Richmond’s Greg Beckwith remembered
Campus Life
A tribute game and alumni weekend on Jan. 25 honored the late Greg Beckwith, a 1986 UR alum. The Richmond Hall of Famer contributed to UR’s Athletics team for over 40 years — first as a star point guard, then as a coach, and later as a basketball radio and television analyst for Spider Basketball. He passed away on May 24, 2024.
“I’ve been around long enough that I broadcast Greg’s games when he played for the team,” said Bob Black, "Voice of the Spiders" and director of broadcast and news content. “My first year was Greg’s sophomore season when we made it to our first NCAA Tournament in 1984 and beat Charles Barkley and Auburn University.” He led the Spiders to a 72-71 victory over Auburn in the first round of that 1984 tournament, earning the team the nickname “giant killers.”
“He was a great player and a great interview. I always thought he’d be a great broadcaster if he wanted to do that. I’m sure glad he did. We were great friends ever since,” Black said. The two provided play-by-play commentary for Spider games for 21 years.
Beckwith played point guard for UR beginning in 1982. He participated in two NCAA Tournaments, made one NIT tournament appearance, and left Richmond as the Spiders’ all-time leader in assists and steals. He was inducted into the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003 for his individual accomplishments. In 2006, he entered the Hall of Fame again, this time as a member of the coaching staff for the 1988 Men’s Basketball Team of Distinction, the first UR team to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
“For more than 40 years, Greg worked to bring everyone involved in Spider basketball together. He connected the old guard with the new generation. He was a friend and confidant to dozens of players and coaches,” said Richmond Athletics Director John Hardt. “It seemed only fitting to rename our annual alumni game the Greg Beckwith Alumni Weekend.”
The alumni weekend game against Davidson welcomed back and recognized former players, coaches, staff, and managers. Richmond Basketball players wore special throwback uniforms that were designed in collaboration with Adidas, Beckwith’s longtime employer, and paid tribute to Richmond’s great teams of the 1980s. They also had on the special “Beck Effect” shooting shirts that they wore for the season opener on Nov. 6.
“Beck loved alumni weekend and catching up with so many former players. This one was truly a celebration of Greg but was also obviously bittersweet,” Black said. “It was great to see so many former teammates of his and basketball alumni at the game. He’d have loved that.”