Eric Montross boit

Eric Montross passes away at 52 after battle with cancer

Rest in peace, Big Grits.

He was not on the list.

Former Tar Heel Eric Montross passed away on Sunday, December 17th, after battling cancer for nearly a year. Montross was a beloved member of the 1993 championship team in Chapel Hill, and a color commentator for the Tar Heel Sports Network in recent years.

Montross announced that he’d been diagnosed with cancer this past March and would be receiving treatment at UNC. There were no further details given about the kind of cancer Montross was battling, but he announced that he’d continue to be away from broadcasting while undergoing ongoing treatment.

It was impossible to miss the imposing figure that was Eric Montross. The 7-footer certainly had a big presence, and was a fixture around campus. After leaving Carolina with a ring, Montross was drafted ninth overall by the Boston Celtics where he spent two years before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He bounced around from there until 2002 before announcing his retirement in 2003.

Our hearts go out to the Montross family as they deal with this tremendous loss. He’ll be missed by Tar Heels everywhere.

He was part of the UNC team that won the NCAA Championship against Michigan in 1993 and was named an All-American as a junior and senior. Montross' father and grandfather had played for Michigan. His father Scott was a teammate of Cazzie Russell in the 1960s and his maternal grandfather John Townsend was an All-American in the 1930s. In 4 seasons at UNC, Montross appeared in 139 games, averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Montross was selected by the Boston Celtics with the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft. During his first year in the NBA, he averaged 10 points per game, and was selected to the 1995 Rookie All-Star Game and named to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team. However, Montross would never again reach this level of production. The Celtics came under fire for selecting Montross over players such as Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, and Aaron McKie.

Montross spent two seasons with the Celtics before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1996, in exchange for a 1997 first-round draft pick and the right to swap first-round draft picks in the 1996 NBA Draft. At the 1997 trade deadline, Montross, Jim Jackson, Chris Gatling, George McCloud, and Sam Cassell were traded to the New Jersey Nets for Ed O'Bannon, Khalid Reeves, Shawn Bradley and Robert Pack. On the day of the 1997 NBA Draft, Montross and Jackson were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers with the draft rights of Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker for Don MacLean, Lucious Harris, Michael Cage and the draft rights of Keith Van Horn. In December of 1997, Montross and Jerry Stackhouse were traded to the Detroit Pistons for Aaron McKie and Theo Ratliff. In 2001, Montross and Jerome Williams were traded to the Toronto Raptors for Kornél Dávid, Tyrone Corbin and Corliss Williamson.

Montross announced his retirement on August 26, 2003, due to a foot injury and was waived by the Raptors in February, 2004.