Lakelvert “Lake” Cosby points at a list of Northern Michigan University men’s basketball All-Americans that he is included on during a visit to Marquette. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — The all-time leading rebounder in Northern Michigan University men’s basketball history has died at age 58.

Lakelvert “Lake” Cosby played for NMU in the latter half of the 1980s and had been around the program in recent years.

“Lake was the perfect representative of NMU,” a university tribute to Cosby said. “He’s still the all-time leading rebounder, and had talked to the team before multiple games about what it means to be a Wildcat.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lake’s family and friends.”

While establishing the program’s all-time rebounding record with 986, he is also the last Northern men’s player to average double-digit rebounds for an entire season, something he accomplished in 1988.

He led NMU in rebounding for three straight seasons from 1985-88, averaging 7.5 per game in 1985-86, 11.0 in 1986-87 and 11.8 in 1987-88, and was honored with Northern’s Chairman of the Boards along with the Defensive Demon award in those seasons.

His 329 rebounds in ’87-’88 rank fourth all-time in NMU history, just seven short of all-time leader Dale Kaiser in the 1958-59 campaign. And his 297 caroms in 1986-87 ranks eighth.

And Cosby is still third all-time for rebounds in a single game with 23, accomplished in 1988 vs. Grand Valley State.

He was also named to the GLIAC First Team in 1988 while winning the Wildcats’ Most Valuable Player award in that same season, a year he was also team captain, and won the team’s Thoroughbred Award in 1986 and shared the Newcomer of the Year honor with Malcolm DeVould in 1985.

And he was an All-National Association of Basketball Coaches District All-American honorable mention in 1987.

Cosby’s funeral service was scheduled for this morning in the Detroit suburb of Highland Park, according to online information from James H. Cole Home For Funerals in Detroit.

Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.