Lennie Rosenbluth, a UNC basketball legend who had roots in Miami, died at age 89

Decades after Lennie Rosenbluth led the North Carolina Tar Heels to their first national title in men’s basketball, earning Player of the Year honors in the process, his name had started to fade in popularity.

That’s when Harold Cole, who coached with Rosenbluth at Coral Gables High, would put his friend’s importance in perspective.

“You might have heard of the guy Lennie beat out for the national title and for Player of the Year in 1957,” Cole would say before pausing for effect …

“Wilt Chamberlain.”

Rosenbluth, who had a phenomenal college career, was a first-round NBA draft pick and later became a noted basketball coach in Miami, died Saturday morning in his home in Chapel Hill, N.C.

He was 89, and the cause of death has not yet been determined. He is survived by his wife, Dianne, and his children Steve; Elizabeth; Courtney and Brennan; six grandchildren, one sister, one niece and one nephew. Rosenbluth’s first wife, Pat, died in 2010.

Rosenbluth is one of just seven men’s basketball players to have his number (10) retired at North Carolina. You might have heard of some of the others: Michael Jordan (23); James Worthy (52); Phil Ford (12); Antawn Jamison (33); Tyler Hansbrough (50); and George Glamach (20).

Born in the Bronx, New York, -- Rosenbluth – who was Jewish and was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 – was a 6-foot-5 small forward.

Cut from his high school team as a junior, Rosenbluth spent that year practicing his game on courts in New York’s inner city.

“My dad said there were no nets, and there was glass on the court,” Steve Rosenbluth said. “But that’s where he learned to make shots.”

As a UNC sophomore – this was before freshmen were allowed to play varsity basketball -- he led the team in scoring (25.5) and rebounds (11.7). As a sophomore, he averaged 26.7 points and earned All-American honors for the second straight year.

In his senior season, Rosenbluth averaged 27.9 points and 8.6 rebounds, earning Player of the Year honors from the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame. Chamberlain, a 7-foot center for the University of Kansas, finished second for that honor.

Then, in the 1957 title game, Rosenbluth came out on top again, scoring 20 points as UNC beat Kansas, 54-53, in triple overtime. UNC also won the NCAA semifinal in triple overtime, defeating Michigan State.

In the final, Chamberlain scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Those were strong numbers, but they weren’t much considering that Chamberlain had 52 points and 31 rebounds in his NCAA debut earlier that season.

He also had 32 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in the NCAA semifinals, but the Tar Heels, in the final, tripled-teamed him and also used stalling tactics in the days before a shot clock.

That Tar Heels team, coached by Frank McGuire, was the first ACC squad ever to win a national title. They finished 32-0, just the second undefeated champ in NCAA men’s basketball history.

UNC started five native New Yorkers that year, and the Tar Heels hung on in the final even after Rosenbluth fouled out late in regulation.

“It was remarkable we won,” McGuire told the Associated Press after that game, “because Lennie was our key all year.”

Rosenbluth still holds the UNC single-season scoring records, averaging 28.0 points in 1956-57.

In 1989, the NCAA selected Rosenbluth to the 1950’s All-Decade team, along with Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson.

Rosenbluth’s NBA career was brief. He was the sixth player chosen in the 1957 NBA Draft, selected by the Philadelphia Warriors. He played two years – a total of 82 games – averaging 4.2 points on 32.7-percent shooting from the floor and 65.5 from the foul line.

But those were different times. In those days, his annual NBA salary was just $5,000.

In the 1960s, Rosenbluth and his first wife, Pat – who was the Miss Congeliality of the North Carolina beauty pageant -- vacationed in Miami, and they fell in love with the city. Rosenbluth took a job at Miami Edison before landing in Coral Gables as a teacher and the boys’ basketball coach.

Rosenbluth coached Gables from 1965-66 to 1976-1977.

Years later, Rosenbluth returned to coaching, leading Kendall Acres to the 1984 Class 1A state championship. That team’s star was point guard Chris Corchiani, who went on to a brilliant career at North Carolina State.

“As a game-day coach, Lennie was one of the best I’ve ever been around,” Cole said. “His teams were so fundamentally sound, it was amazing.”

Perhaps Rosenbluth’s defining trait – outside of his basketball skill – was his humility.

When Hurricane Andrew hit his Kendall home in 1992, it destroyed all of his trophies and other mementos.

But Rosenbluth did not complain.

“He said it was no big deal,” Cole said. “But I had been to his home. It was a big deal.”

Cole decided to call legendary UNC coach Dean Smith, whom he did not know at the time. Within 20 minutes, Smith had returned the call, and they began the work of getting new trophies done as well as replacing the newspaper clippings and other artifacts.

Rosenbluth was indeed a “big deal” at UNC, but he never asked for special treatment. In fact, for years, he bought season tickets to UNC games.

When coach Roy Williams found out about this, he gave Rosenbluth free tickets for life.

A 2019 story quoted Ford as crediting Rosenbluth with the start of UNC basketball greatness.

Rosenbluth was said to be shocked at how fondly fans regarded him at UNC.

“It’s an experience going to the games,” Rosenbluth told Inside Carolina in 2019. “After 60-something years, they still remember our team. It’s humbling and flattering.”

Cole said when his son, Michael, was applying to UNC as a student, he asked a campus tour guide about the importance of a recommendation letter.

When the tour guide found out he could get a letter of recommendation from Rosenbluth, she put his significance in perspective.

“There are three letters of recommendation that would be huge,” she told Michael Cole. “Michael Jordan, Lennie Rosenbluth and God, and all three would be considered equally important at UNC.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 1:43 PM.