Former Rebel basketball great Elburt Miller dies at 66

In UNLV's long and storied basketball history, spanning more than half a century, only one player has managed to score more than 50 points in a game.

On Feb. 12, 1967, Elburt Miller scored 55 points as UNLV, then known as Nevada Southern, defeated Portland, 85-74. That single-game school record still stands today.

Miller, one of the greatest players in UNLV history, died Dec. 4 in Las Vegas. He was 66. The cause of death is unknown.

Miller, who grew up in San Diego and was a graduate of San Diego High School and San Diego City College, played two seasons for the Rebels from 1966 to 1968. Under coach Rolland Todd, he scored 1,668 points and ranks No. 12 on UNLV's career scoring list.

He's No. 1 in school history in season scoring average (31.9 in 1966-67) and career average (29.3). He scored 30 points or more 27 times. In addition to the single-game scoring record, Miller holds the single-game records for field goals made (25) and free throws made (22).

"He may have been the best athlete to ever play at UNLV," said Cliff Findlay, Miller's teammate in 1967-68. "Elburt could dunk two basketballs standing still underneath the basket.

"He wasn't just a great athlete. He was also a gifted basketball player. I got to room with him on the road for a few games, and he was a really good guy."

Former Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian, who was at Orleans Arena on Wednesday for UNLV's 94-50 win over Cal State San Marcos, was surprised to hear the news.

"He was a great scorer," Tarkanian said.

Marc Ratner, Ultimate Fighting Championship vice president and former executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, remembers Miller well.

"Elburt was one of my favorite players," Ratner said. "I was always enamored with him. He was an unbelievable player for his time. Before the 3-point line, he would score 40 points in a game. He was the only player from that era who could have really played for Tarkanian's best teams."

Nick Canepa, a longtime sports columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, went to high school with Miller in the early 1960s. Canepa said Miller remains one of the greatest basketball players he ever saw.

"He was the best shot-maker," Canepa said. "He was a monster. When he got the ball under the basket, he was unstoppable."

Miller was initially chosen by the San Diego Rockets in the seventh round of the 1967 NBA Draft. But he decided to return to UNLV for his senior season and was taken by Milwaukee in the eighth round of the 1968 NBA Draft. Miller never played in the NBA.

He was an inaugural member of the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2010, when a Las Vegas Review-Journal panel of 25 voters ranked UNLV's top 100 players, Miller was No. 10.

Funeral arrangements were not available.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj. Review-Journal reporter Matt Youmans contributed to this story.