Former UNC basketball player, radio analyst Eric Montross dies

Former North Carolina basketball player, Tar Heel analyst and Ram’s Club staffer Eric Montross died on Sunday at age 52.

Montross was diagnosed with cancer in March. He leaves behind his wife, Laura, and three children: Sarah, Andrew and Megan.

“Carolina Athletics, the Tar Heel basketball family and the entire university community are profoundly saddened and stunned by the loss of Eric Montross, one of our most beloved former student-athletes, at far too young an age,” UNC said in a statement. “Eric was a great player and accomplished student, but the impacts he made on our community went way beyond the basketball court. He was a man of faith, a tremendous father, husband and son, and one of the most recognizable ambassadors of the university and Chapel Hill.”

Montross worked as a radio analyst for the Tar Heel Sports Network, starting in the early 2000s. He stepped away this season due to his ongoing cancer battle.

“Even if you don’t see me – and I know I’m hard to miss – I will be cheering on our Tar Heels during every single game,” Montross said in a video message to fans this October. “Thank you for your support of Carolina Basketball, a program we all love so much. Thank you also for supporting those we love, wherever they are, who are fighting this terrible disease.”

He also served as the senior director of principal gifts for the Rams Club, which helped fundraise for student-athlete scholarships.

Montross played under head coach Dean Smith from 1990-94. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he was the teammate of current Carolina head coach Hubert Davis. HE became the starting center in 1993, helping the Tar Heels win the national championship that season.

That same year, he earned First Team All-ACC honors and All-America honors as a junior and senior. Montross received NCAA East Region and Final Four all-tournament recognition for his efforts in the championship run.

Montross was a first-round draft pick by the Boston Celtics and went on to play nine seasons in the NBA. He returned to Chapel Hill at the end of his playing career.

The Tar Heels previously honored Montross, hanging his jersey in the Dean Smith Center, joining the greats of Carolina basketball.

The announcement of his death has been met with messages of sympathy and remembrance on social media.

The Montross family thanked the medical staff who cared for him, notably those at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center. It requested privacy during this period.