Early years

Beard played high school basketball at Breckinridge County High School where, as a junior, he led the Bearcats to the 1964 state championship game losing to a Wes Unseld-led Louisville Seneca team. Beard and Unseld would later become roommates at the University of Louisville. In 1965, Beard led the Bearcats back to the title game, winning the state championship. Additionally, he was named the Kentucky Mr. Basketball.

Butch Beard played college basketball at the University of Louisville.

NBA

Beard was selected by the Dallas Chaparrals in the 1969 ABA draft and by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 1969 NBA draft.^[1] Beard played nine seasons (1969–1970; 1971–1979) with five teams: the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Golden State Warriors, and the New York Knicks. He scored 5,622 career points and represented Cleveland in the 1972 NBA All-Star Game. While with the Warriors he scored the last seven points of the team's 1975 NBA Championship win. Beard retired as an NBA player in 1979, last playing for the New York Knicks.

Coaching

Beard later served as head coach of the New Jersey Nets from 1994 to 1996. He was also color analyst for New York Knicks games on MSG Network during the 1980s. He was the head coach at Howard University from 1990 to 1994 and head coach at Morgan State University until he stepped down in March 2006.

Regular season

Playoffs