 Garland with the Purdue Boilermakers in 1963 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 23, 1942 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1983 (aged 40) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, Indiana) |
| College | Purdue (1961–1964) |
| NBA draft | 1964: undrafted |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career | 1964–1981 |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1964–1967 | Greenfield-Central HS |
| 1967–1975 | Indiana State (assistant) |
| 1975–1979 | Evansville Harrison HS |
| 1979–1981 | IUPUI |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career coaching record | |
| College | 31–38 (.449) |
Melvyn J. Garland (June 23, 1942 – March 5, 1983) was an American basketball coach and player. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he emerged as a star dual-sport athlete in basketball and baseball at Arsenal Technical High School. Garland attended Purdue University and played for the Boilermakers on the basketball and baseball teams. He was a member of all-conference teams in both sports but excelled at basketball, where he was an Honorable Mention All-American during his junior season.
Garland turned to coaching after his graduation and began his career at Greenfield-Central High School as the coach of the basketball, baseball and cross country teams. He joined the Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team as an assistant coach in 1967. Garland also served as the head coach of the Sycamores golf team for four seasons until his resignation from the university in 1975. He returned to high school coaching when he served as head basketball coach at Evansville Harrison High School for four seasons.
Garland was hired as the head coach and athletic director of the IUPUI Jaguars men's basketball team in 1979. He led the team to its first winning season in school history during the 1980–81 season but his career was prematurely ended when he stepped down due to health issues midway through the 1981–82 season. Garland continued to serve as athletic director until his death from leukemia on March 5, 1983.