Richard Swanson, Man Dribbling Soccer Ball To Brazil For 2014 World Cup, Killed In Oregon

A hardcore sports fan who set out to dribble a soccer ball 10,000 miles from America to Brazil in time for the World Cup was killed this week after being hit by a vehicle in Oregon.

According to the Washington Times, 42-year-old Richard Swanson was struck and killed Tuesday by a pickup truck at about 10 am while walking south along US Highway 101 just outside Lincoln City, Oregon.

He was declared dead at a hospital. The driver has not been charged.

Huffington Post reports that Swanson, a father of two, started his soccer ball dribbling quest to Brazil on May 1.

In addition to fulfilling a lifelong dream of attending the World Cup, Richard was also making the 10,000 mile journey to raise money for One World Futbol Project, an organization which donates durable soccer balls to people in developing countries.

“We are deeply saddened to learn about Richard’s death,” Lisa Tarver, chief operating officer of One World Futbol Project, said in a statement. “He was a very inspiring man who in a very short time walked his way into many lives. Our thoughts are with his family.”

Friends of Swanson described him as a loving father who was looking for the adventure of a lifetime.

“He was at a point in his life where he had raised his kids,” Richard’s friend, Kristi Schwesinger, said. “Both his boys had graduated from high school, he had no mortgage, he had sold his condo recently and was between jobs. And he loved the game of soccer.”

“The hardest thing is he was so young,” Schwesinger added. “Just today we were planning his surprise birthday party for Sunday. He was so young, so full of life, so excited by the journey he was on.”

According to the Sun.co.uk, a foundation is being established in Richard’s memory to send his two sons to Brazil for the World Cup.

Richard Swanson talks more 10,000 mile journey to the World Cup in the video below: