Washington State University Athletics

Jack Melson etched his name as one of the greats of Cougar boxing during his time in Pullman. A Seattle native who attended Seattle Prep, Melson immediately made an impact on the nationally renowned Cougar boxing program as he captured the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate title at 130 pounds as a freshman in 1947. The next year he repeated as the PCI champion, only this time it came in the 127-pound division, followed by another title in 1949 at 125 pounds. Melson capped his Cougar career with a fourth-straight title in 1951, the only boxer in Cougar history with four PCI championships. His first NCAA title came shortly thereafter as Melson became just the fourth Cougar to win an NCAA boxing title, capturing the 130-pound division.