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Western plans to retire Gibson’s jersey Saturday
Mel Gibson, who played basketball at Western Carolina from 1959-63, will have his jersey retired Saturday between the WCU women’s and men’s basketball games with Chattanooga.
The women’s game will start at 4:30 p.m. with the men playing at approximately 7 p.m. Gibson will have his jersey unveiled prior to tipoff of the men’s game.
Gibson, a member of the WCU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 1992, earned first team All-America honors in 1963 after leading the Catamounts to the NAIA championship game. He averaged more than 20 points over his junior and senior seasons, helping the Cats to 49 wins over that span.
“Having your jersey retired is the highest honor an athlete can receive,” Gibson said. “I am extremely humbled by my selection for this honor by the Hall of Fame Committee and Western Carolina University. From junior high school to the professional level, I was associated with basketball for 34 years, either as a player or coach. I can honestly say that my four years spent playing at Western Carolina were my most rewarding and gratifying. This honor truly is icing on the cake for me.”
Gibson was the centerpiece of the 1963 team, which was inducted into the WCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. That team, under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Jim Gudger, posted a 28-7 record and, after receiving an at-large bid to the postseason, won the NAIA District 26 tournament to qualify for nationals. Western ran off wins over Eastern Montana, Miles, Lewis & Clark and Fort Hayes State to reach the championship game before falling to Texas Pan American.
Gibson helped the USA team to the gold medal in the 1964 Pan American Games in Brazil.
“Mel was a great leader because he had the attitude of a winner and that we would be winners too,” said Charlie McConnell, retired superintendent of Jackson County Schools, who played with Gibson on that 1963 team. “That presence, along with his physical attributes, made him a real star. As for his physical attributes, Mel was smooth as silk and quick as a cat. In fact, he was probably the quickest person playing basketball in his time. He could also jump out of the gym, shoot with great accuracy and was an excellent defender.”
Gibson, who led the Cats to the 1962 Carolinas Conference championship, ended his career with 2,021 points, second only to the legendary Henry Logan. A second-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, Gibson still holds the distinction of being WCU’s highest overall selection in the NBA draft, going 17th overall. Kevin Martin was a first-round pick in the 2004 draft, but was the 26th overall selection.
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