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15 Melvin Brewer

Name
Melvin Brewer
Position
Center
Class
Senior
Hometown (Last School)
New Albany, IN (High)
Ht
6'5"
Wt
194
Seasons
1940-41, 1941-42, 1942-43
Birthday
June 28, 1919

Melvin Brewer was born Melvin Charles Brewer on June 28, 1919, in New Albany, Indiana, to Calvin Brewer and Olive Myrtle Shoemaker Brewer.  He was a New Albany Bulldog, University of Kentucky Wildcat and part of the Greatest Generation as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Brewer excelled at track, but at 6-foot-5 he made a big impact on the basketball court for the Bulldogs, leading New Albany to sectional championships in 1936-37 and ‘37-38 — during a five-year title run. Playing for Charlie McConnell, Brewer was known as a fine offensive center and, according to a story in the New Albany Tribune, “was adept at pivot pokes from the front and was a past master at tipping in rim-spinners.”

A starter as a junior, Brewer was named team captain in 1937-38. Perhaps his biggest moment as a high school player — besides the sectional titles — came in January of 1938 when the Bulldogs played archrival Jeffersonville in the Red Devils’ new Jeffersonville Fieldhouse. It was Brewer who led the way in rebounds as the Bulldogs notched a hard-fought 21-19 win.

All of this caught the attention of legendary UK basketball coach Adolph Rupp, who was still in the process of building the Wildcats into a national power.

When Brewer graduated from New Albany in 1938, he became a member of the local Indiana National Guard and took his hoop talents to Lexington, Kentucky.

At UK, Brewer began playing for the Wildcats’ varsity in the 1940-41 season. Over time he became nationally-renowned as one of the best centers in college basketball. He averaged 4.7 points per game his first season, 7.1 in his second and 8.3 as a senior.

His career highlights included leading UK to its first Final Four appearance in 1942 and making the Southeastern Conference All-Tournament team in 1943. His career high was 20 points against Georgia Tech on January 20, 1942.

Brewer joined the military in 1942 and finished his college work while in the Army. He married Jacqueline Bir on December 5, 1942.  They had a daughter, Vicki Lynn.  He left Kentucky in 1943 and received his officer’s training at Ft. Benning, Ga.

In May of 1944, he was sent to Camp McCain in Mississippi before being shipped to Fort Meade in Maryland the following month.

Three weeks after D-Day (June 6, 1944), Brewer was deployed to Europe. He was with the 116th Infantry, 29th Division in Viers, France when he was killed on Aug. 6, 1944.

In his obituary, the Tribune reported that news of his death was sent by telegram from the war department and received by his wife, Jacqueline Bir Brewer at 1301 E. Main, where she had been residing with her parents, James and Ella Bir during her husband’s absence.

In August of 1948, four years after his death, Brewer’s body was returned home and buried at Fairview Cemetery.

College Stats:

Season G FG FT F PTS
1940-41 23 44 21 40 109
1941-42 25 69 39 44 177
1942-43 23 71 49 49 191
Total 71 184 109 133 477

 

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 27, 1951, UK wins its third NCAA title, defeating Kansas State, 68-58, in the finals in Minneapolis.

 

On March 27, 1978, Jack “Goose” Givens scores 41 points as UK wins its fifth NCAA Championship, 94-88, over Duke in St. Louis.  Givens scored the last 16 points of the first half for Kentucky, bringing his first-half total up to 23 points. Givens poured in another 18 points in the second half.  Givens' helped lead the Wildcats to their first title in over 20 years.  More than 10,000 fans greet the team at Blue Grass Airport and 15,000 more celebrate at Memorial Coliseum

 

On March 27, 1993, Kentucky beat Florida State to advance to the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. The victory completed a string of four games in which the Wildcats blitzed their Southeast Region opponents by an average of 31.0 points - the largest margin of victory by a team through four games en route to the Final Four.

 

On March 27, 2009, Billy Gillispie is fired as the Kentucky head basketball coach.

 

On March 27, 2011, freshman Brandon Knight scored 22 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky advanced to the Final Four for the first time since the 1998 title with a 76-69 win over second-seeded North Carolina in the East Regional final of the NCAA Tournament.  The last minute of the game became the DeAndre Liggins show, as he blocked a shot on defense, hit a game-winning three-pointer on offense, then blocked another shot on defense to seal the victory. He finished with 12 points..

 

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