marvin webster human eraser dies at 56

Marvin Webster, known to Knicks fans in the 1980's as the "Human Eraser" for his shot-blocking prowess, died on Saturday in a Tulsa hotel. He was 56.

His body was discovered in a bathtub in his room Monday morning in the downtown Ambassador Hotel, police said Wednesday.

Foul play is not suspected and the death apparently stemmed from an illness, police spokesman Jason Willingham said. He added that the former 7-foot-1 center had been living at the hotel and employees grew concerned after not seeing him for several days.

The medical examiner office said the cause of death has not been determined. W. Charles Bennett, Webster's former agent and current financial adviser, said Webster's death was related to coronary artery disease.

Webster, a 7-1 center, was a Knick for eight seasons, from 1979 through the early part of the 1986 season, mainly used in a reserve role behind starting center Bill Cartwright on teams coached by Willis Reed, Red Holzman (in his second tour of duty) and Hubie Brown.

"He was a great shot-blocker in college," Willis Reed told the Daily News. "He was tall, he had long arms, he was fairly mobile and he had good anticipation. He was a very nice person. I coached him for only 14 games. I wish I had him longer because with Bob McAdoo, who was a great scorer, I thought that would be a great combination for our front line."

Webster gained his colorful nickname when he was an accomplished shot-blocker on the college level, playing for his hometown school, Morgan State, in Baltimore. Although he started only 96 of 402 games as a Knick, he led the team in blocked shots for five seasons, including four straight, from 1981-84. His top overall season was his first, in 1978-79, when he averaged 11 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

To get Webster from Seattle as a free agent in Aug., 1978, the Knicks paid dearly, with the popular power forward Lonnie Shelton awarded to the Sonics.

"Marvin's career was not as fruitful as it should have been," Reed said. "He was one of those players who had ability but did not live up to his potential."

Webster had a series of injuries and did not play in either of his last two seasons, in 1985 or 1986.

Webster also played for Denver, Seattle and Milwaukee, while starting his career with Denver in the old ABA.

His son, Marvin Webster Jr., played college basketball at Temple but died during his sophomore year at 18 after a heart attack.

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