Richard had been an advocate of baseball and sports since his early youth. He played in various Little League games. In high school he excelled in baseball. He won a State Championship in the late 1930's.He played semi-pro baseball in Wichita in 1938 and was scouted by Major League baseball teams. Shortly after, he was drafted by the St. Louis Browns organization. He joined the Air Force during World War II and was stationed in England. During that time he flew 26 combat missions over Germany and served as a gunner.

After the was he returned home to Wichita and began helping coach the youth boys baseball program. In 1987, he accompanied J.D. Schneider to Hutchinson to buy the Hutchinson Broncos Baseball Team which has made history the last ten years, including a recent relocation to their new home in El Dorado.