Hall of Fame
Wayne Brabender came to Minnesota Morris in 1965 from Willmar Community College and Milan High School. His achievements as a basketball player at Minnesota Morris rank him as one of the most outstanding players in school history. The team MVP in 1966 and 1967, Brabender had a career scoring average of 23.6 points per game, including a 24.3 points per game average in one of his seasons, and a season in which he hauled in 303 rebounds.Â
Even though he played just two seasons for the Cougars, he still reached the 1,000-point mark for his career, finishing with 1,119 points and 534 rebounds. He was an all-conference and NAIA Regional All-American in 1967.
After graduating, he was drafted in the supplementary round of the NBA by the Philadelphia 76ers. His professional career in Europe would go on to include 16 years with Real Madrid and 14 years with the Spanish national team. His list of accomplishments from his pro career include being named the MVP of European basketball in 1973, an All-World First Team selection in 1974, and the 1983 winner of the El Ya de Oro award for the outstanding sportsman in Spain. Brabender was named the MVP of Spanish basketball six times and also played in the 1972 and 1980 Olympics.
