Ritchie played an instrumental role in the win over Columbia, intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter and returning it for Michigan's second touchdown.

He broke loose for a 54-yard sprint off tackle to the 9 in the first period and crossed the goal line on the next play, but instead of the touchdown the Wolverines drew a 15-yard penalty for holding.

[15] Ritchie was married to Eleanor Anibal in June 1939 at a ceremony held at her father's home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

In 1966, he was hired as the general counsel, vice-president and secretary of Halcon International, a company engaged in research and development in the organic and petrochemical field.

[18][19] From the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, Ritchie served as the general counsel of the American Petroleum Institute, the largest U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry.

[13] He had met Gerald R. Ford while playing football at Michigan and was identified in the press as being part of the President's "inner circle" of friends.