USC'S RIACH, 77, DIES GLENDALE GRAD '51 HOOPS MVP.

Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL Staff Writer

Tom Riach, most valuable player of USC's 1951 basketball team, died Oct. 6 in Newport Beach after a long battle with cancer. He was 77.

Riach averaged 8.3 points per game as a guard to earn All-Pacific Coast Conference Southern Division first team honors while leading the Trojans to a 21-6 record in 1951. He attended Glendale High, where he is a member of the school's athletic hall of fame.

``Tom was a dynamic teammate -- quick, strong and fast,'' said USC teammate Ken Flower. ``I was privileged to be on his team when I first came to USC. We developed a lasting friendship, and my wife and I are deeply saddened by his loss. He was a true Trojan hero.''

Riach lettered in basketball for three seasons and was a seventh-round pick by Baltimore in the 1951 NBA draft. He also started at center field and batted leadoff on the baseball team, playing under coach Rod Dedeaux.

``Baseball was actually his best sport,'' said Bob Kolf, co-captain with Riach on the 1951 basketball team. ``He could have been a heck of a good halfback in football. I always told him that. He'd laugh like hell and say, `I'm not going to go out there and get hit. You kidding me?' ''

After USC, Riach played briefly in the Chicago White Sox organization and served two years in the Army. He then became a successful developer of properties.

Riach is survived by his wife, Joan, and two sons, Tom Jr. and Steve, plus eight grandchildren. A memorial service will be at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tom Riach Memorial Fund in care of USC Athletics.

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