Born in New York City, he played collegiately for the University of North Carolina, where he played an integral role on the 1957 National Championship team. In an effort to rattle the 7-foot 1-inch Wilt Chamberlain of the University of Kansas in the national championship game, North Carolina coach Frank McGuire sent Kearns out at the start of the game to jump center. Kearns lost the tip-off but scored 11 points during the game.\n', '

He was named first-team All-ACC in 1957 and 1958 and second-team All-America in 1957. Because of his national accolades, Kearns\' number 40 was honored by the University of North Carolina and currently hangs in the rafters of the Dean Smith Center.\n', '

He was selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the fourth round (29th pick overall) of the 1958 NBA Draft.\n', '

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