Hall of Fame
With James M. Richards on the ice, Macalester College rose to the top of the MIAC, winning back-to-back hockey crowns in 1936 and 1937.
A four-year letterman, Richards centered a line with Stan Stone (Class of '38) and Milt Swanson (Class of '39) on the wings. The threesome composed one of the most potent and feared lines in the league.
Richards was co-captain of the 1936 team along with his brother Ralph (Class of '36) and captain of the 1937 squad. All of the games were played outside on the rink set up just southwest of Old Main. The players did not wear protective helmets.
A special thrill for Richards came when he scored the hat trick (three goals in one game) against rival St. Thomas to lead the Scots to an important conference victory over the Tommies.
"He was quick and shifty," said lineman Swanson. "Jay was a top scorer for us."
Richards was also involved in the Athenean Society, Off-Campus Club, and the music department while at Macalester.
In 1940, Richards went to the U.S. Naval Flight Training School in Pensacola, Fla., earning his wings in 1941. After a year of instructing at Corpus Christi, Texas, he was assigned to the Pacific Theater during World War II. His second tour of duty in the Pacific was a squadron commander in the Marshall Islands.
After the war, Richards returned to Minneapolis, where he worked with Honeywell, Toro, and Haskins and Sells. After earning his CPA, he worked for the U.S. Department of Defense until his retirement in 1976.
Richards met his wife, Geraldine (Class of '40), in harmony class at Macalester, and he says that they have lived in "harmony" ever since their marriage in 1942. They have two sons, Jim (Class of '67) and Tom, and one daughter, Missy. The couple resides in Minneapolis.
