With the news of Eric Montross’ passing on Sunday, hundreds and hundreds of people shared thoughts and memories on the former UNC star center’s impact on their lives. For many people, that meant Montross’ role in Carolina winning the 1993 National Championship. For others, it was hearing his voice on the Tar Heel Sports Network calling Tar Heel games.
But for some, it was Montross’ philanthropy and efforts away from basketball that made the biggest difference.
“Eric is just the finest person I think I’ve ever met.”
That’s how Jones Angell, the play-by-play announcer for the Tar Heel Sports Network, described Eric Montross earlier in 2023 after Montross’ cancer diagnosis. He said while his co-host was a great basketball player, he was even better as a person.
“He is as generous as they come,” said Angell. “His Father’s Day camp has raised tens of millions of dollars for UNC Hospitals. He always has time for people, and he always is thinking of someone else first.”
That basketball camp is a key example, as it is a linchpin in how Montross and his family gave back to the community. And it started based on an experience Montross had as a Carolina student. He visited the hospital and its pediatric patients regularly as a player in the early 1990s, and was struck by an interaction with a 15-year-old who wished to see some changes made to the hospital.
Keela Lyon of the UNC Health Foundation – which handles donations to the hospital system – said Durham teenager Jason Clark made “a real impression” on the seven-footer and the two became fast friends.
“When Eric went off to the NBA,” said Lyon, “he continued to remember his conversations with Jason and what an impact that young man had made on his life. When Eric returned to Carolina, he decided to put himself out there for kids like Jason. Eric’s really worked tirelessly for the children’s hospital and the things they’ve accomplished [there] have been pretty remarkable.”
One of the main projects Jason Clark requested remains dedicated in his memory: a teen lounge and game room, which gives young adult patients a place to socialize and relax at the hospital away from their everyday rooms. The Eric and Laura Montross Fund has also helped create several murals throughout the hospital, build a pediatric short stay unit, upgrade different equipment, and pay for new training materials for employees.
The Jason Clark Teen Lounge and Game Room at UNC Children’s Hospital, which was funded with help from Eric Montross’ Father’s Day Basketball Camp. (Photo via The Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp.)
The fundraising also helps other local efforts battle cancer, like the Be Loud! Sophie foundation, which helps care for young adults with illness at UNC Hospitals. The nonprofit — which was founded in honor of Chapel Hill’s Sophie Steiner who battled cancer as a high schooler — supports adolescents and young adults living with cancer by providing counseling, in-facility programming and additional resources.
“We are heartbroken by the death of Eric Montross,” the foundation wrote on its Facebook page Monday. “We simply would not be where we are without his kindness, generosity, commitment, creativity and humor. He always brought these wonderful traits with him, whether to Be Loud! board meetings or onto the stage at Be Loud! concerts. There are no words to fully express our deep love, admiration and gratitude for him, and we send much love and light to Laura, Andrew and Sarah as we hold them close to our hearts.”
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who is a Chapel Hill native, said he will remember Montross’ connection to the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation. He described Montross as “a tremendous human being.”
“I got to know him personally through his work with my friends Niklaus and Lucy Steiner,” said Stein. “His was just an absolute gem of a human being, and my heart goes out to his family and the whole Tar Heel community.”
The UNC men’s basketball program found a way to both honor Montross and continue his efforts of supporting the fight against cancer at the beginning of the season. The team presented a $25,000 check to UNC Children’s Hospital during its “Live Action with Carolina Basketball” event to start the 2023-24 season, which was shared after a video message from Montross was played for the crowd.
During the message, Montross thanked the program for its support of UNC Children’s Hospital, his basketball camp, and other efforts to fund cancer research. He also asked the crowd to donate, and left them with this message:
“Everyone knows someone who’s being affected by cancer,” said the former UNC star. “Tonight, when you get home or sometime over the weekend, give that person a call, shoot them a text. We feel your support and it helps us get through what might be the toughest days we have ever endured. That’s a powerful way to have a major impact in the fight against cancer.
“Thank you for your support of Carolina basketball, a program we all love so much,” Montross concluded. “Thank you also for supporting those we love, wherever they are, who are fighting this terrible disease.”
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