Long time Final 4 broadcaster Packer passes away at 82
Long time college basketball commentator Billy Packer, the voice of the NCAA competition for more than thirty years, passed away Thursday night. He was 82.
Packer’s two sons, Mark and Brandt, revealed the news by means of Twitter on Thursday night.The Packer
Household wish to share some sad news. Our fantastic father, Billy, has actually passed. We take peace understanding that he remains in heaven with Barb. RIP, Billy. pic.twitter.com/uFRixmgCcd!.?.!— Mark Packer(@MarkPacker)January 27, 2023 Mark Packer informed The Associated Press that his daddy had been hospitalized in Charlotte for the previous 3 weeks and had a number of medical issues, and eventually succumbed to kidney failure.Packer was the lead college basketball expert for 34 straight Final Fours, initially at NBC and after that
at CBS, while likewise doing work as an analyst for ACC games on Raycom. He got a Sports Emmy for Impressive Sports Character, Studio and Sports Expert in 1993. Packer was the boy of longtime basketball coach Anthony Packer, who invested 16 seasons as the head coach at
Lehigh. After earning all-state honors as a high schooler in Pennsylvania, Packer participated in Wake Forest, where he was called All-ACC in 1961 and 1962. He assisted lead the Devil Deacons to 3 ACC regular-season titles and their very first Final 4 look in 1962, when Packer was called to the all-region team.He briefly went into the coaching profession before getting his start as a commentator in 1972.
Packer told The Athletic in 2019 he”never ever had any goal to be a broadcaster. “However within two years, Packer was on the call for NCAA competition and Final Four games and did
n’t quit his seat until leaving in 2008.” I comprised my mind halfway through my profession that one day I will not be doing this any longer. One of the important things I stated to myself was that I really delight in the research and studying the game and having the opportunity to interface with people I respect that actually know the game and its history. And if I didn’t take pleasure in doing that, I ‘d want to stop,”he told The Athletic.”There’s a point where you say, OK, I have actually enjoyed my run, and now it’s time to return and do the other things I enjoy. The last game I have actually seen personally was the last game I transmit. That was the [2008] championship game game between Memphis and Kansas.” Packer has some of the most popular employ Final Four history, possibly most significantly saying,”Simon states … champion “after Miles Simon led Arizona to the 1997 national championship.He was also part of the broadcast in 1979 with Cock Enberg and Al McGuire when Magic Johnson’s Michigan State team beat Larry Bird’s Indiana State squad in the title game. That stays the highest-rated game in basketball history with a 21.1 Nielsen score, which is an estimated 35.1 million viewers.”He really delighted in doing the Final Fours,”Mark Packer informed the AP.”He timed it right. Whatever in life has to do with timing. The capability to get associated with something that, honestly, he was going to enjoy anyhow, was a joy to him. And then college basketball simply sort of removed with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and that became, I believe, the driver for college basketball fans to simply go crazy with March Insanity.”Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports, said Packer was”synonymous with college basketball for more than three years and set the requirement of quality as the voice of the NCAA Guys’s Basketball Competition.””He had a significant impact on
the development and popularity of the sport, “McManus said in a statement.”In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own distinct design, perspective and viewpoints, yet always kept the focus on the game. As enthusiastic as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. He leaves part of his tradition at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a cherished hubby, dad and grandfather. He will be deeply missed out on by all. “ESPN college basketball analyst Penis Vitale was amongst those to commemorate Packer on Twitter, composing,”So unfortunate to learn of the death of Billy Packer who had such a passion for college basketball.” So unfortunate to learn of the death of Billy Packer who had such an enthusiasm for college basketball. My head out to Billy’s kid @MarkPacker & the whole Packer family.Always had great regard for Billy & his partners Penis Enberg & Al McGuire-they were super.May Billy RIP.– Dick Vitale (@DickieV)January 27, 2023 College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla tweeted: “We fell in love [with] college basketball since of you. Your voice will stay in my head forever.”When Packer stepped away as CBS’primary analyst and was replaced by Clark Kellogg in 2008, the most important individuals in college sports expressed their admiration for Packer and his impact on the game.”His understanding of men’s college basketball, his analysis of the game, and his love for its place in college has ensured a tradition that anyone can envy,” late NCAA president Myles Brand name
said at the time.”He is a pal of intercollegiate athletics, and I want to thank him for the enormous contributions he has actually made to the NCAA’s Final 4 competition, as well as on lots of, numerous
other celebrations over several years.””The only word to describe Billy is a giant,” former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said in 2008.”His passion for the game and presenting it the way he presented it is, I believe, unparalleled. This produces an incredible space. Those of us who want the game of college basketball are truly going to miss him.”Beyond his broadcasting career, Packer was involved in a number of services and real estate offers.”Because I played my last basketball game in college, I’ve had no interest in contending in sports, “he told the Tampa Bay Times in 1999. “However I love the difficulty of business offers. To me, it’s the closest thing to sports. It’s a game adults can play.” The Associated Press added to this report.