Ralph Beard
School:
Height:
5-11
Position:
Guard
Hometown:
Hardinsburg, KY, and Louisville, KY
High School:
Male High School
- NCAA unanimous first-team All-American in 1947 and 1948 and consensus first-team All-American in 1949
- All-American Recognition: 1947 (Converse 1st Team, National Association of Basketball Coaches 1st Team), 1948 (Associated Press 1st Team, Converse 1st Team, National Association of Basketball Coaches 1st Team) and 1949 (Associated Press 1st Team, National Association of Basketball Coaches 1st Team, UP1, Converse 2nd Team)
- Second-leading scorer for NCAA champions in 1948 (36-3 record) and 1949 (32-2)
- Averaged 9.2 points in six NCAA Tournament games in 1948 and 1949 (6-0 record)
- Averaged 12 points in seven NIT games in 1946 (champion), 1947 (runner-up) and 1949 (opening-game loser)
- Member of 1948 U.S. Olympic team (3.7 ppg)
- Selected by the Chicago Stags in first round of 1949 BAA draft but a corporation including him and several Kentucky teammates was granted an NBL franchise (the Indianapolis Olympians). When the BAA and NBL merged that summer to form the NBA, the Olympians represented one of the franchises involved in the merger.