Ed Beck

{{Short description|American basketball player (1936–2019)}}

{{similar names|Edward Beck (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Ed Beck

| image = Ed_Beck.jpg

| width =

| caption = Beck from the 1958 Kentuckian

| position = Center

| number = 34

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 7

| weight_lb = 188

| nationality = American

| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|6|28}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|10|16|1936|6|28}}

| death_place = Sun City, Arizona, U.S.

| highschool = Fort Valley (Fort Valley, Georgia)

| college = Kentucky (1955–1958)

| draft_year = 1958

| career_start =

| career_end =

| highlights =

• NCAA champion (1958)
• SEC Defensive Player of the Year (1958)
• Second-team All-SEC (1957)

}}

Edward Paul Beck (June 28, 1936 – October 16, 2019) was an American college basketball player. He is best known as the starting center and team captain of the "Fiddlin' Five," the University of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA championship team.

Beck was recruited to play at Kentucky after scoring 1,549 points and leading his team to win two state titles at Fort Valley High School.{{cite web|url=https://www.macon.com/sports/high-school/article30109440.html|title=The Numbers Game: The 30s|first=Jonathan|last=Heeter|work=The Telegraph|date=July 29, 2012|access-date=April 10, 2019}} Beck was named team captain by head coach Adolph Rupp going into his senior season after scoring 259 points and grabbing 380 rebounds as a junior. As a senior, Beck scored 163 points and had 337 rebounds in 29 games and was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Defensive Player of the Year.{{cite web|url=https://www.yoursportsedge.com/2019/02/27/kentucky-basketball-legend-ed-beck-reflects-on-his-time-as-a-wildcat-ukuk/|title=Kentucky Basketball Legend Ed Beck Reflects on His Time as a Wildcat|first=Larry|last=Vaught|website=YourSportsEdge.com|date=February 27, 2019|access-date=April 10, 2019}} Beck finished his college career with 459 points scored (5.6 per game) and 783 rebounds (10.0 per game) in 78 total games.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/ed-beck-1.html|title=Ed Beck College Stats|website=Sports-Reference.com|access-date=April 10, 2019}}

After his collegiate career ended Beck opted not to play professionally, turning down a contract from the New York Knicks. He decided to pursue a career in ministry and became an ordained Methodist minister after graduating from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.{{cite web|url=https://www.state-journal.com/2019/03/08/ed-beck-left-a-big-impression-on-kentucky-fans/|title=Ed Beck left a big impression on Kentucky fans|work=The State Journal|date=March 8, 2019|access-date=April 10, 2019|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410171011/https://www.state-journal.com/2019/03/08/ed-beck-left-a-big-impression-on-kentucky-fans/|url-status=dead}} He died on October 16, 2019, in Sun City, Arizona, at the age of 83.{{Cite web|url = https://federalnewsnetwork.com/sports-news/2019/10/ed-beck-part-of-kentuckys-1958-ncaa-title-team-dies-at-83/|title = Ed Beck, part of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA title team, dies at 83|date = 17 October 2019|access-date = 18 October 2019|archive-date = 18 October 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191018042327/https://federalnewsnetwork.com/sports-news/2019/10/ed-beck-part-of-kentuckys-1958-ncaa-title-team-dies-at-83/|url-status = dead}}{{cite news|title=Ed Beck, of Kentucky Wildcats' 1958 NCAA title team, dies|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27868587/ed-beck-kentucky-wildcats-1958-ncaa-title-team-dies-83|date=October 17, 2019|work=ESPN.com|access-date=October 19, 2019}}