Louis Orr, the former Knicks forward and Syracuse star who later coached Seton Hall, has died aged 64 after a battle with pancreatic cancer
Louis Orr, the former Syracuse star who went on to play for the New York Knicks and coach the Seton Hall Pirates, has died at the age of 64 after battling pancreatic cancer.
“On 12/15/2022, Louis Orr was called home to be with the Lord as his battle with cancer had come to an end,” the family said in a statement. “He was a very beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He will be missed forever!’
One of the first stars in current Orange coach Jim Boeheim’s 47-year tenure at Syracuse, the 6-foot-8 Orr was just a freshman in 1976-77 when he and center Roosevelt Bouie helped lead the school to its first of four consecutive games to lead appearances in NCAA tournaments. The famous “Louie & Bouie Show,” as they were known, averaged 32.1 points and 16.6 rebounds per game as seniors in the closing days of the program before the Carrier Dome opened.
Louis Orr, the former Syracuse star who went on to play for the New York Knicks and coach the Seton Hall Pirates, has died at the age of 64 after battling pancreatic cancer
Syracuse finally retired its No. 55 in 2015.
“We mourn the loss of an Orange legend — a player, a coach and most importantly, a great person who made everyone around him better,” the Syracuse men’s basketball program tweeted. “The memory of Louis Orr will live in our hearts forever, and especially as we look up and see his No. 55 in the rafters of the dome.”
Orr, a Cincinnati native, was drafted in the second round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.
He was later traded to the Knicks for a second-round pick used by the Pacers to bring Scooter McCray out of Louisville.
One of the first stars in current Orange coach Jim Boeheim’s 47-year tenure at Syracuse, the 6-foot-8 Orr (left) was just a freshman in 1976-77 when he and center Roosevelt helped Bouie (right) to advance the school to his first of four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. The famous “Louie & Bouie Show,” as they were known, averaged 32.1 points and 16.6 rebounds per game as seniors in the closing days of the program before the Carrier Dome opened
Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange and assistant coach Louie Orr of the Georgetown Hoyas shake hands before a college basketball game at Capitol One Arena December 16, 2017
Louis Orr played Boston Celtics star Kevin McHale at the Boston Garden in 1984
Patrick Ewing said goodbye to his longtime friend and assistant coach on social media
In New York, Orr thrived as a part-time starter for Knicks coach Hubie Brown, averaging 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Orr also starred alongside Patrick Ewing, who later hired him as a special assistant at Syracuse rival Georgetown, where he worked from 2017 until this year.
“I’ve lost a great friend,” Ewing tweeted on Friday. “Someone who has been in my life since I was 22. We developed a friendship and a brotherhood. He was always someone I could talk to — we talked life, we talked basketball, we talked family.
“Louis Orr will be truly missed and he will forever be a part of this Hoya program.”
Orr’s NBA career ended after the 1987-88 season when he was only 29, but he found a second career as a coach.
He first worked at Xavier in his hometown of Cincinnati under head coach Pete Gillen before moving to Providence and later to Syracuse, where he was reunited with Boeheim from 1996-2000.
He took his first head coaching job at Siena and was later hired by Seton Hall, where he led the Pirates to NCAA tournament spots in 2004 and 2006.
Orr coached at Bowling Green for seven seasons before the school decided against a contract extension in 2014.
Georgetown Hoyas head coach Patrick Ewing and Georgetown Hoyas assistant Caoch Louis Orr during the 2K Empire Classic college basketball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Georgetown Hoyas on November 22, 2019 at Madison Square Garden