Former Syracuse standout, long-time college basketball coach Louis Orr passes away

Former Syracuse standout, and longtime college basketball coach Louis Orr died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at the age of 64.

Orr was part of Jim Boeheim’s first recruiting class at Syracuse in 1976, and was a three year starter for the Orange. During Orr’s time at SU, his teams went 100-18, and he scored 1,487 points. The Cincinnati native had his number 55 retired back in 2015 by the school.

Following his senior year, Orr was a second round pick by the Indiana Pacers in the 1980 NBA Draft, and enjoyed an eight-year career in the league. He spent two seasons with the Pacers, and six with the Knicks, scoring over 5,500 points in his NBA career.

After his playing days, Orr entered the coaching ranks, and served as the head coach at Siena (2000-01), Seton Hall (2001-06), and Bowling Green (2007-2014). He finished his career with a 201-201 record, with his best season coming in 2003-04 at Seton Hall. He led the Pirates to a 21-10 record that year, and they advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 32.

Orr also spent time as an assistant coach at Xavier (1991-1994), Providence (1994-96), Syracuse (1996-00), and Georgetown (2017-22).

A tribute from Syracuse can be found HERE.