Billy Packer

Long-time college basketball analyst Bill Packer died on Thursday. The 82-year-old worked on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008.

Please consider supporting us with a subscription. - He remained the network’s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four. He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. Always had great RESPECT for Billy & his partners Dick Enberg & Al McGuire-they were super.May Billy RIP . My go out to Billy’s son He was a big part of the meteoric rise of March Madness. He was a good friend. Billy Packer was a giant as a college basketball analyst. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. The ability to get involved in something that, frankly, he was going to watch anyway, was a joy to him. “He timed it right.

Packer had been hospitalized for the past three weeks and ultimately succumbed to kidney failure.

“My (prayers) go out to Billy’s son Mark & the entire Packer family. He remained the network’s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. [Dick Vitale took to Twitter](https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1618820736705241089) as word of Packer’s death spread. Billy worked as analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008.

Longtime college basketball commentator Billy Packer, the voice of the NCAA tournament for more than 30 years, died Thursday night. He was 82.

One of the things I said to myself was that I really enjoy the research and studying the game and having the opportunity to interface with people I respect that really know the game and its history. He helped lead the Demon Deacons to three ACC regular-season titles and their first Final Four appearance in 1962, when Packer was named to the all-region team. That remains the highest-rated game in basketball history with a 21.1 Nielsen rating, which is an estimated 35.1 million viewers. That was the [2008] national championship game between Memphis and Kansas.” The last game I’ve seen in person was the last game I broadcast. Packer was the lead college basketball analyst for 34 straight Final Fours, first at NBC and then at CBS, while also doing work as an analyst for ACC games on Raycom.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday.

“Wake (Forest) fans would be like, ‘you hate us.’ And Billy just sort of got a kick out of that.” He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. In 1996 at CBS, Packer was involved in controversy when he used the term "tough monkey″ to describe then-Georgetown star Allen Iverson during a game. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993.

Announcer Billy Packer, who was called "the voice of the NCAA men's basketball tournament" for decades, died Thursday, his son announced in a tweet.

In 1993, he earned the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sport Personality/Analyst. “In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. The Hall said Packer’s broadcasting career started in 1970 on high school football games. He said his father had been hospitalized in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the past three weeks with several medical issues. “He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport,” McManus said in a statement. “The Packer Family would like to share some sad news,” Mark Packer wrote.

Dick Vitale leads tributes to announcer who was the voice of the NCAA tournament for more than 30 years.

[January 27, 2023] [1Sneak Peek at Lucy in Action as Agent Afloat on ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’](https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/ncis-hawaii-season-2-yasmine-al-bustami-returns-lucy-agent-afloat-photos/) [2Amy Robach & T.J. He was a big part of the meteoric rise of March Madness. To many moments to count. Billy Packer was a giant as a college basketball analyst. Rest in Peace to the most incredible Dad, mentor and best friend. Packer’s other son, Brandt, also shared his tribute online, writing, “Rest in Peace to the most incredible Dad, mentor and best friend. My 🙏🙏🙏 go out to Billy’s son “My [prayers] go out to Billy’s son @MarkPacker & the entire Packer family. Fellow broadcaster Dick Vitale took to Twitter on Thursday night to share his condolences. Packer covered every NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, including the 34 Final Fours, from 1975 to 2008. He was added as a regular for the next season, further cementing his career in sportscasting. [January 27, 2023]

Billy Packer, who served as a premier college basketball analyst for more than three decades, has died, his family announced on Twitter. He was 82.

He left for CBS in 1981. Packer was a star basketball player at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pa., before he attended Wake Forest from 1958 through 1962. "He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball, and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. They [did not disclose his cause](https://twitter.com/bpackervols/status/1618810536585748480?s=46&t=UeovO9OqL2UPjJfSqa0maw) of death in those posts.

Packer worked as a color commentator at 34 Final Fours for CBS and NBC between 1975 and 2008.

He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. “He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer told the Associated Press. He remained the network’s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four.

Billy Packer died at the age of 82. He was legendary basketball analyst.

[Brandt](/topic/brandt). [RIP](/topic/rip), Billy," [Mark Packer](/topic/mark-packer)tweeted. https://t.co/8i6NzplYy6— Mark Packer (@MarkPacker)

Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday. He was 82.

"He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport." He worked as analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008. "Wake (Forest) fans would be like, 'you hate us.' And Billy just sort of got a kick out of that." He said his father was a big real estate investor, and also owned a vape company, among other ventures. In 1996 at CBS, Packer was involved in controversy when he used the term "tough monkey" to describe then-Georgetown star Allen Iverson during a game. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. "In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. "He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours," Mark Packer said. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993. He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. He remained the network's main analyst until the 2008 Final Four.

Legendary college basketball broadcaster Billy Packer died this week at 82. His son told The Associated Press that he passed away from kidney failure.

[NCAA tournament](https://www.foxnews.com/category/sports/ncaa) where he worked on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008, covering historic moments like John Wooden’s final game as coach. "He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours," Mark Packer told the AP. [CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM](https://www.foxnews.com/sports) "The Packer Family would like to share some sad news. Our amazing father, Billy, has passed. [college basketball](https://www.foxnews.com/category/sports/ncaa-bk) broadcaster and beloved voice of the Final Four, has died at 82, his family confirmed Thursday night.

During his three-plus decades as a leading voice in the sport, Packer helped popularize three-man TV broadcast teams with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire and was ...

"My entire life I always tried to emulate him - how to be a husband, father, to prep for a telecast, you name it, he was the bar for me. After a brief assistant coaching stint with the Demon Deacons, Packer embarked on his broadcasting career. During his three-plus decades as a leading voice in the sport, Packer helped popularize three-man TV broadcast teams with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire and was never afraid to speak his mind. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball, and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. But we have peace knowing Billy is in Heaven tonight with Barb."

Billy Packer, a staple of college basketball commentary for more than three decades, passed away Thursday at the age of 82.

"As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man," said Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports. "He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. "He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours," Mark Packer told the AP. After watching the sport's most iconic programs, teams and players rise to household names, Packer retired from the booth in 2008. He was on the call for the 1979 national championship game between Magic Johnson's Michigan State and Larry Bird's Indiana State. He also won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993.

Billy Packer ganó un Emmy y otros reconocimientos a lo largo de su carrera por su talento como analista y comentarista ¿lo sabías?

campeonato", luego de que Miles Simon llevó a Arizona al título nacional de 1997. [Emmy](https://eltiempolatino.com/2022/09/13/cultura/quienes-ganaron-los-premios-emmy-2022-aqui-te-lo-decimos/) de los Deportes que recibió en 1993 por Personalidad Destacada del Deporte, Estudio y Analista de Eventos Deportivos, [destacó The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/01/27/billy-packer-dead/). [baloncesto universitario](https://eltiempolatino.com/2022/01/12/cultura/basquetbolista-acusa-a-rapero-trey-songz-de-violacion/), falleció a los 82 años, anunció su hijo Mark Packer el jueves [a través de Twitter](https://twitter.com/MarkPacker/status/1618810076533243904).

Billy Packer, a basketball announcer who rose to fame calling 34 Final Fours in a row from 1975-2008, died Thursday in Charlotte. He was 82.

The younger Packer hosted a radio show in Charlotte for years and now is the host of ACC PM on the ACC Network. But I never have had a rooting interest in a team or player. Packer’s game preparation generally consisted of a few pages of handwritten notes he had scribbled himself. He was involved in several controversies over the years but managed to survive them. As he told me in a 2006 interview about his style: “It’s ‘Why are you so against us?’ I get that all the time. I guess because I’ve never been a sports fan,” he said then. Packer said on-air that Henderson got a raw deal and should have only been charged with a common foul. State-Wake Forest game for a story. Packer’s broadcasting style wasn’t for everybody, but I was a fan. I remember interviewing him once in 2011 and him dismissing the Internet entirely. State in 1983 and Duke’s back-to-back national titles in 1991 and 1992. He didn’t tweet.

Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, has died at 82. Packer's son, Mark, told The ...

“Wake (Forest) fans would be like, ‘you hate us.’ And Billy just sort of got a kick out of that." He said his father was a big real estate investor, and also owned a vape company, among other ventures. He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. In 1996 at CBS, Packer was involved in controversy when he used the term ``tough monkey″ to describe then-Georgetown star Allen Iverson during a game. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. [Dick Vitale took to Twitter](https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1618820736705241089) as word of Packer's death spread. "My (prayers) go out to Billy’s son Mark & the entire Packer family. “In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993. He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. He remained the network’s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four.

Packer was a fixture on telecasts of the NCAA men's tournament from 1975 to 2008.

“There’s a point where you say, ‘Okay, I’ve enjoyed my run, and now it’s time to go back and do the other things I enjoy,’” he said. Packer called broadcasting basketball “always a hobby, not a livelihood” and said he put down the mic on his own terms. In a 2019 Packer worked in real estate, started a vaping business and did tax advising. Packer received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Event Analyst. Packer was also part of the broadcast team in 1979 when Magic Johnson’s Michigan State team beat Larry Bird’s Indiana State squad in the title game 75-64. [Raleigh as a ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh,_North_Carolina)fill-in color analyst for a locally aired [ACC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Coast_Conference) game. Packer, who changed his last name, attended Wake Forest from 1958 to 1962 and was part of two ACC titles and a Final Four appearance in his senior year. [an apology](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2000/03/26/barkley-to-enter-nba-draft-more-controversy-at-st-johns/d918d106-14d4-49a0-b5cf-490f1333098a/?itid=lk_inline_manual_13) to a pair of female Duke students in 2000 after they accused him of making sexist comments when they were checking credentials before a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In 1996, after referring to Georgetown guard Allen Iverson as “a tough monkey” during a game broadcast, Packer said he “meant no offense” and “was not apologizing” because, he claimed, his remark was not related to Iverson being Black. Packer became part of the fabric of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament from 1975 to 2008 — first with NBC until 1981 and then with CBS. Billy Packer, a longtime college basketball analyst who was a broadcast-booth fixture with the NCCA’s “March Madness” for more than 30 years as the championship tournament became one of the premier events in U.S.

Packer is remembered best in Philadelphia for the time he dissed St. Joseph's, saying on Selection Sunday in 2004 that the Hawks were unworthy of a top ...

But I never had a favorite team or favorite player,” Packer said in 2004. If Martelli and Hawks fans had a problem with that, it wasn’t his problem. Packer was ahead of his time seeing the big-time possibilities of college basketball. Joseph’s, saying on Selection Sunday in 2004 that the Hawks, champions of the Atlantic 10, were unworthy of a top seed. Packer had grown up in Bethlehem, the son of Lehigh’s basketball coach (from 1950-65). “Being perfectly blunt, Billy Packer can kiss my ass,” Martelli yelled to a packed-in, cheering Fieldhouse crowd that day.

The voice of the NCAA men's basketball tournament for more than three decades, Billy Packer is remembered by broadcast partner Jim Nantz.

But he loved college basketball and he looked after it as a guardian of the sport. [John Madden](https://awfulannouncing.com/tag/john-madden) and you’ve got Billy Packer. I got to speak to Billy the day before he died, and tell him I loved him.” “He was a genius,” Nantz added of Packer. [Billy Packer died Thursday night](https://awfulannouncing.com/cbs/legendary-announcer-billy-packer-obit.html). “I think that when you look at the pantheon of great analysts, you’ve got

With partners on NBC and then CBS, and with a rapid, opinionated style, he was heard during every N.C.A.A. men's basketball tournament from 1975 to 2008.

Mr. “He didn’t give up easily,” Mr. The elder Mr. In the early 1970s, while Mr. “He knew the game — cold,” Kevin O’Malley, the former CBS Sports executive who hired Mr. And he started a defense fund for Richard Jewell, the security guard who was wrongly suspected of planting a pipe bomb in Atlanta that killed one person and injured more than 100 during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Packer and Mr. He became a regular on syndicated broadcasts and was hired by NBC in 1974, putting him in place to be at the center of college basketball for the next 34 years. Packer worked with several partners, including Brent Musburger and Mr. “He had the ability to make every fan base feel he was against them, and he relished that role,” Jim Nantz, who became Mr. At NBC Sports, Mr. A former point guard and assistant coach at Wake Forest University, Mr.

The sports world lost a legend with the passing of longtime CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer, who passed away Thursday at age 82.

The sports world lost a legend with the passing of longtime CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer.

[@RichLernerGC] [@GolfARob] [@BCBO1]and the crew on Golf Today for the tribute to my Dad. Can’t wait to be back with the NBC & Golf Channel team soon Rest in Peace to the most incredible Dad, mentor and best friend. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark said. On Sunday, he’ll do play-by-play for the Chiefs’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game. But for 18 years he worked the NCAA Tournament, culminating in the Final Four, alongside Packer.

The former Wake Forest player analyzed games for NBC and CBS for 33 years, then gave up the game.

The first NCAA Tournament that Packer worked as a TV analyst concluded with John Wooden’s final championship at UCLA in 1975. “What people don’t understand is that the game has deteriorated greatly because there are no more great junior and senior players,” Packer said. In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game.” “I have had a chance to broadcast most of the great games since college basketball got on national television, and I’m not interested in broadcasting any more games,” he said. “His passion for the game and presenting it the way he presented it is, I think, unrivaled. Packer was proud of his disdain for social media. The family changed the Polish surname to Packer before Billy attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 2005, he credited subpar lighting at Allen Fieldhouse as a factor in the University of Kansas’ success on its home floor. He could also take an unconventional stance away from his broadcasts, once hiring a psychic to find the weapon used in the O.J. Packer’s basketball acumen was developed at Wake Forest University, where he led the Demon Deacons to the 1962 Final Four as a heady 5-foot-9 point guard who averaged 14 points. At times, Packer found himself on the defensive for his candid on-air approach. He also covered Atlantic Coast Conference games for Raycom Sports and received a Sports Emmy Award in 1993.

He also discusses Packer's influence on college basketball as a television product, and what it was like calling games with Packer. On Allen Iverson incident ...

Brando likened calling a game with Packer to that of a pilot flying on cruise control. Packer was synonymous with ACC basketball throughout his career in broadcasting and helped work to get an ACC game of the week syndicated on over 150 local network affiliates nationwide. The thing you gotta understand is to bet on yourself, and to know that those people that have been in your midst, that know how you operate, they will have your back. The prior evening, Packer and the rest of the broadcast crew were in Washington D.C. Tim Brando joined a special edition of the Sports Media Watch Podcast to reflect on the life and legacy of legendary college basketball analyst Billy Packer. Brando was in Champaign to call an Illinois game with Packer.

Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, has died at 82. Packer's son, Mark, told The ...

He said his father was a big real estate investor, and also owned a vape company, among other ventures. “Wake (Forest) fans would be like, ‘you hate us.’ And Billy just sort of got a kick out of that." He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. In 1996 at CBS, Packer was involved in controversy when he used the term ``tough monkey″ to describe then-Georgetown star Allen Iverson during a game. "My (prayers) go out to Billy’s son Mark & the entire Packer family. “In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. [Dick Vitale took to Twitter](https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1618820736705241089) as word of Packer's death spread. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993. He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. He remained the network’s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four.

For a brief period of time, both commentators worked the NCAA Tournament for their respective networks.

But they were united in the fraternity of their sport’s broadcasting giants. "I was always so impressed with his LOVE for his family. Dick Vitale and Billy Packer worked for two different networks—Vitale for ESPN, Packer for NBC and CBS—and took two different approaches in conveying their enthusiasm for hoops.

CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz payed tribute to his friend and colleague, Billy Packer, Friday after the legendary college basketball broadcaster died.

[CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP](https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink) [you’ve got John Madden ](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/john-madden-all-madden-fox-sports-documentary)and you’ve got Billy Packer. [BILLY PACKER, VOICE OF THE FINAL FOUR AND LEGENDARY COLLEGE BASKETBALL BROADCASTER, DEAD AT 82](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/billy-packer-voice-final-four-legendary-college-basketball-broadcaster-dead-82) "He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours," Packer’s son, Mark Packer, told the AP. I got to speak to Billy the day before he died and tell him I loved him. I think that when you start looking at the pantheon of great analysts,

Billy Packer, who died Thursday at 82, helped remind us that the sports world had gone — and remains — nuts.

He was cherished by all in the house when the house seemed like home. (Check the video.) Was the school star-struck or just stuck for a hire? Now and then I check out the WFAN/CBS Sports Net simulcast of the “Boomer & Gio” show to hear if “Weekday” Boomer Esiason — a transparent, where-am-I-today? Last Sunday, 1:55 left in the first half, Bengals third-and-4 from the Bills’ 10 — who’s in, who’s out? Bobby Lewis — who directed thousands of Rangers and Knicks games from the good old days of MSG Network, starting in 1976 through 2013 — has died at 74. One more reason to enjoy hockey: The action-rich first period of the Islanders-Maple Leafs game Monday ran a mere 29 minutes. The DamnFool prop bets Sunday include: Number of Fox studio panelists to appear before the 49ers-Eagles game. Packer said Oklahoma State, 14-2 in the Big 12, deserved to be seeded ahead of Saint Joe’s. Yet, business — his TV business — prevented him from being publicly vocal, a genuine advocate with an established national forum, for change, accountability and liability. Whatever went down, it’s a pity. Gray said he’d traveled the opposite road too long to suddenly change direction. Saint Joe’s was a very strong team.