Education
A 6"6" power forward/center, Hutchins attended Brigham Young University in 1946-1947 and 1947-1948 as a Freshman and Sophomore, and after a one-year absence where he worked in Southern California, in 1949-1950 and 1950-1951.
A 6"6" power forward/center, Hutchins attended Brigham Young University in 1946-1947 and 1947-1948 as a Freshman and Sophomore, and after a one-year absence where he worked in Southern California, in 1949-1950 and 1950-1951.
He played professionally in the National Basketball Association from 1951 to 1958. As a Senior, he led Brigham Young University to the 1951 National Institute of Technology National Championship. At the conclusion of the 1951 season, Hutchins played in the annual East-West College All-Star game, where he was named Most Valuable Player after leading the West to victory.
On February 16, 2013, Hutchins and his Brigham Young University teammate Roland Minson had their jersey"s retired during a ceremony at half-time of a Brigham Young University and University of Portland basketball game.
Hutchins was taken with the second pick in the 1951 National Basketball Association draft. He played for the Milwaukee Hawks, Fort Wayne Pistons, and New York Knicks.
In 1952, as a rookie, he was the co-leader of the National Basketball Association in total rebounds with 880, at a rate of 13.3 rebounds per game. To date, Hutchins and Wilt Chamberlain are the only rookies in National Basketball Association history to lead the league in rebounding.
During his career, Hutchins appeared in four National Basketball Association All-Star Games, (1953, 1954, 1956, and 1957), and finished 4th in Most Valuable Player voting in 1956.
Hutchins helped lead the Pistons to back to back National Basketball Association Finals in 1955 and 1956, although the Pistons fell short of a championship in both series", in 7 and 5 games, respectively. Along with being one of the top rebounders in the National Basketball Association, Hutchins was renowned for his defense. During his Hall of Fame induction speech in August 2011, Satch Sanders said that Hutchins was one of the great defenders who inspired him to play defense at a high level: "He (Hutchins) was so smooth defensively, always in the right place," Sanders told CSNNE.com moments after delivering his acceptance speech.
"I thought to myself, "I sure hope one day I can play like that.""After sustaining a serious knee injury midway through the 1958 season, Hutchins retired after only 7 National Basketball Association seasons, with 4,851 career points and 4,186 career rebounds.