Rosenbluth, Lennie

Leonard Robert Rosenbluth

Rosenbluth, considered one of the greatest players in the history of the University of North Carolina's basketball program, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. The 1957 College Player of the Year, Lennie still holds eight Tar Heel records, and his No. 10 jersey hangs from the rafters at the Smith Center. His outstanding college career at North Carolina prompted his coach Frank McGuire to say, "Lennie did a great job for us. In four years he never showed a sign of weakness. And the crowds would get on him plenty. He did a lot for his religion in the South. The more Rosenbluths we get down here the better."

Rosenbluth helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1957 National Championship, bringing UNC's program national recognition, and legitimizing the quality of the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) in college basketball. After his playing days, the humble Rosenbluth took a job teaching American history in Florida, but never told his kids of his playing days at UNC. When asked about the accomplishments of his senior season (1957), he refused to take credit and said, "we had great chemistry. No matter what the score, we had some close games, we knew someone would step up and help us win. I never had any doubt we would go all the way."

In the book, Legends of College Basketball: The 100 Greatest Players of All Time, Rosenbluth was ranked No. 61. According to author Mike DeCourcy (senior editor at the Sporting News), Rosenbluth "had a city player's slick moves and gift for the unexpected. He was unafraid to shoot in traffic or off-balance or falling away from the goal. He performed well under pressure."

In November of 2004, The New York Post included Lennie, along with the likes of Lew Alcindor, Connie Hawkins and Billy Cunningham, on a seven-man team selected as "New York Schoolboy Basketball Legends".

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Jan. 22, 1933

Career Highlights:
A native New Yorker, Rosenbluth joined Frank McGuire's North Carolina Tar Heels after attending a prep school in Virginia. When he was a sophomore in 1955, Rosenbluth was named Helms third team All-America while leading North Carolina in scoring average (25.5), and rebounding average (11.7). In 1956, Rosenbluth led the Tar Heels in scoring average (26.7), rebounding average (11.5) and field goal percentage (.458). He was named Helms first team All-America, Converse, AP and United Press second team All-America.

In 1957, Rosenbluth was the team captain and led the team in scoring average (28.0), field goal percentage (.483) and free throw percentage (.758). That season, he was a consensus first team All-America and named Helms College Player of the Year while taking North Carolina to a 32-0 record (the first undefeated season in ACC history), and the National Championship. Although they were ranked No. 1 going into the tournament, the Tar Heels faced a difficult path to the championship. They defeated Yale, Canisius, and Syracuse to reach the Final Four. In the semifinal, Lennie scored 29 points and UNC defeated Michigan State 74-70 in triple overtime. The lead changed 31 times and the scored was tied on 21 occasions.

The victory over the Spartans set up a match against Kansas and their 7-foot sophomore center, Wilt Chamberlain. Despite their No. 1 ranking and having Rosenbluth, the Tar Heels were underdogs against the most intimidating player in college basketball history. It turned out that the Jayhawks were as concerned about Lennie as the Tar Heels were about Wilt. Kansas opened the game with a box-and-one defense, shadowing Rosenbluth wherever he went on the court. UNC jumped ahead 19-7 and Kansas scrapped their defense and played man-to-man. Rosenbluth took full advantage in the first half, scoring 14 points and missing only two shots; UNC led 29-22 at the half. In the second half, however, Rosenbluth and the Tar Heels cooled off and Kansas led 46-43 when Lennie fouled out with 1:45 remaining in regulation. He had scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and passed for five assists. North Carolina rallied, however, to defeat the Jayhawks, 54-53 in another triple-overtime thriller that is considered one of college basketball's greatest games.

Rosenbluth led the tournament in scoring with 140 points (28 per game), and was named to the All-tournament Team. The title brought UNC to the forefront of college basketball, but also legitimized the ACC as a conference (North Carolina State had been the conference's only NCAA entrant before 1957). Rosenbluth still holds eight North Carolina records, including highest career average (26.9), most points scored in a season (895), highest single-season average (28.0) and most field goals attempted (631). He is second all-time in career points scored with 2,045. He is a member of the Helms College Hall of Fame.

In 1957, Rosenbluth was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors as the 6th overall pick in the NBA draft. In 1957-58, Philadelphia finished the season with a record of 37-35 and lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics, 4-1. Rosenbluth played in four playoff games, scored eight points and had three rebounds. The following year, the Warriors finished last in the East with a 32-40 record and did not make the playoffs. After only two seasons in the NBA with the Warriors, Rosenbluth became weary of the road and retired from professional basketball to become a teacher.

Origin:
Bronx, New York

Career Dates:
Rosenbluth played forward at the University of North Carolina, 1955-1957. He played in the NBA for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1957-1959.

Physical description:
6'5", 200 pounds

Career Statistics:
In the NBA:
Games: 82
Points: 342
Points Per Game: 4.2

Field Goals Made: 134
Field Goals Attempted: 410
Field Goal Percentage: .327

Free Throws Made: 74
Free Throws Attempted: 113
Free Throw Percentage: .655

Rebounds: 145
Rebounds Per Game: 1.8
Assists: 29
Assists Per Game: 0.4

Personal Fouls: 59
Disqualifications: 0

NBA playoffs:
Games: 4
Points: 8
Points Per Game: 2.0

Field Goals Made: 3
Field Goals Attempted: 9
Field Goal Percentage: .333

Free Throws Made: 2
Free Throws Attempted: 3
Free Throw Percentage: .666

Rebounds: 3
Rebounds Per Game: 0.8
Assists: 0
Assists Per Game: 0.0

Personal Fouls: 0
Disqualifications: 0

< Previous |  Next >