University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Hall-of-Famer Johnny Moates Dies at 73
07/11/2018 | Men's Basketball
Richmond native was first Spider to earn conference player of the year award
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -- Johnny Moates, a Richmond native who starred for the Spiders from 1964-67, died this week at the age of 73. Moates, a two-time captain in three seasons with the Spiders, was one of just 16 players named to the school's all-time team in 2013.
Despite an unorthodox shooting form -- Moates released the ball using the palms of his hands instead of his fingertips -- Moates averaged 19.46 points per game, the fifth-highest scoring average in school history. Lewis Mills, his head coach at Richmond, called Moates the hardest working player he ever saw.
Moates chose to play at the University of Richmond following a standout career at Benedictine Prep, then located in Richmond's Museum District, a short drive from UR's campus. Freshmen weren't eligible to play on varsity teams during that era, so Moates made his Spiders debut as a sophomore during the 1964-65 season.
The following year, Moates was named the team captain despite only being a junior. He led the Spiders to an 8-1 record at home and averaged 20.0 points per game, becoming just the second player in Richmond history to score at least 20 points per game in a season. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-State and First Team All-Southern Conference.
As a senior in 1966-67, Moates put together one of the greatest individual campaigns in Spiders history. He averaged 25.0 points per game, smashing the school record for scoring average in a season, while leading Richmond to a 9-7 record in conference play.
Moates scored a career-high 39 points in a dramatic 100-98 overtime win over the The Citadel in the Southern Conference Tournament that year, a game recounted by best-selling author Pat Conroy in his memoir My Losing Season. In addition to repeating as a member of the All-State and All-Southern Conference teams, Moates was named Southern Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first Spider to earn a conference player of the year award.Â
At the time of his graduation in 1967, Moates held the Richmond record for highest career scoring average and ranked second in school history in total points. He became the first Spider to ever be drafted by an NBA team when he was picked by the Cincinnati Royals in the 13th round of the NBA Draft that May. Moates never played for the Royals, instead going on to become an assistant coach at Richmond and begin a career in business.Â
Moates, who remained an active supporter of the Spiders throughout his life, was inducted into the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
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Despite an unorthodox shooting form -- Moates released the ball using the palms of his hands instead of his fingertips -- Moates averaged 19.46 points per game, the fifth-highest scoring average in school history. Lewis Mills, his head coach at Richmond, called Moates the hardest working player he ever saw.
Moates chose to play at the University of Richmond following a standout career at Benedictine Prep, then located in Richmond's Museum District, a short drive from UR's campus. Freshmen weren't eligible to play on varsity teams during that era, so Moates made his Spiders debut as a sophomore during the 1964-65 season.
The following year, Moates was named the team captain despite only being a junior. He led the Spiders to an 8-1 record at home and averaged 20.0 points per game, becoming just the second player in Richmond history to score at least 20 points per game in a season. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-State and First Team All-Southern Conference.
As a senior in 1966-67, Moates put together one of the greatest individual campaigns in Spiders history. He averaged 25.0 points per game, smashing the school record for scoring average in a season, while leading Richmond to a 9-7 record in conference play.
Moates scored a career-high 39 points in a dramatic 100-98 overtime win over the The Citadel in the Southern Conference Tournament that year, a game recounted by best-selling author Pat Conroy in his memoir My Losing Season. In addition to repeating as a member of the All-State and All-Southern Conference teams, Moates was named Southern Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first Spider to earn a conference player of the year award.Â
At the time of his graduation in 1967, Moates held the Richmond record for highest career scoring average and ranked second in school history in total points. He became the first Spider to ever be drafted by an NBA team when he was picked by the Cincinnati Royals in the 13th round of the NBA Draft that May. Moates never played for the Royals, instead going on to become an assistant coach at Richmond and begin a career in business.Â
Moates, who remained an active supporter of the Spiders throughout his life, was inducted into the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
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