Mel Weldon was born in Richmond, Virginia, moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina as an infant, and relocated to Jersey City with his family in the 1960s. Displaying a gift for basketball from a young age, he played three years at Ferris High School, where he was a stand-out and made First Team All Hudson County as a Junior. Unfortunately for Mel, he wasn’t able to play during his senior year, due to the move from North Carolina to New Jersey. When his guidance counselor, Tony Nicademo, advised him to get an extra year of academics at a prep school before applying to college, Weldon attended Lowell Crest Prep in Bristol, CT. During the year that he played for Lowell Crest, the team’s record was 22-2, and they won the New England Prep School Championship.
As he approached High School graduation, Mel had his sights set on college, but he was unable to secure a scholarship at either of his two top choices, Boston University and University of Massachusetts. So, he once again turned to Tony Nicademo for guidance, and he told Mel about a Community College in Trenton, NJ where Gene Evans and John Ford (Mel’s teammates at Ferris High School) had enrolled. The basketball team at Mercer County Community College was doing great things under Coach Howie Landa, whose reputation was spreading with each passing season. Mel enrolled in the college’s Liberal Arts program, tried out for Howie, and quickly joined the 1972-1973 Men’s basketball team.
Mel guided the Vikings to a victorious national tournament in 1973. With Mel at point guard, Mercer became the first team from the east coast to ever win the National Championship. That same year, Mel was named the 1973 National Player of the Year and given the distinction of All-American. He also became a member of Mercer’s 1,000 point club, having scored 1,111 points during his time as a Viking.
After his team won the National Tournament, Mel embarked on a serious search to find a 4-year college where he could study Sociology and Social Work, and join a team that would definitely play against Boston University and University of Massachusetts. Mel continued his studies and basketball career at Boston College, where he played for the 1973-1974 and 1974-1975 seasons. During the 1974-1975 season, Mel was made team captain, and he led his team to NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
After graduating from Boston College, Mel played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association and in Venezuela. Following his career as a professional basketball player, Mel returned to MCCC and served as an admissions counselor and the Head Coach for Men’s basketball (1979-1980 and 1980-1981) while Howie took a break from coaching. During his time as MCCC’s Head Coach, Mel recorded 43 wins and only 14 losses. Later in his basketball career, Mel coached at Trenton Catholic Academy, as the Assistant Coach for Girl’s basketball (2005-2011), and Head Coach for Men’s basketball (2012).
At the start of his professional basketball career, Mel was selected to play for the 1973 World University Games (USA) team in Moscow, Russia. The team finished with a perfect 9-0 record, and captured its first gold medal since the 1967 Games. Years later, Mel was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame (1991), the Hudson County Hall of Fame (2010), and the New England Hall of Fame (2013).
This evening, Mel is joined by his wife, Charmaine; daughter, Melva; son, Mel Jr. and his girlfriend Ashley Haynes; sisters, Darlene Weldon-Gordon and Charlene Footman; cousin, Darcel Sessoms; nephews, Kaleb Sessoms, Kevin Sessoms, Jr., and Jaron Footman; and friends, Cleve Christie, Howard Cook, and Jarrett Robinson.
