At 13 Dr. Dot Richardson played in first ASA Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship, making her the youngster player in ASA history to play in a Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship.She started her career in 1972 playing for the Union Pack Jets in Orlando, FL. Before Richardson retired as an active player following the 2000 Olympics, she set a standard of excellence that will be difficult to equal, let alone surpass. Between 1972 and 2000, Richardson earned All-America honors 15 times, played on 10 championship teams, won the Erv Lind Award (top defensive player in Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship) seven times, won two Olympic gold medals, was a member of five Pan American teams and four ISF World Championship teams. After beginning her career with the Orlando, FL Rebels, Dottie joined the Raybestos Brakettes of Stratford, CN in 1984 and remained with them through the 1994 season before joining the California Commotion of Woodland Hills, CA for the remainder of her career. While she continued to excel at the Major level, Dottie continued to pursue her career in medicine and obtained her medicial degree from the University of Louisville in May of 1993. Earlier, she obtained a Master’s degree from Adelphi University, Garden City, Long Island and a B.S. degree from UCLA in June of 1984. She did her postdoctoral residence at the University of Southern California/Los Angeles County Medical Center from July of 1993 to June of 1999. From July of 1999 to May of 2000, she did an orthopedic sports medicine fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, CA. Since October of 2001, Dr. Richardson has been the director/medicial director at the South Lake Hospital/National Training Center in Clermont, FL. She has received numerous national honors including the 1998 Sports Legends Award, the 1997 Babe Zaharias Award (Female Athlete of the Year), the 1996 Amateur Athletic Foundation Athete of the Year, inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1996, Nuprin Comeback of the Year Award in 1990, named MVP in the Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship four times, four-time Sullivan Award nominee and inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame in 1999. Her college honors include NCAA Player of the Decade (1980s), three-time NCAA All-American, two-time AIAW All-American, three-time ULCA MVP and 1983 All University Award at UCLA, which was shared with Jackie Joyner Kersey.
