Ralph Beard
From Hoopedia
Ralph Milton Beard Jr. (born December 2, 1927 - November 29, 2007) is an American former college and professional basketball player. Born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky, he was a star guard on Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky basketball team, where he was a three-time All-American.
Beard was drafted by the NBA Indianapolis Olympians in the 1949 NBA Draft. In his two seasons in the NBA Beard averaged 15.9 ppg. He was named to the NBA All-Star team in 1951.
After the 1951 NBA season, Alex Groza and Beard were banned from the NBA for life by commissioner Maurice Podoloff when the players admitted to accepting money to shave points during their college careers.
Beard's only involvement in basketball after that was some occasional scouting for the American Basketball Association's Kentucky Colonels.
In a 1999 interview with The Tampa Tribune, Beard said, "I loved this game. It isn’t like losing one of my kids. It isn’t like losing my wife, Bettye. It isn’t like going blind. But I’m telling you what — it will be with me until they hit me in the face with that first spade full of dirt — because basketball was my life."
