Richardson said. "A coach once told me that once you
learn everything it’s time to hang it up. Well, I haven’t reached
that point yet, as I learn something new every day from the people
I play with and I still love the game."Comments to
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