Tommy Kearns
Thomas Kearns | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 6, 1936 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 1958 |
| Known for | Playing for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels; 1957 National Championship; brief NBA career with Syracuse Nationals |
Thomas Francis Kearns Jr. (born October 6, 1936) is a retired American professional basketball athlete.
Hailing from New York City, Kearns played college basketball at the University of North Carolina with the Tar Heels, playing a key role in their 1957 National Championship victory. In the title game against the Kansas Jayhawks, coach Frank McGuire positioned Kearns at center for the opening tip-off to counter the 7-foot-1 Wilt Chamberlain. Although he did not win the tip, Kearns contributed 11 points during the contest. He received first-team All-ACC recognition in both 1957 and 1958 and was named a second-team All-American in 1957. His jersey number 40 is retired and displayed prominently in the rafters of the Dean Smith Center.
Kearns was drafted in the fourth round as the 29th overall pick by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1958 NBA draft. His tenure with the Nationals consisted of a single NBA appearance, in which he tallied two points.
In 2000, Kearns took on the role of coach Garrick in Finding Forrester, a film directed by Gus Van Sant featuring performances by Sean Connery and Rob Brown.
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Syracuse Nationals | 1 | 7.0 | 1.000 | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |