WCHL is reporting that Pete Brennan, one of the all-time Tar Heel basketball greats and a member of the 1957 national championship team, has died at age 75.
Brennan was part of the pipeline of New York talent brought to Chapel Hill by Frank McGuire in the 1950s. He was a starter on the 1957 team that finished the season 32-0 and averaged a double-double that season. He famously grabbed a rebound, dribbled coast-to-coast, and hit a last-second jumper in the Final Four against Michigan State that sent the game to a third overtime; UNC would go on to win that game and later defeat Kansas (also in three overtimes) to win the title.
Brennan went on to become the 1958 ACC player of the year, averaging 21 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game while earning second-team All-American honors. He was a first-round pick, 4th overall, in the 1958 NBA draft. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Brennan adopted North Carolina as his home after playing for the Tar Heels, working in both industry and real estate in the state. He was frequently found in the stands at Carolina basketball games along with his famous '57 teammate, Lennie Rosenbluth. He was also a fan favorite with his thick Brooklyn accent in the "I am a Tar Heel" video series.
He had been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and his health had been rapidly declining.
Condolences go to his family and to the Carolina basketball family on his passing.