Vale Lou Richards

[Sainternist]

Sure, he is a Collingwood legend, but he's also a legend of the game. He retired as a footballer well before my time, but I have fond memories of him in the media: calling games for Channel 7, being on the World of Sport panel, League Teams and then his times after crossing over to Channel 9 and teaming up with big Maxy Walker and being in his baby high chair on the Sunday Footy Show panel, with his often hilarious handball competition...FORT-EYE - FORT-EYE-FIVE-EYE...MOVE THE TARGET!!!.

He was always so lively, wisecracking and fun loving. The game hasn't had anyone quite like Little Louie the Lip.

I remember he did a fantastic story on Tony Lockett for Nine's Sunday Sports show in 1987, just after Plugger kicked his 100th goal for the season and a memorable win over Footscray at Moorabbin. Of course Plugger was very media shy back then, but Little Louie found a way of getting the big fella to give us a glimpse of his life outside of footy.

Here's a classic Lou moment singing a ditty with Bill Collins (race caller) on the old WOS:

What are some of your favourite Lou Richards moments?

[loris]

Sure, he is a Collingwood legend, but he's also a legend of the game. He retired as a footballer well before my time, but I have fond memories of him in the media: calling games for Channel 7, being on the World of Sport panel, League Teams and then his times after crossing over to Channel 9 and teaming up with big Maxy Walker and being in his baby high chair on the Sunday Footy Show panel, with his often hilarious handball competition...FORT-EYE - FORT-EYE-FIVE-EYE...MOVE THE TARGET!!!.

He was always so lively, wisecracking and fun loving. The game hasn't had anyone quite like Little Louie the Lip.

I remember he did a fantastic story on Tony Lockett for Nine's Sunday Sports show in 1987, just after Plugger kicked his 100th goal for the season and a memorable win over Footscray at Moorabbin. Of course Plugger was very media shy back then, but Little Louie found a way of getting the big fella to give us a glimpse of his life outside of footy.

Here's a classic Lou moment singing a ditty with Bill Collins (race caller) on the old WOS:

What are some of your favourite Lou Richards moments?

The Lou Richard's 'Kiss Of Death', that was if he picked a team to win, invariably the team would lose.

I can recall once he made the statement, "If < can't recall the team > win tomorrow, I'll sweep Bourke Street with a feather duster". The team won - there was 'Louie The Lip', on the Monday on all fours, sweeping a block length of Bourke St with a feather duster. There was a well known policeman, nicknamed 'The Skull', who was always on point duty at the corner of Bourke & Swanston Streets. The Skull held up the traffic - even trams - until Lou had completed his sweep. In those days Bourke Street wasn't a Mall. Even tho The Skull detoured some cars, there was still a traffic jam.

Lou Richards always appeared a happy little fellow, and really engaged with the common man.

He leaves a wonderful legacy, of making many, many people laugh and feel happy. Thanks Lou, I laughed along with you many a time.

[Sainternist]

Lou Richards always appeared a happy little fellow, and really engaged with the common man.

You said it, Loris! He was always on the same level as the footy fans and didn't take himself too seriously. He was always jolly good fun.

[stonecold]

Only good thing to ever come out of Collingwood!!!!!

RIP, Louie the lip!!!!!

[Vazelos]

Everybody loved Louie the Lip. An icon of the game. RIP

[Joffa Burns]

I was at the final of the Kooyong Classice between LLeyton hewitt and Jo Wifred Tsonga about 2011 or 2012.

We were sitting in a box right on courtside same level as the court.
Louie got was pushed in a wheelchair into a box right next door to us he would hve been late 80's, couldnt move about but very sound of mind.
The walls were open, it was marquee like, it was hot and we'd had a few beers so we said good'aye to him, he was happy to speak and asked who we all baracked for etc, very accomodating.

At one stage Lou who must have been hard of hearing said quite loudly to a middle aged man (who I guess was his son in law) "where does Jo Wifred Tsonga came from?
The man answered that Tsonga was French!
French says Louie loudly, wouldn't have guessed that, he looks like a (expletive) Spear Chucker!

Now we didnt know whether to laugh or cry neither did those in his box sow as if by unspoken mutual agreemenet everyone pretended he did not say it.
Maybe I shouldn't have related the story

[bigcarl]

Little Louie ... by golly what a legend he was.

He and Captain Blood Jack Dyer together were a feature of TV and often hilarious.

Lou: I never slept with my wife before we were married. How about you Jack?

Jack: I don't know. What was her maiden name?

RIP Louie, they don't make em like they used to.

[SaintPav]

I remeber Lou Richards would come into my old man's business back in the 70s and 80s when he had the Phoenix Hotel which was just around the corner and across the road from the old Herald Sun Building. All the old journos like Tom Pryor used to come in. Lou was a nice man but he did have a serious side especially when it came to business.

Great place for a kid to spend school holidays!

[White Winmar]

I was at the final of the Kooyong Classice between LLeyton hewitt and Jo Wifred Tsonga about 2011 or 2012.

We were sitting in a box right on courtside same level as the court.
Louie got was pushed in a wheelchair into a box right next door to us he would hve been late 80's, couldnt move about but very sound of mind.
The walls were open, it was marquee like, it was hot and we'd had a few beers so we said good'aye to him, he was happy to speak and asked who we all baracked for etc, very accomodating.

At one stage Lou who must have been hard of hearing said quite loudly to a middle aged man (who I guess was his son in law) "where does Jo Wifred Tsonga came from?
The man answered that Tsonga was French!
French says Louie loudly, wouldn't have guessed that, he looks like a (expletive) Spear Chucker!

Now we didnt know whether to laugh or cry neither did those in his box sow as if by unspoken mutual agreemenet everyone pretended he did not say it.
Maybe I shouldn't have related the story

Nothing wrong with telling the truth in an anecdote, JB. Lou was a great man, but he wasn't perfect. Nobody is. Personally, I like hearing all the stories, good and not so good about people we admire. It makes them more human and brings them closer to us. Let's not forget that he was a man brought up in a different era. He was also a shocking hypochondriac, something his mates constantly ribbed him about.

I remember when Andrew Rule did his warts and all feature on the great Ted Whitten. There was outrage. He even got death threats for daring to suggest that Ted was a serial philanderer, who also had several peculiar paraphilias. I'm good mates with Andrew and as always he did his research very thoroughly. Most of the stories had been circulating for years, anyway.

Lou remains one of the biggest and most popular names in football. He achieved many great things and brought a lot of pleasure to a great many people. He deserves the accolades. Vale Lou.

[The Fireman]

Is it just me or did anyone else have the impression that Lou, Dyer , Davis and Ron Casey were universally liked as opposed to those in the media these days ?

Even Newman polarises people not to mention the bloke who is hosting the Footy show atm who it seems nobody likes.

It's hard to find one presenter that is universally liked.....maybe Jonathon Brown but he along with a few other dont have the air time that Lou and the others had.

[Sainternist]

I was at the final of the Kooyong Classice between LLeyton hewitt and Jo Wifred Tsonga about 2011 or 2012.

We were sitting in a box right on courtside same level as the court.
Louie got was pushed in a wheelchair into a box right next door to us he would hve been late 80's, couldnt move about but very sound of mind.
The walls were open, it was marquee like, it was hot and we'd had a few beers so we said good'aye to him, he was happy to speak and asked who we all baracked for etc, very accomodating.

At one stage Lou who must have been hard of hearing said quite loudly to a middle aged man (who I guess was his son in law) "where does Jo Wifred Tsonga came from?
The man answered that Tsonga was French!
French says Louie loudly, wouldn't have guessed that, he looks like a (expletive) Spear Chucker!

Now we didnt know whether to laugh or cry neither did those in his box sow as if by unspoken mutual agreemenet everyone pretended he did not say it.
Maybe I shouldn't have related the story

Nothing wrong with telling the truth in an anecdote, JB. Lou was a great man, but he wasn't perfect. Nobody is. Personally, I like hearing all the stories, good and not so good about people we admire. It makes them more human and brings them closer to us. Let's not forget that he was a man brought up in a different era. He was also a shocking hypochondriac, something his mates constantly ribbed him about.

I remember when Andrew Rule did his warts and all feature on the great Ted Whitten. There was outrage. He even got death threats for daring to suggest that Ted was a serial philanderer, who also had several peculiar paraphilias. I'm good mates with Andrew and as always he did his research very thoroughly. Most of the stories had been circulating for years, anyway.

Lou remains one of the biggest and most popular names in football. He achieved many great things and brought a lot of pleasure to a great many people. He deserves the accolades. Vale Lou.

Yes, warts and all is absolutely necessary for any biography. End the day, they were only human, like you and me.

Where can I find Andrew Rule's account of Teddy? Sounds like compulsive reading.

I also liked the honesty in JB's anecdote. Poor old Lou would have been pretty long in the tooth by then. He was of a different generation, where those types of comments were made and not many really battered an eyelid to it. Lou's joke about Tsonga being a "spear chucker" was greeted with silence, which was the appropriate reaction. Call me racist or whatever accusation, but I would have found it hard not to laugh at that...well, at least on the inside. There's nothing funny about racism, but when it's coming from a crotchety old man and everyone just rolls their eyes and pretends he didn't say it as reaction, it's sort of comical.

[White Winmar]

The Andrew Rule article was in the Herald Sun a couple of years ago, Sainter Dad. I'll give the Ruler a shout and see exactly when it was published. There wasn't much in it that was bad, and it covered all the usual good bits. I doubt the less savoury things had never been covered before. Many people don't like their heroes being anything less than the idealistic image they have of them.

[saintsRrising]

I was at the final of the Kooyong Classice between LLeyton hewitt and Jo Wifred Tsonga about 2011 or 2012.

We were sitting in a box right on courtside same level as the court.
Louie got was pushed in a wheelchair into a box right next door to us he would hve been late 80's, couldnt move about but very sound of mind.
The walls were open, it was marquee like, it was hot and we'd had a few beers so we said good'aye to him, he was happy to speak and asked who we all baracked for etc, very accomodating.

At one stage Lou who must have been hard of hearing said quite loudly to a middle aged man (who I guess was his son in law) "where does Jo Wifred Tsonga came from?
The man answered that Tsonga was French!
French says Louie loudly, wouldn't have guessed that, he looks like a (expletive) Spear Chucker!

Now we didnt know whether to laugh or cry neither did those in his box sow as if by unspoken mutual agreemenet everyone pretended he did not say it.
Maybe I shouldn't have related the story

There have been reports from about 2008 onwards of Dementia starting to take its toll on him...

Certainly if you watch videos of him of about the date you mention, he is struggling a bit. However those with dementia can be up and down as anyone will know if they have had, or do have, a friend or relative afflicted by it. Behavior can radically change.

And you will see posts commenting on him having dementia

Rodwin1980 4 years ago
Its a real shame to see the dementia that's taken its toll on him, but he is a living sporting treasure. He is the only Collingwood player I've ever liked.

Personally I would think that quoting what people suffering from Dementia are saying should not be done.

[markp]

Yeah I think we were (gradually) robbed of Lou years ago, and his body has finally followed. Dementia is a truly vile thing.

He was one of the (last of the) great footy men, when it was a local game played between the villages and tribes of Melbourne. We will not see the likes of him or it again.

Vale Lou.

[Enrico_Misso]

Wonder if Lou left one last recipe?
When I was young League Teams was compulsory viewing every Thursday night.
Sadly all three of the wise monkeys are now gone.

[saintspremiers]

Wonder if Lou left one last recipe?
When I was young League Teams was compulsory viewing every Thursday night.
Sadly all three of the wise monkeys are now gone.

They may as well now show League Teams on channel 7 at 10.30 for a few weeks now. Better than the crap we
get now.

And get Barrett & Hutchy to watch it also.

[Sainternist]

Here's a wonderful League Teams reunion special from around the mid 90s. Here the three wise monkeys discuss the great grand finals of the 1960s:

[saynta]

I like all true footy supporters loved Lou.

I loved watching League teams.

The current mob can only dream of getting about a tenth of the ratings and love that Lou, Bob and Jack generated. They were the highlight of my week.

But this is a footy forum and whilst you all probably don't want the facts to get in the way of a good story and a love in, we should never forget that Lou was a Collingwood (filth) player.

As a footballer he was well known as an ankle tapper. My father who may have encountered him on a footy field told me he was a filthy little kicker. I saw him play and would have to agree with my dad although my actual memories are a bit faint through the passage of time.

[loris]

Here's a wonderful League Teams reunion special from around the mid 90s. Here the three wise monkeys discuss the great grand finals of the 1960s:

Great clip Sainternist.

I loved Lou sending a cheerio to Mrs Yabby. He always used to go on about Alan Jeans not having a clue, and Mrs Yabby used to select the Saints team every week, and Mrs Yabby used to work out what training drills he had to get the Saints to do each week.

Great memories from that clip, also the names of the players in the various teams - enjoyable to reflect back on those nights watching League Teams, it was a never miss program at our home.

[Sainternist]

Here's a wonderful League Teams reunion special from around the mid 90s. Here the three wise monkeys discuss the great grand finals of the 1960s:

Great clip Sainternist.

I loved Lou sending a cheerio to Mrs Yabby. He always used to go on about Alan Jeans not having a clue, and Mrs Yabby used to select the Saints team every week, and Mrs Yabby used to work out what training drills he had to get the Saints to do each week.

Great memories from that clip, also the names of the players in the various teams - enjoyable to reflect back on those nights watching League Teams, it was a never miss program at our home.

Glad you enjoyed it, Loris. Sadly, that is the only episode of League Teams I could find on Youtube. Would love it if someone put together a montage of some of the greatest moments together from the years it was going. I was a bit young for it when it was originally going, but I certainly have memories of seeing Lou, Jack and Bob on WOS back in the 80s. I love how they always gave out the Bertocchi hams and a big container of honey to all the guests. There was never a shortage of those Bertocchi hams!

But this is a footy forum and whilst you all probably don't want the facts to get in the way of a good story and a love in, we should never forget that Lou was a Collingwood (filth) player.

As a footballer he was well known as an ankle tapper. My father who may have encountered him on a footy field told me he was a filthy little kicker. I saw him play and would have to agree with my dad although my actual memories are a bit faint through the passage of time.

Yes, I heard Little Louie was dirty little bugger on the field. Probably a real pest like Tony Shaw was. Off the field, there didn't seem to be a nasty bone in Lou's body though.

Did you ever get to see Jack Dyer player, Saynta? I have a feeling he was just a bit before your time. Boy, he sounded like a real ruffian.

[Teflon]

sainternist thanks for sharing that - laughed all the way through it! THATS entertainment....sadly today isnt even a shadow of what these legends brought to the game...
loved the irreverence and finally found out why Catholics have bigger balls than protestants.........sold more tickets! (gold).

[minneapolis]

Here's a wonderful League Teams reunion special from around the mid 90s. Here the three wise monkeys discuss the great grand finals of the 1960s:

I just watched it. Absolutely classic gold.

Did you catch this bit?

Lou: "What about me. I kicked six goals in a Grand Final and I played with a broken leg. The bone was sticking out and I had mecurochrome on the end of it so I wouldn't give anyone tetanus."

Do yourself a favor. Watch it.

[saynta]

Here's a wonderful League Teams reunion special from around the mid 90s. Here the three wise monkeys discuss the great grand finals of the 1960s:

Great clip Sainternist.

I loved Lou sending a cheerio to Mrs Yabby. He always used to go on about Alan Jeans not having a clue, and Mrs Yabby used to select the Saints team every week, and Mrs Yabby used to work out what training drills he had to get the Saints to do each week.

Great memories from that clip, also the names of the players in the various teams - enjoyable to reflect back on those nights watching League Teams, it was a never miss program at our home.

Glad you enjoyed it, Loris. Sadly, that is the only episode of League Teams I could find on Youtube. Would love it if someone put together a montage of some of the greatest moments together from the years it was going. I was a bit young for it when it was originally going, but I certainly have memories of seeing Lou, Jack and Bob on WOS back in the 80s. I love how they always gave out the Bertocchi hams and a big container of honey to all the guests. There was never a shortage of those Bertocchi hams!

But this is a footy forum and whilst you all probably don't want the facts to get in the way of a good story and a love in, we should never forget that Lou was a Collingwood (filth) player.

As a footballer he was well known as an ankle tapper. My father who may have encountered him on a footy field told me he was a filthy little kicker. I saw him play and would have to agree with my dad although my actual memories are a bit faint through the passage of time.

Yes, I heard Little Louie was dirty little bugger on the field. Probably a real pest like Tony Shaw was. Off the field, there didn't seem to be a nasty bone in Lou's body though.

Did you ever get to see Jack Dyer player, Saynta? I have a feeling he was just a bit before your time. Boy, he sounded like a real ruffian.

No, not sure when Jack retired, but I don't remember ever seeing him on a footy field.

I remember watching a lot of great players though, Coleman, Murray and Whitten stand out.

[saintbrat]

I have video of when Plugger took Lou and spud in the speed boat on Lake Learmonth - scared him witless

Here is his visit to the Spud farm
http://m.saints.com.au/video/2017-05-11 ... s-bungaree

[Sainternist]

I have video of when Plugger took Lou and spud in the speed boat on Lake Learmonth - scared him witless

Here is his visit to the Spud farm
http://m.saints.com.au/video/2017-05-11 ... s-bungaree

Yes, I remember that very funny part where he got the ride of his life in Plugger's speedboat. Little Louie was never scared to get his hands dirty. As Loris said, he always engaged with the common folk (the people).

I was just about to post Lou's trip to Bungaree where he got to meet Spud Frawley. Danny comes across as a very down to earth lad in it. It was also great to see one of my old favourite players Greg Burns make an appearance. Here's the Youtube link: