Former Arkansas defensive lineman Richard Richardson dies after testing positive for coronavirus
Former Arkansas defensive line stalwart Richard Richardson is one of the over 20 people in the state of Arkansas who have died from the COVID-19 coronavirus. He was 60 years old.
Per the Pulaski County Coroner, Richardson tested positive for the coronavirus after he was admitted into a hospital on Monday with respiratory issues. When he died he was in the intensive care unit at Little Rock’s Baptist Medical Center.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson identified Richardson as one of the state’s 23 fatalities from the coronavirus on Friday. As of Sunday morning, Yahoo News’ tracker says 27 people have died from coronavirus in the state and there are over 1,200 confirmed cases throughout Arkansas.
Hutchinson also identified Richardson as the state’s first employee to die from the coronavirus. Richardson was working as a substance abuse counselor at a state treatment center.
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Richardson was an All-Southwest Conference player
Richardson had a career that puts him among the defensive line greats in school history. The Little Rock native played at Arkansas from 1979-1982 when the Razorbacks were in the Southwest Conference. He was a team captain as a senior and was a first-team all-conference selection after recording 80 tackles as a nose guard.
“Doughnut was short, but he was quick and strong, violent and a really smart player, too,” former Arkansas center Jay Bequette told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “He knew our line calls and snap counts better than a lot of our offensive linemen did.
“He'd be real calm, and then the ball was snapped and he turned into a maniac. You couldn't get your hands on him.”
Yes, Richardson had an all-time great nickname for a lineman: Doughnut.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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