Jeffrey Millman, equipment manager for 76ers

Jeffrey Millman, 67, of Pennsauken, longtime equipment manager for the Philadelphia 76ers who began with the team as a ball boy when he was 10, died of lung cancer Tuesday, Nov. 5, at a friend's home in Mantua.

Ten years before he became the equipment manager in 1972, the 15-year-old Mr. Millman was with the old Philadelphia Warriors when Wilt Chamberlain had his 100-point game in Hershey on March 2, 1962, nephew Jerrold Colton said in a phone interview.

"He was very tight with Wilt," Colton said.

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the 76ers honored Mr. Millman at a pregame ceremony at the Wells Fargo Center, dedicating their locker room to him.

Some of the brightest stars of the team's history were there - Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Moses Malone, Billy Cunningham, Bobby Jones, Darryl Dawkins, and Doug Collins.

"Jeff Millman is the most beloved employee this organization has known," Collins said that night. "There isn't a man or woman whose life he has touched who hasn't been better off because of it."

On Tuesday, the 76ers organization noted his passing:

"It is with great sadness that the Philadelphia 76ers mourn the loss of beloved and respected former equipment manager Jeff Millman."

Mr. Millman, the organization stated, "was a staple within the Sixers family for over five decades and a friend and mentor to all those who passed through the organization - from players and front office to business staff and ownership."

"His sense of humor was beyond compare and friendship invaluable.

"The love he showed daily for the organization and those with whom he worked will always be remembered."

The Sixers announced that a moment of silence will be observed in his honor prior to Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards.

The team will wear a black stripe on a shoulder of both home and road jerseys throughout November to honor him.

Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Millman graduated from Central High School and, the son of an Overbrook pharmacist, attended Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.

"He never worked anywhere else," Colton said. "At one point, Doug Collins had a ticket firm, Sneaks and Seats, in Voorhees.

"He did work there for some time," but that was not really outside the shadow of the team, he noted.

Colton, a sports attorney and agent who represents mostly professional football players, said that while Mr. Millman wasn't an athlete himself, "he loved sports, loved the racetrack."

And, Colton noted, Mr. Millman had a special friendship with Chamberlain.

"Jeff would bring him a quart of milk and a quart of 7-Up every day," he said. "It was a much different era, a smaller organization," where such closeness mattered.

Though at some point Mr. Millman relinquished the title of equipment manager, Colton said, "he never really stopped working" for the team.

Besides Colton, Mr. Millman is survived by his sister, Arlene Colton, and his longtime companion, Catherine Marchesano, at whose home he died.

A visitation was set from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at Platt Memorial Chapels, 2001 Berlin Rd., Cherry Hill, before a funeral there at 12:30 p.m. Burial is to be at Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown.

Donations may be made to www.vitas.com.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.plattmemorial.com.