Oct. 27, 2008

BOSTON - As part of the celebration of Boston University's 100th season of men's basketball, the Terriers will retire the No. 10 jersey belonging to the late Jack Leaman (1956-59), a senior co-captain on the 1959 NCAA Elite Eight team, assistant vice president and director of athletics Mike Lynch and head men's basketball coach Dennis Wolff announced today.

Leaman's wife, Rita, their daughter, Laurie, other family members and his former teammates will be on hand for a ceremony in his honor during halftime of the season opener against George Washington in Agganis Arena on Friday, Nov. 14, when the 1959 team also will be recognized on the 50th anniversary of their NCAA tournament run.

"Jack Leaman meant a great deal to our program, and his career accomplishments resonate across not only the state of Massachusetts but all circles of college basketball," said Lynch. "We are pleased to honor him and his family on what will be a memorable night when we specifically recognize what Jack, along with his teammates and all of our basketball letter winners, has contributed to our 100-season history."

"I have had tremendous respect for Jack since I was a player at UConn and he was a very successful coach at UMass," said Wolff. "This is a long overdue honor, and I'm very happy that his wife and daughter will be here to represent their family as his jersey is retired."

Previously, only six men's basketball jerseys - No. 4 (Kevin Thomas '56), No. 11 (Drederick Irving '88), No. 12 (Tunji Awojobi '97), No. 33 (Steve Wright '80), No. 44 (Arturo Brown '83) and No. 54 (Jim Hayes '70) - have been retired and placed up in the rafters of Case Gymnasium.

"I know that Jack would be so humbled to think that his college alma mater would feel that he was deserving of such a great honor," said Rita Leaman. "I will be forever grateful to Boston University for this tribute to Jack."

A Somerville product who graduated from Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School, Jack Leaman was the sparkplug of one of BU's most successful basketball teams in program history, helping the Terriers earn their first NCAA tournament ticket in 1959 and also make their deepest run with a trip to the East Regional Finals before bowing to Jerry West's West Virginia in an 86-82 defeat.

The 5-foot-10 guard originally joined the freshman squad for the 1955-56 season after serving two years with the U.S. Army, from which he was honorably discharged. He made an immediate impact as he scored 46 points against the Wentworth Institute. With only one teammate on the court after everyone else had fouled out, Leaman scored the only points made during the overtime period for the victory.

The following three years with the varsity, he guided the Terriers at the point to a 48-22 (.686) overall record, averaging double figures each season, including a team-leading 14.0 points per game in 1959.

Earning the program's first-ever invite to the NCAAs was no easy task, as BU needed to defeat both UConn and Holy Cross for the first time in over 30 years during the magical run. Leaman ignited a Terrier attack with 21 points in the final regular season game of the year to topple NIT-bound Providence, 64-48, for the New England crown and chance to compete against the Huskies again at Madison Square Garden.

After a hard-fought 60-58 win over UConn, Leaman was the team's clutch scorer with two key free throws and a field goal in the extra stanza for a stunning 62-55 overtime victory against a Navy squad that had earlier defeated highly ranked North Carolina. In the regional final, BU stayed toe-to-toe with the Mountaineers, entering the locker room at the half with a 45-45 tie. Future NBA superstar West proved to be too much for the Terriers, as he posted 33 points along with 17 rebounds to advance to the Final Four.

Leaman received his bachelor's degree from the School of Education in 1959 and remained with the program for one more year as an assistant varsity and freshman basketball coach to pursue his master's in the same department.

Following graduation, he went with his college coach, Matt Zunic, to the University of Massachusetts, where he started the next phase of his life. Named head coach of the UMass program prior to the 1966-67 season, Leaman was a two-time New England Coach of the Year. He compiled a career record of 217-126 and guided the Minutemen to six NIT appearances, while mentoring such standouts as Julius Erving and Rick Pitino.

Coincidently, Pitino accepted his first head coaching position with the Terriers in 1978 on a strong recommendation from Leaman. Pitino's 1983 squad made the program's first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1959.

It was only fitting that Leaman earned his 200th career victory in Case Gymnasium with a 73-61 win over the Terriers on Dec. 6, 1977. Earlier that same year, he had been inducted into BU's Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also previously honored by BU as the first college coach to receive the Harry Cleverly Memorial Award, which is presented to a graduate who has distinguished himself in the coaching profession.

The jack of all trades later coached the UMass women's basketball team to a 14-12 record in 1986-87, the school's only winning mark from 1980-1995, and afterwards teamed with two men's basketball radio announcers to earn Best Play-By-Play honors from the Associated Press.

Also inducted into the UMass and New England Basketball Hall of Fames, Leaman passed away on March 6, 2004.