Veteran college basketball broadcaster Billy Packer, his son Mark Packer, dead shared on Twitter and confirmed to The Associated Press. He was 82 years old.
“The Packer family would like to share some sad news. Our amazing father, Billy, has passed away. We’re at ease knowing he’s in heaven with (wife) Barb. RIP Billy,” ACC Network host Mark wrote. .
Mark Packer told The Associated Press that his father had been hospitalized in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the past three weeks and had various medical problems, eventually succumbing to kidney failure Thursday night.
Billy Packer’s voice was synonymous with March Madness for decades. Broadcasting for NBC and then CBS, he was in the men’s Final Four squad every year from 1975 to 2008.
After joining NBC in 1974, Packer’s first Final Four in 1975 was historic: UCLA coach John Wooden captured his tenth championship in his last game as coach.
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In 1979, Packer was part of the team, along with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire, that called the highest-rated college basketball game in history: Magic Johnson’s Michigan State vs. Larry Bird’s Indiana State in the national title game.
“He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” said Mark Packer. “He calculated it well. Everything in life is about time. The ability to get involved in something that, frankly, he was going to watch anyway, was a joy to him. And then college basketball just took off with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and that became, I think, the catalyst for college basketball fans going crazy for March Madness.”
Along the way, Packer received accolades: He won a 1993 Sports Emmy Award for “Outstanding Sports Personality/Analyst.” he was honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and was inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2008, alongside Dick Vitale.
“Very saddened to learn of the passing of Billy Packer who had such a passion for college basketball,” Vitale wrote on Twitter.
Packer joined CBS in 1981, when the network acquired the rights to the NCAA Tournament, and remained the network’s top analyst until 2008.
Sean McManus, president of CBS Sports, said Packer was “synonymous with college basketball for more than three decades and set the standard for excellence as the voice of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.”
“He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport.” McManus said. “In Billy’s way, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, but always kept his focus on the game. Despite his passion for basketball, Billy was a family man at heart. He leaves part of his legacy behind on CBS Sports, in college basketball, and most importantly, as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He will be sorely missed by all.”
Before becoming one of the defining voices of the sport, Packer himself was a noted college basketball player. He played for Wake Forest from 1959 to 1962 and helped the Demon Deacons win two ACC tournament titles. The 1962 Wake Forest team made it to the Final Four.
Packer was seen as a controversial figure during his broadcast days, often drawing the ire of college basketball fans, particularly on North Carolina’s “Tobacco Road.”
“Growing up, I was a huge NC State fan and I’d watch a game and the next day I’d be like, ‘Wow, you sure have a thing for NC State, don’t you?’ And he just laughed,” said Mark Packer.
The younger Packer said that it didn’t matter which school, most fans felt the same way about his father.
“He was covering the North Carolina game and the Tar Heels fans were like, ‘You hate North Carolina,’” Mark Packer said. “Wake (Forest) fans would say, ‘you hate us.’ And Billy just enjoyed it. I mean, people would be all over him. But honestly, he didn’t give a shit.”
Contribuyendo: Associated Press
