Canadian amateur athlete Joey Richman was considered the greatest all-round national sportsman of his time.
Despite his slight frame — he was only 5ft 7in and weighed under 11st — he maintained till his last decade the speed, muscle and discipline to excel in running, baseball, football, basketball, hockey and tennis.
He discovered his athletic talent while growing up in the St Urbain Street district of Montreal, made famous by author Mordecai Richler. He was the youngest of eight children, of whom one sister now survives.
In the 1930s depression he spent his teenage years on the streets, fighting antisemitic gangs.
He later reminisced about being faster and better than anyone else. He beat everyone, whether running, jumping or fighting. “It was speed, speed, hustle, hustle,” he recalled.
He started his amateur career locally with hockey, soccer and boxing. Shortly before the Second World War he played in a professional-level football team and continued after joining the Royal Canadian Air Force. His input was crucial in helping his squad win the prestigious Grey Cup in 1942.
Back in civilian life in 1946, he was named the outstanding athlete of the province of Quebec. For the next two years, he turned professional, playing football for the Montreal team, the Alouettes, the only time he was paid for sports participation. For him, the love of the game was the important thing.
He then specialised in coaching, while running his own successful sports goods shop. In the late 1950s, it became the first Canadian sales outlet for Adidas sports shoes. The shop was destroyed in a fire, which saw all his sports trophies and memorabilia go up in smoke.
His coaching was centred on the “Y”, the Young Men’s and Women’s Hebrew Association, which fostered an elite corps of Canadian Jewish sportsmen before and after the Second World War.
From 1950-57 he coached the “Y’s” senior basketball team, winning the national title twice. He also coached the Canadian women’s track team for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
He focussed especially on the Maccabi Games when they were revived in Israel in 1950 and then held at four-yearly intervals. He coached basketball and track teams and captained several teams in Israel.
He continued running and baseball into his 60s. He then turned to tennis and became a world-class senior player, winning titles until his late 70s. His love of sport and family led him to drive all night in order to see his son play in a football match.
Predeceased by a son, Steven, he is survived by his wife, Roslyn; son, Mark; and four grandchildren.