Mel Bennett

One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Mel Bennett: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.

Pittsburgh raised him, from Peabody High School to the University of Pittsburgh, and the pro game took him from the ABA's Virginia Squires in 1975-76 to the Indiana Pacers, the Utah Jazz in 1980-81, and finally the Cleveland Cavaliers, where his playing days ended in 1982.

His second act may be the most endearing in this checklist. Bennett works as an aide at Ocean City Intermediate School in New Jersey, where he hands out snacks as prizes for answering his trivia questions. In 2015 the students voted for him to dress like a turkey for Thanksgiving.

HOW HE CAME & WENTHe signed a 10-day contract on January 3, 1981, a second ten days later, then for the rest of the season. Utah waived him the following October.

Full name

Melvin P. Bennett

Utah Jazz tenure

1980–81

Position

Forward

Born

1955, Pittsburgh

Height

6′7″ (201 cm)

Weight

201 lb (91 kg)

College

Pittsburgh

Drafted

1975, ABA