Pat Richter


Hugh Vernon "Pat" Richter is the former University of Wisconsin–Madison athletic director and American football player. He was responsible for hiring Barry Alvarez from Notre Dame in 1990 as head football coach, restoring the Badgers football program to national prominence. He also hired basketball coaches Dick Bennett and Bo Ryan, both of whom reached the "Final Four" of the NCAA Tournament.

Playing career

Richter was a nine-time letterman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lettered three times each in football, basketball, and baseball. He was also an All-American end twice. Richter set a Rose Bowl record with 11 catches for 163 yards in the 1963 game vs. No. 1-rated USC Trojans.
He was a first round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in the 1963 NFL Draft and went on to play eight seasons in Washington.

Athletic director

Richter returned to the University of Wisconsin–Madison as athletic director in 1989 after 17 years service as Vice President of Personnel at Oscar Mayer Foods Corp., recruited by then-chancellor Donna Shalala. He inherited a program in disarray, with outmoded facilities, struggling teams, and a deficit of $2.1 million.
He made a priority of modernizing the sports facilities, including construction of the Kohl Center and renovations to Camp Randall Stadium. He reversed the financial fortunes of the department, erasing the deficit and building a budget reserve of $6.4 million.
When he stepped down as athletic director on April 1, 2004, he was the longest-tenured director of athletics in the Big Ten Conference with 14-plus years. He was succeeded by Alvarez.

Legacy

Richter is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. He was named to Sports Illustrated's NCAA Football All-Century Team.
Richter is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison twice honored Richter during the 2006 football season. On November 4, his number 88 was retired in a ceremony during that day's football game. On November 17 a bronze statue of Richter was unveiled in the Kellner Hall plaza immediately outside Camp Randall Stadium.