A basketball career that began in Ohio, reached new heights at Atlantic Christian College and led to an 11-year pro career in Puerto Rico has landed Ricky Melendez in the Barton College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Melendez is the first player from head coach Gary Edwards’ outstanding teams of the middle ’80s to land a spot in the Barton Hall, and he couldn’t be prouder to represent those two Bulldog editions that won 50 games and made back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Basketball Championships in Kansas City.

“It’s a tremendous honor…one I’m very proud of,” said Melendez, who was Barton’s Kiwanis Male Athlete of the Year for the 1986-87 year. “To be the first from that group of athletes means a lot. I wish we could put the whole team in there for what we accomplished. A lot of credit goes to my teammates.” What they accomplished in the 1985-86 and ’86-’87 seasons was a 50-19 record, two regular-season Carolinas Conference titles, two District 26 Championships, a Sweet 16 appearance and a Final 32 spot.

Those teams were the first, and only, AC teams since the 1955 Bulldogs to make it to the NAIA National Tournament. In Melendez’s senior season, the Bulldogs pulled off one of the biggest upsets in school history when they went on the road and shocked NCAA D-I foe UNC Wilmington, 62-59. Melendez lists that as the highlight game of his career. He pumped in 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and shot 65 percent from the floor.

Melendez was born on December 17, 1962, in Lorain, Ohio, to Gilbert and Patricia Melendez. His father hails from Puerto Rico and his mother was from Buffalo, N.Y. His mom passed away in 1999 while his father and sister, Deanna Martinez, currently reside in Orlando.

He grew up playing basketball, baseball and football in middle school, then shifted his focus to basketball at Lorain High School, where he helped the freshman team to the City Championship. He played JV ball as a sophomore, then had what he called his “breakout season” as a junior, when he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds as Lorain posted a 17-6 record and lost in the district semifinals. He was named All-Conference, All-City and All-Ohio, feats he repeated his senior year when the team finished 12-9.

He attended Lakeland Community College in Mentor, Ohio, for the next two seasons and he continued to excel. He scored 13 points per game as a freshman, then elevated his stats to 17 points, nine rebounds per outing as a sophomore to earn All-Conference and All-Region recognition. He was also a JUCO All-American nominee.

Teaming with guys like Art Bane, Gilbert Rucker, Vince Dooms, Rick Henry, Doren Chapman, Keith Seegers, Arnold Vincent, Craig Stewart, Ed Boone, Ashby White and others, Melendez said Edwards molded the Bulldogs into a unit that stunned league and district foes his first year, then held off all challengers his second season.

His junior year the Bulldogs won the regular season, lost in the tournament final, but won the district to earn a trip to Kansas City. In Kemper Arena, for the opening game 23nd-seed AC upset 27-1 Waynesburg College (Pa.) to become a top 10 team. In the Sweet 16, Barton led seventh-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas at halftime, but suffered a 77-71 setback to finish the year 25-10. Melendez was named Team MVP, an honor he would receive the next season as well. His senior season, the Bulldogs repeated as regular-season conference champs and again won the D-26 title.

Melendez, who was 6-5 and played the wing spot while at AC, made the All-Tournament team in the Gold Rush Classic in New Orleans his senior season. He tallied 38 points and shot 62 percent from the floor as the Bulldogs beat Southern University, 93-80, then lost 69-66 to Xavier in the championship. Melendez scored 23 points and pulled seven rebounds as AC beat Catawba, 108-92, in the District 26 semifinals, then the Bulldogs stopped High Point, 77-74, to earn another Kansas City trip. Barton entered the national tournament as the 22nd seed, but lost out to 10th-seeded (and much taller) Central Washington, 86-83, in the opening round.

After graduation, Melendez married Rebecca Clark in New Jersey, then they repeated their vows in Lorain in front of a large crowd, including the mayor, on “Ricky Melendez Day.” Melendez got an offer to play pro ball, so they moved to Puerto Rico, where their two oldest children were born while he played for the Morovis Titans in the Superior Basketball League. The Titans won the league title his first season there. He won one more pro title in the Puerto Rican League in 1991.

He averaged 12 points per game during his pro career, with highs of 37 points and 13 rebounds, and was an alternate on the Puerto Rican team for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He made numerous all-star teams and won some 3-point shooting contests as well.

After his basketball career ended, Melendez and his family relocated to Wilson and spent several years here. He coached some local youth teams and spent a lot of nights on the sidelines watching the newest Bulldogs play ball.