Dr. Dorothy "Dot" Richardson: Softball

 Future Hall of Famer

Website: http://www.dotrichardson.com/

The Energizer Bunny, the advertising icon famous for his boundless supply of exuberant energy, has nothing on two-time Olympic softball champion and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dot Richardson. Richardson worked to complete medical school and an orthopedic residency, a notoriously taxing task, while simultaneously training to maintain the skill and conditioning of an elite, international athlete. Even more impressive was that she always did so with her trademark smile and contagious enthusiasm for the challenges and blessing that each day brings. Her father Ken confirms that she’s always been extremely energetic. As evidence, he recounts the story of a trip that the family took from Orlando to California when Dot was just nine months old. Sitting still seemed virtually impossible for little Dot and she crawled endlessly around the car, driving her mother Joyce to look for an alternative solution. In a final effort to contain her, says her father, “we put her in a box in the backseat. That’s how she got across the county—in a box.”¹ From that point forward, Dot’s enthusiasm for exploration was virtually uncontainable.

 

Even as a young child, Richardson was tremendously athletic. A talented baseball player, Richardson desired to join a Little League team like her brother at a time when Little League baseball was reserved for boys. After being pleasantly shocked by the skill level of 10 year-old Richardson, one enterprising coach finally offered her a chance to play on his Little League All-Star team—as long as Dot would promise to cut off her hair and dutifully answer to the name “Bob.” Disappointed, the Richardson family politely declined. Just three years later, Richardson would be recognized as a prodigy in the world of women’s softball, becoming the youngest player in the Women’s Major Fast Pitch League at the tender age of 13. Richardson became immersed in the game, learning its nuances from players who were older and more experienced, although sometimes not as talented. When it came time to choose a college, Richardson soon found her way to UCLA, a school with a rich and decorated softball history, after a brief stint at Western Illinois University.

 

During her time at UCLA, Richardson cemented her place as a star in the Bruin constellation and as one of the greatest softball players of all time. She was named the team’s MVP and an All-American in each of the three seasons she played at UCLA. Aside from being a gifted shortstop, Richardson led the team in batting during all three seasons and was a key player during the Bruins’ 1982 National Championship season. In recognition of her stellar physical talents and contributions to the collegiate game, Richardson was named National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Player of the Decade for the 1980s and has also been inducted into the prestigious UCLA Hall of Fame. She also found the time and energy to play basketball at UCLA during the 1984 season, a testament to her athleticism and seemingly bottomless well of energy.

Her accolades and accomplishments in the sport of softball are almost too numerous to mention. Richardson is a 15-time American Softball Association (ASA) All-American selection, a seven-time winner of USA Softball’s MVP award (over three decades no less) and was named the 1996 Athlete of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee. She has been lauded for her athleticism, her volunteerism, her inspirational speaking ability, and her guidance as a role model to young people. She is a four-time Pan American Games gold medalist, again over three different decades, and a two-time gold medalist with the highly decorated U.S. Olympic Softball team. Among her most emotional accomplishments was hitting the game winning home run in softball’s inaugural gold medal game in the 1996 Olympics. While many people would be content to claim these achievements as their contribution to the world, Richardson has always been an advocate of reaching for ones dreams and exploring one’s passions with enthusiasm.

Beyond the diamond, Richardson powered toward her goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon by obtaining a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, then a master’s degree in exercise physiology/health from Adelphi University, and finally a doctorate from the University of Louisville. She then completed an orthopedic residency program and an orthopedic fellowship all while training and competing as one of the world’s elite softball players. She and former teammate (and all-time great) Lisa Fernandez constructed a makeshift batting cage in their third-floor apartment in order to facilitate a way for Richardson to practice while maintaining the grueling schedule of a medical student in residency. The morning after a middle of the night hitting session, a sarcastic note appeared on her door “If you’re going to train for the Olympics,” it read, “please do it at a decent hour.” Fernandez and Richardson were amused. “Nobody knew we really were training for the Olympics,” said Fernandez.²

 

Today, Richardson combines her passions for athletics and medicine as the executive and medical director of the USA Triathlon Training Center in Clermont, Florida, and the founder and commissioner of the ProFastpitch X-treme Tour. Since two major projects could never be enough, she also finds the time and energy to serve as the vice chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. As always, she continues to perform inspirational speaking engagements and actively involves herself in encouraging young people to follow and achieve their dreams. The best representation of Dr. Dot can be found in the encouragement and guidance that she shares with others. “A true champion is someone who wants to make a difference, who never gives up, and who gives everything she has no matter what the circumstances are. A true champion works hard and never loses sight of her dreams.”³ Richardson is certainly a true champion.

 

Notes

1 Austin Murphy, “Dot Richardson,” Sports Illustrated, July 18, 1994.

2 Steve Rushin, “Playing with Heart,” Sports Illustrated, July 29, 1996.

3 Dot Richardson Quote, Heroes & Heroism, QuoteLady, http://www.quotelady.com/subjects/heroes.html.

 This excerpt was written by Catherine Lahey.