Clyde Lovellette was one of college basketball's first great centers. A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Lovellette played for the Jayhawks and legendary coach "Phog" Allen from 1950-52.

At 6-9, 230 pounds, when Lovellette arrived at Kansas he was truly the big man on campus. The first of a series of great big men for the Jayhawks in the 1950s, Lovellette averaged 21.8 points per game in 1950. He was named to the Big Seven's all-conference team after leading KU to a share of first place.

The next year, Lovellette led the Jayhawks to a 16-8 record while averaging 22.8 points per game. He was selected All-Big Seven and was the fourth Jayhawk to be a consensus first team All-American selection.

The shining moment of Lovellette's career came in 1952 as he averaged 28.4 points per game and led the Jayhawks to their first NCAA crown. The Jayhawks finished the year at 28-3 and defeated St. John's 80-63 in the NCAA title game behind Lovellette's 33 points and 17 rebounds. Lovellette became the only player to ever lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year.

In 1952, Lovellette and six Jayhawk teammates helped lead the United States, coached by KU's Allen, to the gold medal at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Lovellette's numbers at Kansas have stood the test of time. He ranks as the second all-time leading scorer in Jayhawk basketball history and his 813 career rebounds rank fifth.

Following his years at Kansas, Lovellette played one year of AAU basketball for the Phillips 66ers before joining the NBA. He played with Minneapolis, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Boston during his NBA career, scoring 11,947 career points in 704 games.

After retiring from basketball, Lovellette has returned to Terre Haute, where he has devoted much of his time to the areas of law enforcement and juvenile counseling. Lovellette was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in May 1988. 

Lovellette's jersey was retired in a ceremony honoring the 1952 NCAA championship team on February 15, 1992.