052 - Larry Miller

Swingman … On the hardwood: Shooting guard, small forward. Off the court? A gentleman never tells … Flirting on TV was encouraged, though. Mar. 5, ’69: Appeared on ABC’s The Dating Game—Jim Lange hosting. Was Bachelor No. 2. Looked the part—silk neckerchief, bell-bottoms. Won the girl. And an all-expense-paid trip for two (and a chaperone) to Las Vegas … Treated the press like a wingman. By Jan. ’72 he’d been dubbed the Poor Man’s Joe Namath. Embraced it. The AP dutifully reported the details of his bachelor pad: Three-bedroom lakeview home. Round bed, satin sheets, fur cover. Blue lights. Mirrors—everywhere. Hef would’ve tipped his pipe … The Cougars saw marketing possibilities. Win a Date With Larry Miller. Lucky gal chosen at halftime … Joked beforehand: “Isn’t that something. Just when you get going good, they try to wear you out.” … Running mate George Lehmann: “Larry had the playboy image, but it didn’t affect him on the floor.” … Mar. 18, ’72. Game No. 79. Opponent: Memphis Pros. Billed as Richard Petty Night. “Richard was the most popular guy in North Carolina at the time and I might have been second-most popular.” … At Greensboro Memorial Coliseum. Built in ’59 for $4.5 million. Outgrew itself within a decade. Solution: $6.25 million bond referendum in ’68—roof raised in ’69, second deck added, pushing capacity past 15,000 … Hosted its first ACC tourney in ’67. No. 44 was there—in Carolina blue. Put up 32 points on 13-of-14 shooting to lead UNC to an 82-73 win over Duke in the title game … Didn't take long for the Gate City to become Tournament Town … The ACC kept coming back—29 tournaments and counting … Just one NCAA Final Four, March ’74. NC State took down UCLA in double OT, 80-77, ending the Bruins’ seven-year reign as national champs. Wooden afterward: “I daresay 95 percent of the crowd was for State.” … Multi-purpose, too. Nixon campaigned there in ’60. Hockey—minor league and pro. The circus. Wrestling. And always music. Stones in ’65. Hendrix opened for the Monkees in ’67. Beach Boys in ’68. Elvis and the Jackson 5 in ’72. Some returned. Plenty followed … Single-game tickets ranged from two to five bucks … Crowd of 4,049—not counting the dozen or so Cougarettes, cheering in hot pants and go-go boots. Tipoff at 8:00 p.m. … Third game in as many nights. Coming off two road losses: Benched after 11 scoreless minutes against Denver on Thursday, eight points in 28 against the Nets on Friday … After the Nets game, spent the night and early morning hours drinking beers with a couple of buddies from Catasauqua at the Salty Dog—Billy Paultz’s bar across from Nassau Coliseum. Then at 4:00 a.m., retreated to his New York motel room. And watched a Mr. Moto movie. Or so said the gentleman … Caught a 7:00 a.m. flight back to Greensboro. Managed to get one hour’s sleep … And later in the day, ate something that made him feel sick …

“During warmups I felt a little bit queasy, and I even said to someone that I wasn’t feeling good—maybe I shouldn’t play.” …

Gave it a go anyway ... Larry Brown: “He’s one of those guys who can get up for a game regardless of the circumstances. He’ll pound on his locker and grit his teeth until he’s psyched up just right.” … Playing exclusively at guard now. And starting. Averaging a career-best 17.7 before tonight's game ... Made his first two shots—a pair of 18-foot jumpers from the right side. The first, 39 seconds in. The second, a minute later … Not a classic jump-shooter. Mitch Mitchell, Greensboro Daily News: “There’s more arc on a 49 cent protractor than Miller puts on his releases.” He’d learned to shoot in an old Boys Club gym where the rafters hung low, punishing those with a high arching shot … Could also take it to the rack. More Mitchell: “He was hitting his usual dipsy-doodle drives that look as if they will never go in, but usually do.” … Scored 15 of the Cougars’ first 23 points. Finished with 21 in the quarter … “One thing I was doing well was hesitating just before I shot. That way the defensive man would go by me and I could drive and get the foul, too.” … Mitchell’s theory: “Miller got off to a tremendous start, thanks to some matador defensive measures by rookie Johnny Neumann. Neumann would wave at Miller whenever he drove in.” … Neumann disagreed: “When you're shooting like he's shooting, there's no way you can stop him.” Neumann should know—led the nation in scoring at Ole Miss the season before, averaging 40.1 points a game … Added 17 more in the second, bringing his total to 38 (15-of-21, 8-of-9) at the half. Cougars up 72-52 at the break … Woody Paige, Commercial Appeal: “Pros coach Babe McCarthy tried to stop Miller with everything except a 12-gauge shotgun.” First Neumann. Then a guy named Webster. Two more followed … Didn’t work. His Cougar teammates countered with double picks, triple picks—anything to get him open. “They went out of their way to give me the ball. I got embarrassed going one-on-one so much.” … McCarthy: “He was doing things like hooking with his right hand—and he’s left-handed.” … Poured in another 20 in the third, passing his career-best of 47 points midway through the period ... Broke Joe Caldwell’s team record of 56 by sinking a pair of free throws with 10 ticks left—points 57 and 58. Score after three: 107-90 … “I kept saying to Joe, ‘Will you shoot the ball?’ But he kept passing it to me and setting screens for me.” … Caldwell: “When Larry got hot, I made sure the ball stayed in his hands.” … Next target? Zelmo Beaty’s 26-day-old ABA scoring record of 63 … “I didn't give much thought to the record in the first half. But by the end of the third period, I knew I had it.” … Fourth quarter. Made a layup. Added a free throw. Then went cold—for the first time all night … “They gave us a hard time and cut the lead to less than 10 with over seven minutes left. And I kept saying to myself, ‘What if I set the ABA record and we lose the ball game.’ That would be awful.” … Didn't score again until 4:14 to play. Pulled up for a jumper. SWISH! Beaty tied. At 63 … Then scoreless again. For 68 seconds. Whistle with 3:06 left. Fouled underneath by Wil Jones … Three-to-make-two bonus. “I was a little tense on my free throws at the end." He'd hit just 6-of-11 from the line in the second half … Stepped to the line. Sank the first. Point No. 64. For the record ... Two standing ovations followed. Mitchell: “It was, by far, the most noise heard for a pro game in the Coliseum all season.” … Referee Joe Gushue stopped play. Handed him the tri-colored game ball. Later, his teammates would sign it … Back at the line. Missed the second, but drained the third—for 65 … Wasn’t finished, though. His 15-foot jump shot with 2:25 to play pushed his total to 67 … Seconds later, got a breather. Replaced by McClain. “And was I ever glad. I didn’t think I had enough strength to pick up a ball.” Fans chanted: “WE WANT MILLER.” … Final: Cougars win, 139-125 … Stat line: Sixty-seven points. On 25-of-40 from the field, 17-of-23 from the line. Most points ever by a guard, surpassing Jerry West's 10-year-old record of 63 … After the game, the press gathered around his locker. Well, it was three beat writers. Called them out. “This is the first time this year you guys have been around me at the same time after a game.” … Reflected on the season. “Playing guard the entire year instead of swinging has helped me a lot. I feel now that I’m as sound as anybody defensively and can score on just about anybody.” … Just one night in a four-team, nine-city, seven-year career … Played for the Stars, first in LA and then Utah. The Cougars in Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh. The Squires in Hampton, Norfolk, Richmond. And the Conquistadors in San Diego, before they’d rebrand ever so briefly as the Sails … Wanted stability. Instead was traded three times, claimed in an expansion draft. And cut. “It wasn’t fun anymore. That’s when I left the game.” … Before the pros? They called him The Big Cat from Catasauqua … Lehigh Valley career scoring leader with 2,722 points. First-team Parade All-American as a senior … One of the top recruits in the nation. Surprised some by choosing North Carolina—and its embattled young coach, Dean Smith … “Did I take a chance going to Carolina? Absolutely. Carolina did have some players, but it wasn’t what it is today.” … One of only five Tar Heels to average 20 for a career. Double figures in record 64 straight games … Two-time ACC Player of the Year. ACC Tourney MVP. First-team AP All-American in ’68—alongside Alcindor, Unseld, Hayes, Maravich … Charlie Scott, UNC teammate: “Larry was the winner who made Coach Smith a winner. Everything starts with him.” … Born Lawrence James Miller, April 4, 1946, in Allentown, PA. “Sure, I had ambition: I wanted to live in a house with an inside toilet—so I didn’t have to go to an outhouse at 11:30 at night in winter.” … Never married. No children … After basketball? Worked in real estate construction in Virginia Beach and Raleigh, NC. Then, moved back to Catty. Out of the limelight … College Basketball HOF, ’22 … Died on May 11, 2025, in Bethlehem, PA. At age 79 … His No. 44 jersey hangs from the rafters at Dean E. Smith Center … ABA legacy? “It’s kind of nice to have a record that will never be broken.”

Sourcing: Allentown Morning Call, 3/1/1968 [signs with the Stars], 10/24/1999 [low rafters at Catasauqua Boys Club Gym], 3/23/2014 [worked in real estate in Virginia Beach and Raleigh], 4/2/2007, 5/13/2025 [obituary]; Asheville Citizen-Times, 3/12/1967 [Coliseum details], 10/13/1968 [Basketball’s answer to Joe Namath?]; Bridgeport Telegram, 3/23/1972; Burlington Times-News, 3/20/1972 [Miller, what if we lose game quote; scored 49th point with 6:15 left in third]; Chapel Hill News, 12/29/1968 [“I think I could play both positions and be effective. But I wouldn’t like to get stuck at one spot.”], 3/9/1969 [Dating Game], 3/19/1969 [Dating Game corrections]; Charlotte News, 6/9/1964, 1/16/1968 [Instant Party], 1/30/1970 [Greensboro bachelor pad], 3/22/1972 [injured as house burns four days after scoring 67 against Memphis]; Charlotte Observer, 6/10/1964, 3/8/1968 [Brown: Miller can get up for a game regardless of circumstances], 3/19/1972 [Neumann when you’re shooting quote]; Commercial Appeal, 3/19/1972 [Paige quote; Miller: “I got concerned we might lose. But everyone was hollering about the record.”]; Daily Breeze, 1/14/1969 [chose ABA]; Daily Press, 3/9/1969; Daily Tar Heel, 3/18/1965 [stats on JV team as freshman]; Danville Bee, 1/5/1972 [Namath comparison]; Durham Herald Sun, 6/9/1964, 12/23/1971 [Namath comparison; bachelor pad details]; Greensboro Daily News, 5/13/1970 [new roof at Coliseum], 1/13/1972 [expansion began in 69], 10/4/1971 [Cougarettes wearing hotpants this year], 10/12/1971 [photo of cheerleaders], 12/24/1971 [off-season workout], 3/18/1972 [ticket prices; Richard Petty night], 3/19/1972 [Neumann matador defense quote; tied record on a 20-foot jump shot with 4:15 left; broke scoring record with 3:06 left in game; Gushue stopped game, and gave him the ball; made 15-of-21, 8-of-9 in first half; stayed up watching Mr. Moto in NY motel room], 12/29/1973 [Date night as opposing player], 3/24/1974 [Wooden daresay quote]; Greensboro News & Record, 6/20/1980 [Coliseum]. 11/27/1988 [Coliseum funding details], 10/29/1989, 11/25/1990 [Quonset hut roof; 20 rows, 8,000 seats], 2/6/1991 [ABA ASG; Coliseum renovation], 11/14/1993 [Coliseum details], 2/27/2003 [second deck added], 7/18/2006 [Elvis dates at Coliseum], 3/20/2008, 10/29/2009; Greensboro Record, 3/20/1972 [reporters gathered around him post-game; scored Cougars first 15 of 23 points; 21 in first, 38 at half, 58 through three, breaking Caldwell’s record]; High Point Enterprise, 3/22/2009 [Coliseum details]; Easton Express-Times, 5/14/2025 [most points in LV history (2,722); Parade AA as senior; at UNC, scored in double figures a UNC record 64 straight games; two-time ACC POY, ACC Tourney MVP. first team AA]; Los Angeles Times, 9/17/1968; New York Daily News, 11/2/1974 [Released by Utah to make room for Roger Brown]; Raleigh News & Observer, 3/21/1972; San Diego Evening Tribune, 10/21/1972, 10/25/1972; Winston-Salem Journal, 10/2/2024; York Dispatch, 2/6/1964; ohenrymag.com, accessed 7/28/2026; [Caldwell: When Larry got hot, I made sure the ball stayed in his hands.]; Sports Illustrated, 2/8/2015, accessed 7/28/2026; 20secondtimeout.blogspot.com, accessed 7/31/2026 [“It’s kind of nice to have a record that will never be broken.”]; Larry Miller Time (Stephen Demorest, 2020).