RIP Billy Packer

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[grepal]

One of the great college announcers. Condolences to all who knew and loved him.

 

[BomberOrange]

He called the ‘03 championship. RIP

 

[FreakTalksAboutSU]

That's a big loss for college basketball. RIP to a legend.

 

[cto]

I have a funny random Billy Packer story.

Jim Boeheim was getting some award at an NYC event, and Billy was the master of ceremonies. I was standing and talking with someone while Billy was trying to quiet the crowd ... and he loudly berated me and told me to sit down.

He was immediately challenged by Jim who said: "Be careful, Billy, she's my boss."

For once in his life, Billy was speechless.

About 10 people from this forum were at the event. I am sure they remember it. The other thing I remember from that evening is that either UEO or someone almost broke an expensive piece of crystal when he almost hit it with a basketball.

 

[Toga]

I have a funny random Billy Packer story.

Jim Boeheim was getting some award at an NYC event, and Billy was the master of ceremonies. I was standing and talking with someone when Billy was trying to quiet the crowd ... and he loudly berated me while telling me to sit down.

He was immediately challenged by Jim who said: "Be careful, Billy, she's my boss."

For once in his life, Billy was speechless.

About 10 people from this forum were at the event. I am sure they remember it. The other thing I remember from that evening is that either UEO or his brother almost broke an expensive piece of crystal when he almost hit it with a basketball.

At a different NYC event it was me who almost broke something with a basketball. Think it was Ithaca Matt who made the save.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Interesting that his dad was a big star at St Lawrence University and that Billy was born in Wellsville, NY. Never knew he was a Yankee. He carved out a great career for himself even though, as his wiki pages alludes to, he had his share of detractors. I enjoy watching his son on the ACC network.

Billy Packer - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Orangezoo]

RIP to another legend of the college hoops world.

 

[rrlbees]

Wow. RIP Billy.

 

[domestu]

I saw Billy Packer playing point guard for Wake Forest his senior season. It was a memorable performance and I have never forgotten what he did that night. The broadcasting of weekend college basketball on network tv was in its early stages when he started doing games for NBC in 1974. When he hooked up with Al McGuire and Dick Enberg on the broadcasts a few years later, college hoops exploded in popularity to heights previously unimaginable. Packer was the voice of the NCAA Tournament for three decades and is the most influential college basketball broadcaster in history.

 

[CuseTG2003]

Drove me nuts sometimes but was always memorable. RIP.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Billy Packer called so many great games. I ran into him in a hallway when he was with Al McGuire after some Big East all star event type game that was either at the War Memorial or Manley just a ‘few‘ decades ago. I was waiting in the hallway for my then young son to come out of the bathroom after the game when most of the crowd left. Al McGuire stopped to talk, it was great talking to him and I was surprised and fortunate that he took the time to do so. Billy nodded but pretty well ignored me and kept walking -it was okay, I am very ignorable and it gave me more time with Al. Someday I will tell the board what Al and I talked about - he actually did more of the talking.RIP Billy Packer.

 

[obliterata]

I always enjoyed his commentary, more so than a guy like Vitale.

RIP

 

[NineOneSeven]

RIP. Definitely one of the best for sure. And will always have an iconic place with me after announcing our title game.

 

[sutomcat]

Interesting that his dad was a big star at St Lawrence University and that Billy was born in Wellsville, NY. Never knew he was a Yankee. He carved out a great career for himself even though, as his wiki pages alludes to, he had his share of detractors. I enjoy watching his son on the ACC network.

Billy Packer - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Wow, I never would have guessed Billy was from upstate NY. Wellsville is west of Elmira, just a little north of the Pennsylvania border.

I spent a lot of time disliking Billy. Respecting him but disliking him.

I was, as so many on the board were, a huge fan of the Big East and it seemed to me as though Billy was always overly effusive in his love for the ACC. He was reluctant to accept that the ACC had been eclipsed and it seemed to me as though he never quite gave Syracuse or Jim Boeheim the respect they deserved.

That said, he was a great announcer. I learned more about basketball listening to him do games than from anyone else. There is a lot that goes on within a game in basketball; individual matchups teams are looking to exploit; certain strategies to attack a defense, get a star player in foul trouble, etc.

He was exceptional at analyzing what was going on in a game and what it would lead to. 'Watch the matchup between player X and opposing player Y. Coach Z thinks he can exploit this situation and will go to player X whenever possible.' 'Pearl is too much for Jackson; Louie is going to have to switch him off or go to a zone now'. Things like that.

When he started, the standard names for the people doing the broadcast were the play by play and the color guys. Where the color guy was literally expected to provide colorful stories, tidbits like player nicknames, jokes about the appearance of players, etc.

Billy was the first guy in this role I remember who was clearly different. He was an analyst and what he provided was much more valuable and interesting, at least to me. I think he played a big role in changing how sports broadcasts were done, and this is his lasting impact on basketball and even other sports. It wasn't long after he became a voice of college basketball that he rightly started getting called an analyst. As an aside, I think Al was brought in specifically because the directors were afraid to replace the color role with an analyst and wanted someone else on the broadcast to fill the color role. Al brought some analysis too but he certainly was also good bringing color to broadcasts...

To this day, whenever I listen to a broadcast of a basketball game, I hold the analyst to the standards that Billy established. I expect the analyst to provide thought insights and great observations. A lot of analysts today would do well to look at some of Billy's old broadcasts and take notes on how to do the job the right way.

I am also a big fan of his son Mark. Good family. My condolences to him and the rest of the Packer family.

 

[MSOrange]

Billy Packer called so many great games. I ran into him in a hallway when he was with Al McGuire after some Big East all star event type game that was either at the War Memorial or Manley just a ‘few‘ decades ago. I was waiting in the hallway for my then young son to come out of the bathroom after the game when most of the crowd left. Al McGuire stopped to talk, it was great talking to him and I was surprised and fortunate that he took the time to do so. Billy nodded but pretty well ignored me and kept walking -it was okay, I am very ignorable and it gave me more time with Al. Someday I will tell the board what Al and I talked about - he actually did more of the talking.RIP Billy Packer.

I am pretty sure that was a Big East vs the World all star game of graduating seniors. That's one of the first sporting events I remember going to as a kid. It was at Manley. Sean Kerins and Gene Waldron played on the Big East team. I still have the program from the game and came across it a few years ago and I remember Billy's picture in the program.

 

[MSOrange]

Wow, I never would have guessed Billy was from upstate NY. Wellsville is west of Elmira, just a little north of the Pennsylvania border.

I spent a lot of time disliking Billy. Respecting him but disliking him.

I was, as so many on the board were, a huge fan of the Big East and it seemed to me as though Billy was always overly effusive in his love for the ACC. He was reluctant to accept that the ACC had been eclipsed and it seemed to me as though he never quite gave Syracuse or Jim Boeheim the respect they deserved.

That said, he was a great announcer. I learned more about basketball listening to him do games than from anyone else. There is a lot that goes on within a game in basketball; individual matchups teams are looking to exploit; certain strategies to attack a defense, get a star player in foul trouble, etc.

He was exceptional at analyzing what was going on in a game and what it would lead to. 'Watch the matchup between player X and opposing player Y. Coach Z thinks he can exploit this situation and will go to player X whenever possible.' 'Pearl is too much for Jackson; Louie is going to have to switch him off or go to a zone now'. Things like that.

When he started, the standard names for the people doing the broadcast were the play by play and the color guys. Where the color guy was literally expected to provide colorful stories, tidbits like player nicknames, jokes about the appearance of players, etc.

Billy was the first guy in this role I remember who was clearly different. He was an analyst and what he provided was much more valuable and interesting, at least to me. I think he played a big role in changing how sports broadcasts were done, and this is his lasting impact on basketball and even other sports. It wasn't long after he became a voice of college basketball that he rightly started getting called an analyst. As an aside, I think Al was brought in specifically because the directors were afraid to replace the color role with an analyst and wanted someone else on the broadcast to fill the color role. Al brought some analysis too but he certainly was also good bringing color to broadcasts...

To this day, whenever I listen to a broadcast of a basketball game, I hold the analyst to the standards that Billy established. I expect the analyst to provide thought insights and great observations. A lot of analysts today would do well to look at some of Billy's old broadcasts and take notes on how to do the job the right way.

I am also a big fan of his son Mark. Good family. My condolences to him and the rest of the Packer family.

That's a very good recap. Like you, I wasn't the biggest fan of Billy, but I respect how he advanced college basketball broadcasting in the ways you mention.

 

[Manleymen]

Favorite Billy call was the Chris Webber “time out” call when Michigan had no time outs left against North Carolina. Just a few seconds left on the clock. North Carolina won the game 1993.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[MaxFischer]

The voice (along with Raf) that I associate with college hoops.

I believe (its been a while) that he called the Cuse/Georgetown game in 1990 where Thompson was ejected. I remember him going nuts when Sam Jefferson fouled Billy in the backcourt with virtually no time left to send him to the line (and we know what happened then). I had a tape of that game that I watched many times.

RIP Billy

 

[xc84]

He used to attend Mass at St. Matthew's in East Syracuse on Sundays before his Sunday games at the dome.

 

[oldpinepoint]

Cuse - with packer on the call, growing up I knew it was going to be a big game. I referred to him as captain obvious. Good memories for a boy growing up loving Cuse. Rip

 

[swish7]

A true legend. RIP Billy Packer.