University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Benjamin "Benny" Becton 1963 - Basketball
Considered one of the top basketball players ever to don the Green and Gold, Benny Becton was a first-team All-Yankee Conference choice his sophomore year (1960-61) when he averaged close to 20 rebounds a game. Inducted into the UVM Hall of Fame in 1980, Becton not only could rebound, he went on to score 1,146 career points in 66 games, an average of 17.3 points a game, then the third-highest career average at UVM.
Just 6-foot-2, his strength was on the boards. From 1961-63, Becton was in the Top 10 in the nation in rebounding each season and finished his career as Vermont's all-time leader rebounds per game (14.9) and the leader in total boards with 986, now second to fellow UVM Hall of Famer Kevin Roberson '92. His 29 rebounds at Maine on Dec. 7, 1962 remain the Vermont single-game record while his 350 boards and 17.9 rebounds per game average in 1960-61 are still program single-season marks. He also scored over 30 points on three occasions, including 38 in a 98-90 win over Brandeis in 1962.
Benny played in the first game at Patrick Gymnasium in February 1963. A month earlier, Becton was named to the All-Tournament team at the Blue Nose Classic in Nova Scotia. At UVM, Benny also served as treasurer of the UVM Varsity Club and was a member of Phi Sigma Delta fraternity. Becton now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
