Two distinguished St. Edward’s figures who made their marks both on the field during their playing careers and in the athletic department in the following years are forever etched into the fabric of St. Edward’s University Athletics.
The basketball and volleyball court at the Recreation and Athletic Center was recently renamed in honor of those two figures: Ed Norris ‘41 and Joe Beck ‘58. The formal renaming of the court was celebrated at the Topper Pride Kick-Off event.
“This is a cliche, but it’s true, Ed [Norris] never met a person that he did not like,” Professor John Knorr said. “He’d throw cookouts and there’d be three guys you’ve never seen before. There was one night that he introduced this guy that he’d met that afternoon while buying a tie. That’s Ed.”
There are only a few individuals who had a greater collective impact on the current state of Hilltoppers Athletics than Norris and Beck. Norris enrolled as a freshman in 1937 as a three-sport athlete; playing football, baseball and basketball. When SEU cut football in 1939, he transferred to the University of North Texas to finish his athletic career.
However, his time at St. Edward’s was not over. He returned in 1945 to teach kinesiology and coach baseball, basketball and track & field. He filled in as a coach when needed in ensuing decades, eventually rising up the ranks to serve as athletic director. He was inducted into the St. Edward’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987.
Beck, originally from Indiana, was recruited by Norris to play basketball for the Hilltoppers from 1954 to 1958. He put together a stellar career, breaking the single-game scoring record with 42 points and receiving an All-American Honorable Mention in 1957 and 1958.
According to Knorr, Beck was the “best pound for pound rebounder” that Norris had ever seen. Beyond the stat sheet, that compliment was emblematic of the person and figure that Beck was: a hard worker willing to stick his nose in the fire to do the dirty work and take care of whatever was needed for the team.
He returned a few years after graduating in ‘58 to coach St. Edward’s High School boy’s basketball, which existed on campus until 1967. Beck was hired as the University’s men’s basketball coach in 1965 and held the position for nine seasons.
“Joe was a clone of Ed in so many ways,” said Norris, who got to know Beck very well over the years concurrently working in the athletic department, as well as on the golf course. The pair met each other at a New Year’s Eve party when Beck referred Knorr to then-St. Edward’s baseball coach Tom Hamilton who was looking for an assistant coach at the time. Hamilton brought in Knorr the following week for an interview, and he was ultimately hired. Knorr succeeded Hamilton as head baseball coach from 1977-1985 and the 1991 and 1992 seasons and was inducted into the St. Edward’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. Knorr is the author of “St. Edward’s University Athletics: A History From Saints to Tigers to Hilltoppers.”
John ‘65 and Mary Lucas are the individuals behind the monumental investment that made the renaming of the court possible.
“This was an opportunity for John to reflect on his life, his and Mary’s commitment to educate others, and create some celebratory momentum for athletics on the hilltop,” Joe DeMeideros, vice president for university advancement, said. “At its heart, John and Mary’s gift is out of love for the institution and to honor colleagues.”
Lucas, who was recruited by then-Hilltopper track & field coach Norris, arrived on campus in 1961. He was a decorated student-athlete, winning 13 personal championships over his four-year career. Following Lucas’ graduation in ‘65, he returned to the Hilltop to coach the track & field team for three years before joining the school’s administration, where he worked in a variety of roles, including development, advancement, marketing, admissions and enrollment management, where he finished his career as the vice president of enrollment management.
“Without the work of Beck, Lucas and Norris over the years, we might not even have Hilltoppers Athletics today,” Claire Land, associate director of development, said.
