Alabama Basketball 'Rocket 8' Member Leon Marlaire Passes Away

Leon Marlaire, one of the "Rocket Eight," the 1955-56 Alabama men's basketball unit that became SEC champions with an unblemished conference record, passed away on Thursday morning.

His passing was announced Thursday by the Greater Birmingham Tip Off Club, which the former Crimson Tide point guard helped found more than 50 years ago in 1974. Marlaire was 90 years old.

In 2008, Marlaire was honored as part of that year's SEC Basketball Legends class. He made the All-SEC team in 1954 and averaged 9.2 points with 4.6 rebounds per game over the course of his career. Among his many nicknames was "Alabama's Hardwood Quarterback," a noteworthy distinction for a basketball player representing a school with strong football pedigree.

Upon founding the Birmingham Tip Off Club, Marlaire served as the inaugural president of the organization, which was one of a number of roles to his name after his graduation from the university in 1956. The 1955-56 Crimson Tide basketball team ended up going 21-3 overall (with its impressive mark of 14 SEC wins comprising the bulk of that schedule) with Marlaire at the helm. One of his performances that season was a 13-point outing in a 101-77 win against Adolph Rupp-coached, No. 8 Kentucky on Feb. 25, 1956.

Marlaire was also honored with the UA Alumni-Athlete Award in 2017, for which he was recognized during Alabama home football game against Fresno State on Sept. 9, 2017. He was married for 67 years to his wife, Vicki, who passed away in 2023.