Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1988
Mel Counts, a member of the inaugural OSU Athletics Hall of Fame, lettered at Oregon State from 1962-64 and was among the premier big men in college basketball during his tenure. He earned All-American status as a junior and senior. His honors also include being a two-time Far West Classic MVP and the 1963 NCAA West Regional MVP.
The Coos Bay, Ore., native led Oregon State to the 1963 Final Four, scoring 20-plus points in all five games, including 30 vs. Seattle in the first round. He left the school as the program's top all-time scorer with 1,973 points and rebounds with 1,375. His 26.7 points scoring average in 1963-64 is a school record.
Counts continued on to a lengthy NBA career, which included stints with the Celtics, Bullets, Lakers, Suns, Jazz, and 76ers.
He was inducted into the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2004.
His number "21" jersey was retired during the 1996-97 season.
