Melvin Ray Hutchins was an American basketball player.
14 Facts About Mel Hutchins
2.
Mel Hutchins played professionally in the National Basketball Association from 1951 to 1958.
3.
Mel Hutchins was born in Sacramento, California and attended high school at Monrovia High School in Monrovia, California.
4.
Mel Hutchins was selected by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks with the second pick in the 1951 NBA draft.
5.
The first overall pick, Gene Melchiorre, received a lifetime ban from the NBA for gambling, therefore Hutchins was given a $7,000 bonus that was awarded to the top pick in the NBA Draft.
6.
In 1952, as a rookie, Mel Hutchins was the co-leader of the NBA in total rebounds with 880, averaging 13.3 rebounds per game, which is on the List of National Basketball Association rookie single-season rebounding leaders.
7.
Mel Hutchins helped lead the Pistons to back-to-back NBA Finals in 1955 and 1956.
8.
Mel Hutchins played for the Milwaukee Hawks, Fort Wayne Pistons, and New York Knicks.
9.
Mel Hutchins suffered a severe knee injury that forced his retirement in 1958.
10.
Mel Hutchins is the brother of 1952 Miss America winner Colleen Kay Mel Hutchins.
11.
Mel Hutchins' brother-in-law was NBA player Ernie Vandeweghe, the father of former two-time NBA All Star Kiki Vandeweghe.
12.
An avid golfer, Mel Hutchins gained recognition in amateur golf in northern California.
13.
Mel Hutchins was married to the former Lorene Hardy, who died in 2010, with whom he had four children.
14.
Mel Hutchins died on December 19,2018, in Encinitas, California, at the age of 90.