University of Nevada Athletics

Track & Field (1935-36)
Kenyon Richard set a track record in the long jump that stood for more than a quarter of a century at the University of Nevada. The San Francisco native leaped 24 feet 8 inches in the event in 1935, which stood as a conference record for over 25 years. Although short of stature, Richard had powerful legs and great speed over a short distance. A broken ankle in football curtailed his efforts to improve on his long jump record. A native of Visalia, Calif., Richard was a mining student who earned numerous scholastic honors including Phi Kappa Phi. After graduating magna cum laude from Nevada in 1937, Richard became a world-renowned exploration geologist. His duties took him all over the globe – in the Andes, Australia, the Yukon and many other places – and he and his friend and colleague, Harold Courtright, became perhaps the most famous and successful team in the history of mineral exploration. Richard was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame in 2007.