Who was Richard Sheffield, Tennessee skydiver who died after crashing at football pre-game show?

Richard Sheffield was a member of a skydiving team who were hired to perform ahead of a school football match in Tennessee’s Washington County. Sheffield, 55, died while attempting a stunt landing during the show.

The match where Sheffield and his fellow skydivers were performing is called Musket Bowl, and is played between the football teams of David Crockett and Daniel Boone high schools.

Who was Richard Sheffield?

Richard Sheffield crashed while performing at a pre-game event in Washington County, Tennessee. While attempting a stunt landing, Sheffield fell somewhere outside the stadium and was then taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

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The skydiver lived in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was married for 38 years. His wife is called Kim. The couple had two sons, Stacey and Casey. One of them, Stacey, later took to Facebook to express his grief at the passing of his father. He wrote, “Today just doesn’t feel real, and the hardest day of my life”. He further added, “Yesterday we lost one of the most important people in our lives, my Dad. I’m so thankful for the relationship we had. We talked every single day, multiple times a day”.

In his Facebook post, Stacey went on to express how much he and his father loved skydiving. He said, “Being able to skydive with your Dad is another level of cool. One thing Dad loved the most was going fast, and that’s how he went out.”

Sheffield was also the one who taught Stacey skydiving when the latter was only seven years old.

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Sheffield was employed with JumpTN, who have released a statement after his death: “The deceased was a highly experienced jumper with decades of experience to their credit and a well-respected member of the skydiving community”. Further adding, “The entire skydiving community is saddened by the sudden loss of a wonderful member of their community”.