Former Florida men’s basketball forward [autotag]Chris Richard[/autotag] is being honored by the SEC as part of the conference’s basketball legends program.
On Wednesday, the league office announced the program’s continuation after a three-year hiatus that started when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the SEC to cancel its annual tournament. Richard, a two-time national champion and three-time conference champion, was the 2020 honoree for Florida. Each of the conference’s 14 programs is represented when the honors are presented. The basketball legends program began in 1999.
Richard’s legacy is largely tied to the championships he won while with the Gators, but he’s also in the program’s top 10 for all-time games played (141) and has two of the best field goal percentages in program history. He shot 69.8% from the field in 2005-06 and 69.0% the following year. He also won the 2007 SEC Sixth Man of the Year award.
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Richard in the 2007 NBA draft with the No. 41 overall pick. He was the fifth Gator taken in that year’s draft. He signed with the Chicago Bulls during the 2009-10 season, playing 18 regular season games before retiring in June of 2010.
Florida’s SEC Men’s Basketball Legends Honorees
1999: Tony Miller
2000: Neal Walk
2001: Andy Owens
2002: Chip Williams
2003: Gary Keller
2004: Gene Shy
2005: Stacey Poole
2006: Andrew Moten
2007: Andrew DeClercq
2008: Dan Cross
2009: Eugene McDowell
2010: Bob Emrick
2011: Craig Brown
2012: Mike Miller
2013: Bill Koss
2014: Greg Stolt
2015: Eddie Shannon
2016: Lee Humphrey
2017: Matt Bonner
2018: David Lee
2019: Livingston Chatman
2020/2023: Chris Richard
2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Legends
ALABAMA – Jerry Harper, 1953-56
ARKANSAS – Nick Davis, 1997-99
AUBURN – Layton Johns, 1960-63
FLORIDA – Chris Richard, 2003-07
GEORGIA – Rod Cole, 1987-91
KENTUCKY – Vernon Hatton, 1956-58
LSU – Collis Temple III, 1999-2003
OLE MISS – Eric Laird, 1982-85
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Jerry Jenkins, 1973-75
MISSOURI – Steve Stipanovich, 1979-83
SOUTH CAROLINA – Tre’ Kelley, 2003-07
TENNESSEE – Lang Wiseman, 1989-93
TEXAS A&M – David Britton, 1978-1980
VANDERBILT – Butch Feher, 1973-76
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