It will be a special day in more ways than one this Saturday, February 6 when the Hamline basketball teams welcome league leader St. Thomas to Hutton Arena.

James "Pinky" Boyd, a member of Hamline's first national championship basketball team in 1942, will be in attendance for a ceremony that will take place at halftime of the men's game. Boyd, who served in World War II after his playing days at Hamline, will be feted as part of a ceremony honoring veterans. The school's Veterans Center, located in the hub in Bush Center, will be open that day and staffed by the Student Veterans Organization.

In honor of the event, any HU alum who is a veteran will be admitted to the games that day for free.

Boyd, 95, is the oldest living member of the school's athletic hall of fame.  He was inducted in 1999 for his exploits as a football and a basketball player. In the latter role, he was a junior on the team that went 20-2 overall and then defeated five teams in a week (among their victims were New Mexico State and Indiana State) to win the NAIB (now known as the NAIA) title in Kansas City.  In his senior season, Boyd earned All-Conference honors and led the league in Free Throw Percentage on a team that won its first 21 games before falling in the national quarterfinals.  His teammates in that era included three future NBAers – Howie Schultz, Rollie Seltz and John Norlander.

The Piper men take on the Tommies at 1:00 p.m. The women's game will follow 25 minutes after the conclusion of the men's game.