Hall of Fame
Jim Riches was a native New Yorker who came to the Abbey in 1989 as a freshman basketball player. He enjoyed a distinguished career in basketball from 1989 to 1992. A textbook three-point field goal shooter, he is listed 10th in that category on the Abbey’s All-Time list. He scored 32 points against St. Andrews in 1991, which ranks as the 9th best performance in the single game scoring category. He also scored a total of 432 points during the 1990-91 season, ranking him 13th on the All-Time Abbey list in total individual season points. A member of the New York Fire Department, as was his father, he lost his life on September 11, 2001, the day before his 30th birthday, in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Discharging his duty with courage and valor, he was engaged in saving the lives of many individuals who found themselves the victims of the worst terrorist attack in United States history. As a way of paying tribute to Jim Riches, the Board of Trustees at Belmont Abbey College on October 12, 2001 approved a scholarship in his name: The Jimmy Riches Memorial Scholarship Fund of Belmont Abbey College. This scholarship is extended to the families of firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers who lost a family member on September 11. Jim Riches may have been one of the greatest players ever to hit a three-pointer, but he will always be remembered as a hero to his family at Belmont Abbey College and to the world.
