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| The Dow family. |
Press Release
For all of the attributes that make Rugby such a great game, the respect and comradery that teammates and opponents have for eachother as mutual combatants always seem to prevail. This Saturday the Palmer College of Chiropractic Rugby Dragons will honor all that is good about the sport when they host the KC Blues in a Midwest Conference matchup in Davenport, IA, with the home side holding a planned tribute before the match to Dr. Dow Richards, a longtime Blues Club Man who passed away earlier this year at the age of 44. A former player and team physician for the Blues, Dow along with his wife Susan and their small children Sloane and Brandt, lost a heart-breaking yet inspiring 18-month battle with glioblastoma in January 2015.
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| Dow in his college days with Kansas State Ft. Riley Rugby Club (front left in the front row). |
Palmer Head Coach Joe Lippert reached out to the Blues in January after seeing the news of Dow’s passing on social media, and offered to support a “DowStrong” t-shirt sales campaign the Blues developed to show its support and raise funds for Susan and her infant children. The campaign “DowStrong” was run through teespring.com, and raised over $3K in only a few days following Dow’s death. Coach Lippert offered to do his part in buying a “DowStrong” t-shirt for each of his players, and to wear them prior to the Blues match at Palmer on March 28th to honor Dow. In an act of tremendous respect and comradery that represents all that is great about Rugby, both Palmer and the Blues will be outfitted in their “DowStrong” t-shirts prior to the game in Davenport, and will observe a moment of silence for Dr. Dow Richards before kick-off.
A former player at Kansas State University and for the KC Blues, Dow has been a fervent Blues man since the early 90’s. Dow was a great friend to many of us. As a young and talented Doctor, he was generous with his money, his time, and his talents – having treated and advised on treatment of countless injured Blues over the years – and his sense of humor, his friendship, and his passion for life are greatly missed by all who knew him.
What’s most impressive about Coach Lippert and Palmer Rugby’s generosity is the fact that aside from being close friends with former Palmer and Blues standout Steve Robke, Dow had no other connection to Palmer Rugby. The compassion and support that the Palmer College of Chiropractic Rugby Dragons have shown for a fellow rugby player and medical professional and his family transcends the game. Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s match in Davenport, the support that the Palmer College of Chiropractic Rugby program has provided to the Richards family – and to the Blues – will never be forgotten.