Brigham Young University will retire the jerseys of basketball icons Mel Hutchins and Roland Minson during a special ceremony at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013. The event, scheduled for 7 p.m. during a matchup against Portland, honors two players whose careers helped define the program's early era of dominance.
A Rare Athletic Honor
The retirement of numbers 14 and 11 marks only the third and fourth instances of jersey retirements for BYU men's basketball players. Hutchins and Minson join the ranks of Danny A inge and Kresimir Cosic, who previously had their jerseys honored by the university.
For Roland Minson, the recognition holds significant weight due to the scarcity of such honors at BYU. Speaking about the upcoming ceremony, Minson noted his surprise at how few jerseys have been retired in the program's history, stating that the rarity made the distinction feel even more special.
Legacy of Dominance
The two players shared a historic run that included winning the 1951 NIT Championship, an achievement that was considered equal to or even greater than the NCAA Tournament at the time. During his tenure as a Cougar, Mel Hutchins established himself as one of the most dominant forces in the paint.
Hutchins set a BYU rebounding record with 900 rebounds during just two seasons of recorded statistics, a mark that stood until Kresimir Cosic broke it in 1973. He also maintained the school's single-season rebounding record with 471 rebounds and an average of 12.7 per game.
Beyond his collegiate success, Hutchins transitioned into a decorated professional career in the NBA. Drafted as the number-one overall pick in 1951, he earned the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1952. During his rookie season with the Minneapolis Lakers, he led the league in rebounding by averaging 13.3 rebounds per game.
NBA Excellence
Hutchins' professional career spanned seven years, during which he played for the Minneapolis Lakers, Fort Wayne Pistons, and New York Knicks. He was selected for five NBA All-Star games (1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, and 1958) and led three different teams to Western Division titles.
In a notable anecdote from his professional years, Hutchins recalled the moment Charles Barkley broke his single-season rebounding record for a player 6'6" or under. Hutchins said Barkley called him personally to deliver the news, prompting a lighthearted exchange where Hutchins joked that it had taken Barkley 40 years to reach his mark.
Scoring Prowess
Roland Minson's impact on the Cougars was equally profound. At the time of his departure, he was BYU's all-time leading scorer with 1,407 career points, a record held for 22 years until Cosic surpassed it in 1973. He also held the single-season scoring record of 619 points for 27 seasons until Danny Ainge broke it in 1978.
Minson was recognized by the 1950–51 BYU Basketball Media Guide as one of the most skilled floor men in the game, praised specifically for his deadly shooting from any position. He served as co-captain of the 1951 NIT Championship team alongside Hutchins and earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
The Marriott Center Venue
The retirement ceremony will take place in the Marriott Center, a multi-purpose arena on the BYU campus in Provo. The facility has a long history of hosting significant events, ranging from NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament West Regionals to large-scale religious devotionals.
The arena's capacity has fluctuated over the decades due to various renovations. While it once held 22,700 people, updates in 2012 and subsequent seating changes in 2015 and 2022 have adjusted the official basketball capacity to approximately 17,978.
Life After Basketball
Both players pursued lives of service and professional achievement outside of the basketball court. Minson, who was drafted by the New York Knicks but saw his career interrupted by service in the Navy during the Korean War, eventually focused on a career in the banking industry and later completed an LDS mission to England.
Hutchins remains an active follower of both BYU basketball and the NBA, despite noting with humor that modern players earn far more than he did during his seven-year professional tenure.
