ANNVILLE, Pa. – Lebanon Valley Men's Basketball great Howie Landa '55 passed away Wednesday in Las Vegas at the age of 88.
 
Landa's No. 11 was the first number to be retired from LVC men's basketball. For four years, Landa led the Flying Dutchmen to victory after victory. Known for his quickness, imaginative play, ferocious focus, and his tenacious defense, Landa set nearly every Lebanon Valley College basketball record, and in the process was named "Little All-America".
 
Landa set the program record for points at the time with 1,936, a mark that would not be surpassed until Don Johnson '73 scored 1,976 points from 1969-73. Andy Panko '99 and Mike Rhoades '95 also surpassed the mark in the 1990's, but Landa's scoring prowess is even more incredible when you consider that he did it in an era without the three-point shot or a shot clock.
 
Over half a century later, Landa still holds every LVC free throw record, including free throws made in a game (22), season (242), and career (702). An outstanding passer, he also holds the single-game assists record of 16, set in 1954.
 
Landa is best remembered by the Dutchman fans as being part of the "Seven Dwarfs" that led LVC to an unforgettable upset win over Fordham in the 1953 NCAA Tournament at The Palestra in Philadelphia. LVC went on to play LSU in the Sweet 16, and to this day, holds the distinction of being the smallest school to ever make it that far in the tournament.
 
He went on to play professionally in the Eastern Pro League (now the CBA). Later he went on to coach at Mercer County College in Trenton, N.J. where he coached two NJCAA national championship teams. He then landed at UNLV, where he was an assistant under Jerry Tarkanian from 1990-1994.
 
Landa is a member of the Lebanon Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Mercer County College Coaches Hall of Fame, NJCAA Hall of Fame, and Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
 
The Philly native retired in Las Vegas, running numerous basketball camps in the area.
 
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