UNC Basketball legend Lennie Rosenbluth dies at the age of 89

The UNC basketball program received some sad news on Saturday, as Tar Heel legend Lennie Rosenbluth passed away at the age of 89.

It was a sad day for the UNC basketball program, as it was announced that Lennie Rosenbluth, one of the greatest players in Tar Heels history, has passed away at the age of 89.

If you visit the Dean Smith Center, you’ll see Rosenbluth’s No. 10 hanging in the first row of the rafters. His retired jersey’s prime spot among some of the best Tar Heels ever is well-deserved, given that he had a distinct impact on the program that helped create the winning culture that we all enjoy and value today.

Under the direction of head coach Frank McGuire, Rosenbluth played three very memorable seasons at North Carolina from 1955 to 1957. He earned First-Team All-ACC honors in each of those respective seasons and averaged at least 25 points per game in each of his seasons in the Carolina blue.

To go along with his prolific scoring, the Bronx, New York native recorded11 rebounds per game in both 1955 and 1956, as he averaged a double-double in each of those respective seasons.

As outstanding as his Tar Heel career was, Rosenbluth will always be remembered for his iconic 1957 season. He averaged 28 points per game, a program single-season record that still holds true to this day, as he not only earned ACC Player of the Year honors but also was also a consensus first-team All-American and the National Player of the Year.

Along with his personal success, the UNC basketball program as a whole put together a dominant season. Following Rosenbluth’s lead, the Tar Heels completed a perfect 32-0 season, defeating Kansas (which featured a guy named Wilt Chamberlain, you may have heard of him before) in the National Championship game.

For his efforts throughout his Tar Heels career, Rosenbluth’s No. 10 jersey has since been retired by the program. His career scoring average of 26.9 points per game is still a Carolina record, while his 2,047 points scored are the most ever by a Tar Heel over just three seasons played.

After his time in Chapel Hill ended, Rosenbluth was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1957 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. He was also selected to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary men’s basketball team.

To size up how important Rosenbluth was, and still is, to the UNC basketball program, Adam Lucas of Go Heels discussed how his success paved a path toward future success for the program.

"Because Rosenbluth, who died Saturday at the age of 89, is probably responsible for more Carolina Basketball fans than any individual other than Michael Jordan. And you could make a very fair argument that without Rosenbluth, there was no Jordan. Because without Rosenbluth—the superstar on the undefeated national championship 1957 team—there was no Dean Smith, who met Frank McGuire on that fateful championship weekend in 1957. That meeting set in motion Smith’s eventual move to Carolina as an assistant coach, which in turn helped make Tar Heel basketball part of all of our lives."

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