Leslie Alan Richter (October 6, 1930 – June 12, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of National Football League (NFL). He also served as the head of operations for NASCAR and president of the Riverside International Raceway. Richter was twice a consensus All-American for the California Golden Bears. With the Rams, he played in eight Pro Bowls. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Football career
thumb|left|Richter in 1959
At the University of California, Berkeley, Richter played guard and linebacker for the California Golden Bears. He was twice recognized as a consensus All-American and first-team All-Pacific Coast, in 1950 and 1951. He was valedictorian of his graduating class of 1952. He was a first-round draft choice of the NFL's New York Yanks, the second pick overall, in the 1952 NFL draft. The Yanks folded before the 1952 season, and the Dallas Texans assumed the rights to Richter. They traded him to the Los Angeles Rams for eleven players, the second largest deal ever made for a single player.
During his nine years with the Rams, Richter did not miss a game, playing through various injuries including a broken cheekbone. The Rams struggled during that time, winning six or more games four times in nine seasons.
Richter died on June 12, 2010, at age 79 of a brain aneurysm. The induction class also included Deion Sanders, Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Ed Sabol, and Shannon Sharpe.
Awards
- He was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class in 2002.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009.