Jeff Mullins (basketball)

Jeffrey Vincent Mullins (born March 18, 1942) is an American former basketball player and coach. He played college basketball with the Duke Blue Devils and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the St. Louis Hawks and Golden State Warriors. Mullins served as the head basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1985 to 1996. As a college player, he was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year (1963–64) and first-team All-ACC for three consecutive seasons. His Duke teams twice reached the Final Four in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and he was selected to the All-Tournament Team in 1964.

Mullins was born on March 18, 1942, in Astoria, Queens, New York.^[1] Mullins attended Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky.^[2] He played on Lafayette's basketball team. He was a 6 ft 3½ in (1.92 m) or 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) forward in high school.^[3][4] As a senior, in March 1960, he was named all-city in a coaches' poll.^[5] In a later poll of sportswriters and coaches he was unanimously selected to Kentucky's All-State High School Basketball Team in 1960; and was regarded as the top high school basketball player and college prospect in Kentucky that year.^[6] He was Kentucky's Mr. Basketball.^[3] In Kentucky's East West high school all-star game, he scored 18 points and led the East team to an upset victory.^[7] He was selected to play in the 20th high-school all-star game between Kentucky and Indiana, held in June 1960.^[3]

After graduation, Mullins narrowed his college choices to Duke University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Kentucky.^[5] He turned down a college scholarship from future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp, the first time Rupp had ever lost out on recruiting a Lexington, Kentucky high school player he strongly wanted to play at Kentucky. Instead, Mullins chose Duke, attending from 1960 to 1964, playing under head coach Vic Bubas.^{[4][8][9][10]}

He played forward at Duke, at 6 ft 4 in. As a sophomore (1961–62) he averaged 21 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.^[11] He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), along with teammate Art Heyman.^[12] As a junior (1962–63), he averaged 20.3 points and eight rebounds per game.^[13] He and Heyman were again named first-team All-ACC.^[12]

As a senior (1963–64), he averaged 24.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game,^[14] and was a second team consensus All-American.^[15] Mullins was selected the ACC's Player of the Year.^[16] He was second in the ACC in scoring behind future Hall of Fame forward Billy Cunningham.^[17][18] Mullins was named first team All-ACC for the third consecutive year.^[12]

During his three seasons on Duke's varsity, the team went 20–5, 27–3, and 26–5.^[4] In 1961–62, Duke ended the season ranked No. 10 by the Associated Press.^[19] The following season (1962–63), Duke ended the season ranked No. 2.^[20] As a senior (1963–64), Duke ended the season ranked No. 3.^[21]

Duke won the ACC tournament in 1963. Duke defeated the University of Virginia, 89–70 in the first round. Mullins led the team with 29 points.^[22] Duke next defeated North Carolina State University, 82–65. Mullins' 25 points again led Duke in scoring.^[23] In the 1963 ACC championship game, Duke defeated Wake Forest University, 68–57, with Mullins scoring 20 points and Heyman 24.^[24] Mullins was selected to the ACC's All-Tournament first team.^[25]

Duke reached the Final Four in the 1963 NCCA men's basketball tournament, losing to eventual national champion, Loyola University of Chicago. Mullins scored 21 points in the 94–75 loss.^[26] He had led Duke with 24 points in winning the East Regional final over St. Joseph's University,^[27] and led Duke with 25 points in winning the East Regional semi-final over New York University.^[28] After losing to Loyola, Duke defeated Oregon State University to take third place in the tournament, with Mullins scoring 14 points.^[29] He was selected to the All-East Regional Team.^[30]

Duke won the ACC tournament again in 1964. Duke defeated North Carolina State in the first round, 75–44. Mullins scored 15 points in the game.^[31] Duke then beat the University of North Carolina, 65-49, with Mullins scoring 19 points.^[32] Duke again defeated Wake Forest in the ACC championship game, 80–59. Mullins led Duke with 24 points.^[33] He was selected Most Valuable Player in the ACC tournament,^[34] and was once more named to the first-team ACC All-Tournament Team.^[25]

Duke reached the championship game of the 1964 NCAA men's tournament, losing to UCLA 98–83. Mullins led all Duke players with 22 points.^[35] Duke had defeated Villanova University in the East Regional semifinals, 87–73, with Mullins leading all players with 43 points scored in the game.^[36] Duke defeated the University of Connecticut, 101–54, in the East Regional final, with Mullins scoring 30 points.^[37] Duke defeated the University of Michigan in the Final Four, 91–80, with Mullins scoring 20 points.^[38] Mullins was selected to the 1964 All-Tournament Team.^[39]

At Duke, he averaged 21.9 points and nine rebounds per game for his career.^[40]

Coach Bubas considered Mullins an inspiring leader, as well as a great player. He was class president in both his junior and senior years at Duke.^[41]

Mullins was a member of the United States Olympic basketball team that won the gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics.^[42] He played in eight games, averaging 2.3 points per game.^[43]

After the Los Angeles Lakers and Cincinnati Royals made territorial picks, the St. Louis Hawks took Mullins in the first round (5th pick overall) of the 1964 NBA draft.^[44] The Hawks moved Mullins from forward to guard, a difficult transition for Mullins. In two seasons with the Hawks he would be deep on the Hawks bench as a seldom used fourth guard under player-coach guard Richie Guerin, who never gained confidence in Mullins.^[45] Mullins played in 44 games as a rookie (1964–65), averaging 11.2 minutes and 4.9 points per game.^[46] The following season with the Hawks (1965–66) he suffered knee and ankle injuries, and again played only 44 games, averaging 13.3 minutes and 5.8 points per game.^[47][45]

After two lackluster seasons with the Hawks he was exposed in the 1966 expansion draft and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in that draft.^[48] After some delay that was resolved by the NBA, in October 1966 Mullins and shooting guard Jim King were sent to the San Francisco Warriors in exchange for point guard Guy Rodgers. Rodgers had been traded earlier from the Warriors to the Bulls, who were seeking taller guards in place of the 6 ft (1.83 m) Rodgers.^[48][49]

In the 1966–67 season, Mullins joined a Warriors team with two future Hall of Fame players: 22-year old forward Rick Barry and 25-year old center Nate Thurmond. The Warriors played under head coach Bill Sharman, later in the Hall of Fame as both a coach and a player.^{[50][51][52][53]} Mullins' playing time increased under Sharman. He had learned more about playing guard, and improved his ball handling skills. Mullins started his first NBA game in January 1967. Soon after, he scored over 20 points in three games over three consecutive days (January 29–31); playing over 30 minutes per game even when not starting.^{[45][54][55][56]}

Mullins played in 77 games for the Warriors in 1966–67, averaging 23.8 minutes per game. He averaged 12.9 points, five rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, with a team-high .458 field goal percentage.^[57] The Warriors had a 44–37 record and finished first in the NBA's Western Division.^[58]

The Warriors swept the Lakers in three games to win the Western Division semifinal playoff series. Mullins averaged 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in the series.^[59] The Warriors then defeated the Hawks in six games in the Western Division finals. Mullins averaged 38.5 minutes, 23.3 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists per game against his old team.^[60] The Warriors lost the NBA championship in six games to the Philadelphia 76ers, who featured four future Hall of Fame players on their team (Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer and Chet Walker). Mullins averaged 32 minutes, 14 points, five rebounds and four assists per game in the series.^{[61][62][63][64]}

After the season, Barry, who led the NBA in scoring (35.6 points per game) and averaged nearly 41 points per game in the NBA finals, attempted to leave the Warriors to join the American Basketball Association's Oakland Oaks. A court ruled he could not do so, and rather than play for the Warriors, he sat out the 1967–68 season.^[65][61][66] That season Mullins playing time increased to 35.5 minutes per game, at shooting guard. He averaged 18.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game; playing in 79 games.^[67] The Warriors fell to third in the Western Division (43–39), but still made the playoffs.^[68]

The Warriors faced coach Richie Guerin and the Hawks in the first round of the Western Division playoffs. The Hawks were first in the Western Division with a 56–26 record. The Warriors upset the Hawks in six games. Mullins led all scorers in the series, averaging 27 points per game. He scored a game-high 29 points in the Warriors' Game 1 win (111–106), 33 points in the Warriors' 124–109 Game 3 victory, and a game-high 35 points in the Warriors' Game 4 win. Mullins hit a 15-foot bank shot with six seconds remaining to win Game 4 by one point (108–107). After winning the emotional game, Mullins' teammates carried him off the court on their shoulders.^[69][68][70] The Lakers swept the Warriors in four games in the Western Division finals. Mullins averaged 22.3 points, six rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in that series.^[71]

He was selected as an NBA All-Star three times – in 1969, 1970, and 1971. He helped the Warriors to the 1967 Western Conference title and the 1975 NBA championship. Upon his retirement in 1976, he had amassed a total of 13,017 points for a twelve-year career average of 16.2 points per game.

In 1985, Mullins was hired as the head men's basketball coach and athletic director at UNC Charlotte. The program had struggled since making the NCAA Final Four in 1977, and in three years Mullins took the 49ers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since their 1977 run. His 182 victories over eleven seasons stood as a school record until Bobby Lutz, Mullins' former assistant coach, surpassed that total in 2008.

During Mullins' tenure, the 49ers played in three conferences: the Sun Belt (1985–1991), the Metro Conference (1991–1995), and Conference USA (1995–1996).

Mullins was selected as a Parade All-American in 1960.^[72] In 1964, Mullins won the Anthony J. McKelvin award as the outstanding athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.^[41] In 1964, he also received the Lewis E. Teague Memorial Award as the outstanding male amateur athlete in the Carolinas (swimmer Susie Resseguie winning the female amateur athlete award).^[41][73][74] In 1978, Mullins was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame.^[73] His no. 44 Duke jersey was retired in 1994.^[75] In 2002, Mullins was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team as one of the 50 greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.^[76] In 2007, he was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.^[77]

Many in Lexington had hard feelings against Mullins when he chose to attend Duke University instead of the University of Kentucky. When his future wife Candy Johnson's grandfather learned she intended to marry Mullins he said "Oh, you can't marry him. ... He's the guy who didn't go to UK".^[4]

Source^[78]

• List of All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball teams

• Career statistics from NBA.com  · Basketball Reference 
• Jeff Mullins' statistics at Duke
• NBA Statistics for Jeff Mullins