Montclair State University Athletics

Perhaps one of the unsung heroes in the Montclair State men’s basketball program Ed Riche compile quite a career for the then Indians in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Called by his head coach” the most complete player on our ball club”, Riche scored 1,193 points and grabbed over 500 rebounds, one of eight players in history to accomplish the feat. But while his statistics are noteworthy, more impressive was his leadership ability. In the 1980-81 season Riche led Montclair State to the New Jersey State Athletic Conference championship, which included an upset of top-seeded Glassboro State in the conference tournament. Montclair went on to upset No. 2 ranked Roanoke in the NCAA Division III Tournament before falling to Upsala in the quarterfinals. Riche helped Montclair to back-to-back NJSAC championships in 1981 and 1982 as well as consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament. A team-captain and four-year starter, he was named First Team All-NJSAC in 1981 and 1982 and was a First-Team All-College Division selection as well. He was a member of the NCAA South Atlantic Regional District Team in 1981 and 1982. At the time of his graduation, Riche was the 10th all-time leading scorer in school history.