The Baruch College Athletic
Department announced it will host “Burt Beagle Day” in the
Athletic & Recreation Complex January 31, during the
basketball doubleheader against Hunter College that tips off at 1 p.m.
The athletic department, administrators, student-athletes and alumni
will honor Burt for his involvement and contributions to the
school that date back to 1951, when he was an accounting student for the
then-named City College School of Business and Public Administration.
“Burt has been a friend, student, coach, sports information director,
statistician, and just about anything else asked of him here at Baruch,”
said Assistant Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach Ray Rankis.
“He is a walking institution whose efforts not only have served our school
very well, but the many regional high schools and colleges over the years
as a statistician for their respective athletic events. He is a special
person and we want to put on a special day for him on January 31.”
Burt, a statistics legend in New York City college and high school
basketball circles, started as Baruch’s first-ever sports information
director in 1968. He helped start the men’s baseball team in 1970 and
currently serves as its associate baseball coach.
He holds the record for most consecutive basketball games worked at any
collegiate level. He has worked the last 856 consecutive Baruch men’s
basketball games to date, going back to January 10, 1969.
The lone game he missed, which was against John Jay, was a result of a
business trip he had to make to Ohio. The game at the time was the seventh
in Baruch men’s basketball history.
He is also the official statistician for the CUNYAC basketball tournament
and has not missed a game since 1970.
The retired accountant is in his 30th year as the SID for the Catholic
High School Athletic Association, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame
in 1995.
It is estimated that Burt has worked a total of over 6,000 basketball,
baseball and football games for the local high schools, colleges and
Baruch athletics.
Burt’s efforts have been recognized in the past as he received the
prestigious "Distinguished Service" award at the Haggerty/Met Writers
Banquet in 2001 and the first-ever Ellis Bullock, Jr. award for service to
CUNYAC.
The days events will begin with the women's game against Hunter at 1
p.m, followed by the annual Baruch alumni game (3 p.m. estimated
time), Burt Beagle's ceremony (estimated time 3:45 p.m.), and close out
with the men's game against Hunter.
There is no admission charge to attend Baruch College Athletic Events.
The Athletic and Recreation Center is located on the corner of 24th Street
and Lexington Avenue.