Richard Converse participated in five different sports while he
was at WPI. As a freshman, he made a name for himself on the
football field as an outstanding left half back. His reputation for
exciting broken-field runs grew with every game. He was also a
standout on the track team, participating in low hurdles, broad
jump, and the javelin throw. His dedication and enthusiasm earned
him a letter in both sports and the honor of being the only
freshman elected to the WPI Athletic Association, serving as
secretary in 1926. His outstanding athletic performance merited his
winning the Skull trophy, a prestigious award for any student.
As a sophomore, he exceeded his own records and expectations on
the gridiron. In October, against Massachusetts Agricultural
College, he had an incredible 85-yard run for the first touchdown
of the game. Classmate Joe Guidi followed suit with a 75-yard run
for another touchdown. The backfield team of Converse and Guidi was
instantly dubbed the "Tech Twins." In the last game of the 1925
season, he wowed the crowd with a third quarter reception on Tech's
own 4-yard line and ran it back for the first of his two touchdowns
in a 15-7 victory. The Boston Herald named him to its first All-New
England team, lauding him as "undoubtedly the best back in the
group," adding that he ranked "beyond all question with the best of
them."
In that same year he also played on the basketball and baseball
teams, earning a letter in baseball for his performance on third
base. In the fall of 1927, the Tech Twins served as co-captains of
the football team, rounding out a four-year partnership on the
field.
WPI is honored to induct posthumously an athlete of the caliber
of Richard Converse into the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame.
