Richardson, Dorothy

▪ 1997

      As a little girl, U.S. softball player Dot Richardson dreamed of standing on the highest tier of the Olympic podium, bowing her head to receive a gold medal. Amid proud tears, her dream came true in July 1996 at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., as the U.S. team steamrollered into first place with a record of 8-1 in the debut of Olympic softball competition. The 34-year-old team captain blasted three home runs, batted in seven runs, and made only one error at shortstop while her squad's crack pitching staff held opponents to an average of one run a game. The U.S. team had long dominated the sport internationally and in the 10 years preceding the Olympics had posted only one loss in 111 games. Richardson was no small part of that legacy.

      The hardworking veteran, who had been an international champion since winning a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, seemed to reach the zenith of her softball playing just as she was staking out a career as an orthopedic surgeon. Boundless energy and frenetic scheduling allowed her to juggle her medical studies and softball training, for which she even built a batting cage in her bedroom. After graduating from the University of Louisville (Ky.) Medical School, she began her residency at the University of Southern California, from which she took a one-year leave of absence in preparation for the 1996 Olympics.

      Richardson was born on Sept. 22, 1961. Because her father was an air force mechanic, she spent her early years on various military bases in the U.S. and abroad. She first entered softball competition in Orlando, Fla., at the age of 10 and became, at age 13, the youngest player in the Women's Major Fast Pitch League. In 1980 she received collegiate All-American honours at Western Illinois University, where her .480 batting average was the nation's highest. She earned the honour three more times while attending (1981-83) the University of California, Los Angeles, where she led the team in hitting all three years. While being feted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association as Player of the Decade in the 1980s, she helped the U.S. softball team gain international prestige by participating in several Pan American Games and International Softball Federation women's world championships. At the national level, in the Amateur Softball Association, Richardson was named All-American 14 times, best defensive player 7 times, and most valuable player of the championship series 3 times; she also competed in 11 U.S. Olympic Festivals. (TOM MICHAEL)

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