Hutchins and Minson jerseys to be retired Saturday

The jerseys of BYU greats Mel Hutchins and Roland Minson will be retired on Saturday at halftime of the BYU vs. Portland men's basketball game. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST at the Marriott Center and will be broadcast live on BYUtv and KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM. For tickets visit BYUtickets.com.

Mel Hutchins

• Bio on BYUcougars.com
• Known for his defensive prowess, Hutchins long arms made him adept at blocking shots and rebounding
• Set the BYU career record for rebounds (900) in just two seasons of recorded rebounding statistics; Kresimir Cosic broke the record in 1973
• Set the BYU single-season record for rebounds with 471 in 1950-51, a record that still stands
• Named to several All-America teams after he led the Cougars to the 1951 NIT championship, including first-team honors by Look, Helms, and Sporting News and third-team honors by UPI
• A member of the 1951 NIT championship team
• Named MVP of the 1951 East-West College All-Star Game
• A two-time first-team all-conference honoree
• Averaged 15.4 points and 12.7 rebounds his senior season as the Cougars won the NIT championship
• Led BYU to three conference titles and two 20-win seasons
• Drafted second overall in the 1951 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks
• Led the NBA in rebounding as a rookie (13.3) and was named NBA rookie of the year in 1952
• Held the NBA single-season record for rebounds for a player under 6-6 until 1987 when Charles Barkley broke the record
• Played in four NBA All-Star games and started in three
• Retired from the NBA following a severe knee injury in 1958
• Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1976

Roland Minson

• Bio on BYUcougars.com
• Scored 1,407 career points and was BYU's all-time leading scorer for 22 seasons (Kresimir Cosic broke the record in 1973)
• Held the BYU single-season record for points (619) for 27 seasons, broken by Danny Ainge in 1978
• Named fourth-team All-American by Converse and honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press, Look, International Press and UPI
• A member of the 1951 NIT championship team
• Voted Most Valuable Player of the 1951 NIT tournament
• Received the 1951 BYU Basketball Most Valuable Player Trophy
• Played in the 1951 East-West All-Star game in Madison Square Garden
• Was a three-time first-team all-conference performer
• Led BYU to three-consecutive 20-win seasons and back-to-back conference titles in 1950 and 1951
• Drafted in the first round, 15th overall pick, by the New York Knicks in 1951
• Chose to forego a career in the NBA to serve as an officer in the Navy during the Korean War
• Selected by the U.S. Navy for the All-Navy Basketball team in 1952
• Played for the Denver Bankers of the National AAU league while working for Denver Bank from 1955-57
• Assistant BYU Basketball Coach for two seasons from 1961-63
• Worked in the banking industry for 40 years
• Vice President, Union Bank of California in Los Angeles from 1979-94
• Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1976

Links

• Jersey retirement announcement, BYUcougars.com
• Mel Hutchins and Roland Minson: 1951 NIT Champions, BYUtv
• Jersey retirement announcement, BYUtv
• Excerpt from Forgotten Champions, Mel Hutchins
• Excerpt from Forgotten Champions, Roland Minson
• Excerpt from Forgotten Champions, 1951