Hall of Fame

Zelmo Beaty

  • Class
  • Induction
    1995
  • Sport(s)
    Men's Basketball
  • Prarie View A&M
  • Zelmo Beaty was a standout basketball player whose college career at Prairie View A&M University (a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, or SWAC) laid the foundation for his professional success.
  • From 1958–1962, he averaged roughly 25 points and 20 rebounds per game at Prairie View A&M and led the Panthers to the 1962 NAIA national championship, earning the tournament’s MVP honors.

  • Although his college competition was under the NAIA rather than NCAA Division I, his affiliation with a SWAC institution is significant — he is recognized as one of the conference’s premier alumni.
  • In fact, when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, it was noted that he became only the second SWAC product to reach that honor as a player (the first being Willis Reed).