Louis Orr, Syracuse Basketball Great, Dies at 64

The former college star and longtime coach died after experiencing pancreatic cancer, according to his family.

Louis Orr, a Syracuse men’s basketball great and current Georgetown assistant, died Thursday, the programs confirmed on Friday morning. He was 64. 

The basketball great died after dealing with pancreatic cancer, Orr’s family said in a statement via Georgetown.

Orr first rose to prominence in the college basketball world when he played at Syracuse from 1976 to ’80. He was a part of Jim Boeheim’s first recruiting class and went onto the help the Orange to four NCAA tournament appearances during his time with the program. 

“We mourn the loss of an Orange legend — a player, a coach, and most importantly a great person who made everyone around him better,” Syracuse’s men’s basketball program wrote on Twitter. “Louis Orr’s memory will live in our hearts forever, and especially whenever we look up and see his No. 55 in the Dome rafters.”

Orr made up half of an iconic Syracuse duo, alongside Roosevelt Bouie. The “Louie and Bouie Show” led to the Orange to an 100–18 record over four years together. Orr had his No. 55 Syracuse jersey retired at the same time as Bouie’s No. 50 in a dual ceremony Feb. 21, 2015.

After an eight-year stint in the NBA, which included six years with the Knicks, Orr returned to the college ranks as a coach. He began as an assistant at Xavier, in his hometown of Cincinnati, before taking gigs at Providence and then back at his alma mater.

In 2000, Orr took over as the head coach at Siena, where he spent a single season. He then earned the top job at Seton Hall, where he coached for five years, and Bowling Green (’07 to ’14).

Most recently, Orr had taken on an assistant role at Georgetown, under former NBA star Patrick Ewing. He spent five seasons as an assistant before he transitioned to special assistant to the head coach this spring.

“I’ve lost a great friend,” Ewing said in a statement. “Someone who has been in my life since I was 22 years old. We developed a friendship and a brotherhood. He was always someone I could talk to - we would talk about life, we would talk about basketball, we would talk about family. He will be truly missed and he will forever be part of this Hoya program.”