The jerseys of former Syracuse University basketball players Rudy Hackett (#45) and Jim Lee (#10) will be retired during a ceremony on February 21, 2025, at the JMA Wireless Dome. The event will take place as Syracuse hosts Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina.
Hackett and Lee played together on Syracuse’s first NCAA Final Four team in the 1974-75 season, which advanced to the national semifinals in San Diego.
“Rudy Hackett and Jim Lee are two of the greatest and most important players in the history of Syracuse Basketball,” said John Wildhack, Syracuse Director of Athletics. “They were the leaders of our first Final Four team in 1975. They are deserving of joining our other great players whose jerseys are displayed in the JMA Wireless Dome.”
During his three varsity seasons at Syracuse, Hackett scored 1,496 points with an average of 17.2 points per game. He was the 14th player from Syracuse to surpass 1,000 career points and is tied for 26th on the school’s all-time scoring list. Hackett reached this milestone in just 66 games, making him one of the fastest to do so at Syracuse. He started in 84 out of his 87 games with the Orange.
Hackett led Syracuse in rebounds each season he played and ranks sixth all-time for career rebounds (990). His senior year saw him collect 407 rebounds—a record until it was surpassed by Derrick Coleman’s total of 422 during the 1988-89 season. In his final year (1974-75), Hackett scored a total of 709 points, which is ninth best for a single season at Syracuse. His average that year (22.2 ppg) remains eighth highest for a single season with the Orange. Hackett received All-American honors for his performance that year.
Jim Lee also surpassed the 1,000-point mark at Syracuse with a total of 1,165 points over three years, ranking him 51st among those who have reached this milestone at SU. Lee led the team in assists during both his junior (107 assists) and senior (115 assists) years and started every game those two seasons—a streak totaling 58 consecutive starts.
Lee excelled as a free-throw shooter, leading SU in free-throw percentage for three straight seasons: .885 (1972-73), .812 (1973-74), and .812 (1974-75). His career free-throw percentage (.859) is fourth best in school history.
With Hackett and Lee on its roster under Coach Roy Danforth, Syracuse made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1972 to 1975 with records of 24-5, 19-7, and 23-9 respectively.
Both athletes were named to Syracuse University’s All-Century Team by fan vote during the program’s centennial celebrations in the late nineties and are members of Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame. Hackett attended Mount Vernon High School while Lee graduated from Windsor High School.
Their jerseys will join those already retired by SU basketball: Carmelo Anthony, Dave Bing, Roosevelt Bouie, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Dennis DuVal, Billy Gabor, Vic Hanson, Gerry McNamara, Lawrence Moten, Louis Orr, Billy Owens, Rony Seikaly, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, John Wallace, Hakim Warrick and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington.
