 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1927-12-02)December 2, 1927 Hardinsburg, Kentucky, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Died | November 29, 2007(2007-11-29) (aged 79) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | |||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||
| High school | Louisville Male (Louisville, Kentucky) | |||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1945–1949) | |||||||||||
| BAA draft | 1949: 2nd round, 22nd overall pick | |||||||||||
| Selected by theChicago Stags | ||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1949–1951 | |||||||||||
| Position | Guard | |||||||||||
| Number | 12 | |||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||
| 1949–1951 | Indianapolis Olympians | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||
| Points | 2,006 (15.9 ppg) | |||||||||||
| Rebounds | 251 (3.8 rpg) | |||||||||||
| Assists | 551 (4.4 apg) | |||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | ||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | ||||||||||||
Medals
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Ralph Milton Beard Jr. (December 2, 1927 – November 29, 2007) was an American collegiate and professionalbasketball player.[1][2]He won two NCAA nationalbasketball championships at theUniversity of Kentucky and played two years in theNational Basketball Association prior to being barred for life for his participation in the1951 point shaving scandal.[3]
Beard was born inHardinsburg, Kentucky. Beard grew up inLouisville and attendedLouisville Male High School. He later cited the family's finances as a reason he took money from gamblers. His mother worked as a cleaning lady after his father left the family.[4]
He was a member ofAdolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five"University of Kentucky basketball team, withAlex Groza,Wallace Jones,Cliff Barker, andKenny Rollins.[5] Beard won a gold medal in the1948 Summer Olympics with the Fabulous Five and thePhillips 66ers.[6][7]
Taken in the second round of the 1949NBA draft, Beard played two seasons with theIndianapolis Olympians and averaged 15.9 points and 4.4 assists per game.[8]
In October 1951, authorities charged him along with his former teammatesAlex Groza andDale Barnstable with taking bribes as part of the1951 NCAA point shaving scandal. They pleaded guilty and received suspended sentences but the NBA CommissionerMaurice Podoloff banned all three for life from the NBA. Beard admitted that he took $700 but denied that he had ever shaved points in a game.[4] He claimed thatFrank Hogan, the New York district attorney, conspired with Podoloff of the NBA and CardinalFrancis Spellman, theArchbishop of New York to go after Midwestern players in an effort to protect players at Catholic colleges.[5]
He worked in the pharmaceutical industry afterward. His only involvement in the sport after his ban was some scouting work with theKentucky Colonels of theAmerican Basketball Association.[4] He tried playing professional baseball but his ban for gambling prevented him from that sport as well.[9]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Indianapolis | 60 | – | .363 | .762 | – | 3.9 | 14.9 |
| 1950–51 | Indianapolis | 66 | – | .368 | .775 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 16.8 |
| Career | 126 | – | .366 | .770 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 15.9 | |
| All-Star | 1 | – | .375 | .000 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Indianapolis | 5 | – | .314 | .786 | – | 4.4 | 13.2 |
| 1951 | Indianapolis | 3 | – | .443 | .706 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 22.0 |
| Career | 8 | – | .374 | .756 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 16.5 | |
Later in life, the University of Kentucky welcomed Beard back. The school retired his jerseyin 1995[citation needed] and invited him to speak to players about point shaving.[5]
In 1985, he was inducted into theKentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.[5]
Beard died on November 29, 2007, at hisLouisville, Kentucky home.[10][4]
and Basketball Reference
