Former UCLA Two-Sport Standout Ron Livingston Passes Away

Former UCLA men’s basketball and men’s tennis standout Ron Livingston passed away on July 20, 2022, at the age of 90.

 

Livingston, born in 1932, was a two-sport student-athlete at UCLA on the basketball and tennis teams from 1951-54. He competed on Coach John Wooden’s basketball team in Westwood (Wooden’s first season was in 1948-49). In addition, Livingston helped UCLA’s tennis team win three consecutive titles in 1952, 1953 and 1954.

 

Livingston was a three-year starter on the basketball team (1951-52 through 1953-54) after having been a three-sport letterwinner at Alhambra High School – where he played basketball, tennis and golf. He secured all-league honors at UCLA during his senior season (1953-54), when the Bruins played in the Pacific Coast Conference (South Division).

 

Livingston, listed at 5-foot-10 and self-described as a “small guard,” finished the year as UCLA’s leading scorer in 1951-52 and 1953-54. He averaged 11.2 points and 2.7 rebounds through 80 total varsity contests. As a senior, he averaged a team-best 12.5 points and tallied 2.3 rebounds per game in 25 contests. He shot 46.1 percent from the field and made 70.8 percent of his team-leading 161 free throw attempts as a senior (going 114 for 161 at the free throw stripe).

 

During his three-year basketball career, Livingston led the Bruins to a combined record of 53-27. UCLA won the 1952 Pacific Coast Conference title, going 8-4 in league play that season. He served as the team captain during his senior season (1953-54).

 

A reliable free throw shooter, Livingston was honored with UCLA’s Bob “Ace Calkins Memorial Trophy at the end of his sophomore season (1951-52), having compiled the team’s best free throw percentage (72.4%, 105-for-145).

 

Livingston was an integral part of the Bruins’ tennis program from 1951 through 1954. He guided the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA tennis titles in 1952, 1953 and 1954, under head coach J.D. Morgan. Livingston’s tennis teams also won three conference championships (in 1951, 1952 and 1954).

 

As a team captain on the tennis squad during his senior year (1954), he joined fellow co-captain Bob Perry to win the NCAA doubles title that year.

 

After graduating from UCLA in 1954, Livingston was commissioned in the Navy and married Sandra Beesley. He moved his family to nearby…