'Melrose made me': Rubin Jackson to have basketball jersey retired Friday night

Another great Melrose basketball player will be getting his jersey retired at the school Friday night. 

Rubin Jackson, who was part of the 1978 Melrose team that went 38-1 and beat Haywood for a state championship, will get his No. 52 jersey retired at Melrose’s basketball game against Kirby.  

"Melrose made me,” Jackson said. “Melrose’s tradition was there before I got there, and I was just glad to be a part of it.  

It’s an honor Jackson doesn’t take lightly.  

"It means so much to me because coach (Dorsey) Sims, Jr. was like a father to us,” Jackson said. “He (instilled) in us what it meant to play for Melrose.” 

Jackson was selected to the all-state team, all-metro team and all-tournament team during Melrose’s title run. He continued his basketball career at Claremore Junior College (now Rodgers State University) for a season before transferring to Oklahoma City University. In the 1980-81 season, he was named the Midwestern City Conference co-player of the year. 

In 1982, he was drafted in the fifth round of the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.  

Jackson was one of the many players coached under Dorsey Sims Jr. at Melrose. Sims coached 12 seasons with the Golden Wildcats, with 323 career wins.  

Dorsey Sims III, who was an assistant coach under his dad at Melrose from 1982-86, was adamant about getting Jackson’s number retired because of what he accomplished on and off the court.  

“He’s like a brother to me,” Sims III said. “One of the closest former players that my dad ever had. I have a lot of respect for him and his family.” 

Jackson is still active in the Orange Mound and Melrose community.  

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"I’ve been part of Melrose since I’ve left,” Jackson said. “I’ve been back and forth, trying to do whatever I can in the community to help the community and the school.” 

It’s why retiring his jersey is one of the most impactful ways the school can honor one of its own. 

 “I feel like when we got there, we helped it grow a little bit,” Jackson said. “It was just a privilege to be there.” 

Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.