Back when the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) was considered to be equal to or more significant than the NCAA tourney, Roland T. “the Cat” Minson (BS ’52) and Melvin R. “The Big Elf” Hutchins (BS ’51) led BYU’s 1951 team to New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where the Cougars defeated St. Louis, Seton Hall, and Dayton to win BYU’s first national title in any sport.
Their jerseys, no. 11 for Minson (second from left) and no. 14 for Hutchins (fourth from left), were retired in February 2013. They now hang in the rafters of the Marriott Center, along with those of Danny Ainge (BA ’92), Kresimir Cosic (’74), Tina Gunn Robison (BS ’80), and, most recently, Jackie Beene McBride (BS ’84). (See p. 11.)
Photo courtesy L. Tom Perry Special Collections, UAP 2 F293
