Bassett Family Association Database

Richard Lee Bass

Male 1937 - 2006  (68 years)


Personal Information

  • Name Richard Lee Bass 
    Born 15 Mar 1937  Georgetown, Jones County, Mississippi Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 1 Feb 2006  Norwalk, Los Angeles County, California Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • San Mateo County Times, California, Monday, 6 February 2006
      Bass incomparable NorCal legend

      THERE IS greatness in sports, and then there is legendary. There is extraordinary in football, and then there is the indescribable. Dick Bass was legendary and indescribable.

      And now he is immortal. Bass died Wednesday in his Southern California home of Norwalk of unknown causes. He was 68.

      Southern California culminated his football career. As a Los Angeles Rams running back, he rushed for 1,000 yards twice in the 1960s while being selected to three Pro Bowls.

      But Northern California served as his football beginning. It was in the waterfront town of Vallejo where Bass emerged in the 1950s as the greatest high school football player in the northern half of this state.

      And he remains the greatest ever, because his prep career at Valleo High elevated itself to indescribable feats and legendary status.

      If doubters believe they know of other NorCal prep football players who they'll put up as the greatest ever ? there are numerous worthy candidates ? then gather up their statistics and compare them to those of Dick Bass.

      Bass was a Vallejo halfback for two years, 1953 and'54, when he rushed for 3,690 yards ? 13.2 yards per carry ? and 68 touchdowns.

      He played only 18 varsity games at Vallejo, making his statistics even more remarkable. The Apaches were 17-0-1 even without overusing Bass. He had 280 carries, averaging 15.5 per game; not exactly workhorse numbers.

      He rarely played a full game, except for the 7-7 tie with Santa Rosa in'53, Vallejo's one blemish. As a senior, Bass scored 37 times and made 34 PAT kicks. He also punted, kicked off, threw the ball, and played defense.

      Fatigued? He averaged 14.8 yards a carry that season, and had back-to-back games where he averaged 34.3 and 31.7 yards a carry.

      How is your candidate looking now? Not so legendary or indescribable, I'd guess. That's all right, go ahead and tear up those statistics.

      Oh, yes, Bass ran the 100-yard dash in 9.6 seconds, averaged 12 points a game in basketball, batted .300 in baseball, was the Vallejo amateur welterweight boxing champion, and shot 84 the first time he played golf.

      Not too bad an all-around teen athlete, wouldn't you say?

      He moved on from Vallejo to Stockton, to the then-College of Pacific. As a junior, he pulled off football's hat trick by leading the nation in rushing (1,361 yards), total offense (1,440 yards) and scoring (116 points).

      "There'll never be another one to do that with all the passing you see in today's game," said Jack "Moose" Meyers, Bass' college coach. "There's very few in the world like Dick. He invented things when he was running. Someone had him in a headlock; he unsnapped his helmet and kept running.

      "He was like (LaDainian) Tomlinson in San Diego, the way he kept going sideways without losing any speed."

      Ben Parks, longtime Menlo-Atherton High football coach who's now the wrestling coach at Sequoia High in Redwood City, was Bass' college teammate.

      "He had peripheral vision," Parks said. "He was fast, but he was quicker than fast. In his mind, he thought he could take it all the way. And most of the time, he could."

      Charlie Krueger, former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle, had the misfortune of playing against Bass three times a year ? once during the preseason and twice during the regular season.

      "Dick Bass could beat you to death," Krueger said. "He ran a lot like (Hugh) McElhenny. You couldn't pin Mac in a phone booth, and Bass was the same kind of elusive back. He had a flashy style, but he sure could run. He was very much a plus for the game. I'm very sad that he has passed away."

      Bass was from an athletic family. His younger brother, Norman, pitched for the Kansas City A's and played defensive back for the Denver Broncos. Their sister, Dorothy Atkins, eloquently presented Dick for induction into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame last year ? a long overdue honor.

      "We don't know what happened," Atkins said Saturday of her brother's passing, "and won't know until the autopsy. He had very bad knees; that's the only thing I noticed different about him the last year."

      Dick Bass wasn't only a legendary athlete; he carried himself with indescribable grace.

      "When I think about Dick," said his sister, "he had the uncanny ability to make everyone feel like they were on top of the mountain. Whether he knew you or not, he could make you feel special. Even being a famous football player, he didn't brush you off. He always listened.

      "He had a gift, but he was modest. He never boasted, never was full of himself. He was always on the quiet side. He was a very kind brother."

      Atkins added that her brother disliked funerals, and didn't want one himself. Thus there will be a memorial service in Southern California, she said, but another service also will be held for the hometown folks in Vallejo.

      The football field at Vallejo High would be the perfect setting.
    Person ID I6  Bass388 John Bass of Mississippi
    Last Modified 2 Oct 2022 

    Father Rev. Norman Delaney Bass,   b. 6 Jan 1914, Pinola, Simpson County, MIssissippi Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 14 Aug 2005, Pinola, Simpson County, Mississippi Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 91 years) 
    Mother Annie Maude Moore,   b. 31 Mar 1922, Mississippi Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1979, Vallejo, Solano County, California Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 56 years) 
    Family ID F2  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart