UNC basketball legend Lennie Rosenbluth passes away
The UNC family lost a legend on Saturday morning as former forward Lennie Rosenbluth sadly passed away at age 89, the program announced.
Rosenbluth was a vital part to what UNC basketball has become over the years. The Bronx native made the decision to play at North Carolina for Frank McGuire instead of N.C. State and helped lead the program to their first national championship in 1957. He earned the honor of Helms Foundation Player of the Year for that season and was a consensus first-team All-American.
After three seasons at North Carolina, Rosenbluth was drafted sixth overall by the Philadelphia Warriors where he played two seasons.
Following his NBA career, Rosenbluth was back at UNC games where he watched the program win four more titles over the years. He embodied what UNC basketball meant and was embraced by coaches including Roy Williams as Adam Lucas notes in this piece:
“He had such a dignity about him,” said Roy Williams, who eventually made clear to Lennie and his wife, the luminescent Dianne, that they had tickets to any game they wanted. “The guys who came after him, they talked about Lennie with reverence. There was always something special about him.”
Our prayers and condolences are with Rosenbluth’s family.
