Billy Packer
Billy Packer | |
---|---|
Born | Anthony William Paczkowski February 25, 1940 Wellsville, New York, U.S. |
Died | January 26, 2023 (aged 82) |
Alma mater | Wake Forest University |
Occupation | Sports commentator |
Years active | 1972–2008 |
Spouse |
Barbara Ann Sucansky
(m. 1961; died 2022) |
Children | 3 |
Sports commentary career | |
Play-by-play | |
Sport | NCAA March Madness |
Employer | NBC Sports (1974–1981) CBS Sports (1981–2008) |
Anthony William Packer (born Anthony William Paczkowski; February 25, 1940 – January 26, 2023) was an American
Early life and education
Packer was born Anthony William Paczkowski in Wellsville, New York.[1] His parents subsequently changed their Polish surname from Paczkowski to Packer. His father Tony was an outstanding athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at St. Lawrence University and was inducted into the university's Hall of Fame in 1982.[2] Tony's 35 years of service at Lehigh University included 16 seasons as the school's men's basketball head coach from 1950 to 1966.[3][4]
Packer was a graduate of
After graduation, he had a brief stint as an assistant coach for his alma mater. In 1972, Packer began his career in broadcasting in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he was asked to fill in as color analyst for a regionally televised ACC game. He became a regular the next season.
Broadcasting career
Packer first worked at the network level with
In 2005, Packer received the Marvin Francis Award for "notable achievement and service in coverage of the ACC," as reported by The Washington Post.
On July 15, 2008, CBS announced that Packer would be replaced by
In March 2009, he returned to the studio with
Broadcasting partners
Packer's broadcast teammates included
Memorable calls
He was part of the March 29, 1979 broadcast with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire for the NCAA championship game between Michigan State and Indiana State. The game, which featured Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, saw an estimated 35.1 million view the game, which is the largest television audience for an NCAA game as of 2022.[8]
On April 4, 1983, after
In the 1991 national semi-final game with Duke losing by 5 to undefeated UNLV with just over 2 minutes left, Packer said, "Duke doesn't need a 3 pointer here" just as Bobby Hurley shot and made one of the biggest baskets in Duke basketball history.
After the
Career timeline
- 1972–2008: C.D. Chesley/MetroSports/Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot Sports ACC Basketball Analyst[9]
- 1974–1981: College Basketball Analyst[9]
- 1981–2008: College Basketball Analyst[9]
Controversy
Announcing style
Packer was described as a broadcaster as "overbearing, arrogant, condescending, dismissive and petulant".[10] Sports-radio talk-show host Mike Francesa would say Packer would broadcast games with a red marker. A red marker is often used by teachers to correct errors by students. Packer was criticized for always telling fans what went wrong instead of complimenting players and strong play. If a team scored, it was always the fault of poor defense. If a team didn't score, he would often criticize a player for failing to execute a play properly or taking an ill-advised shot. Players and games were always expected to be better. He was also noted for constantly criticizing coaching strategies. This was a stark contrast to the enthusiasm of other noted college basketball broadcasters like Dick Vitale and Bill Raftery. Francesa said Packer's constant negativity could be off-putting to the audience watching at home. Others in the media, also started to feel that Packer had become too much of a curmudgeon and constantly harped on everything wrong in college basketball and society at large.[11]
Legal cases and politics
Packer involved himself in high-profile legal cases, hiring a psychic to find the weapon in the
Iverson comment
In 1996, during an on-air broadcast of a game between Georgetown and Villanova, Packer described Hoyas star guard Allen Iverson as a "tough monkey." Packer later apologized, insisting he was actually trying to praise Iverson's relentless play. Neither Iverson nor Georgetown coach John Thompson said he was offended by the remark. Thompson told USA Today he did not "have to explain to anybody about Billy being a racist because he's not."[11]
Apology to Duke students
In 2000, Packer publicly apologized to two
2006 comments on mid-majors
In 2006, Packer again hit sports headlines after blasting the inclusion of mid-major teams in the NCAA tournament, when larger conference teams like
Kansas-North Carolina Final Four game
In a semi-final game at the 2008 Final Four between
Author
Packer was the author of Hoops, Why We Win, and a number of other basketball books.
Personal life
He was married to Barbara, and they had three children. Two of his children (Brandt and Mark) work in sports media, Brandt works as a producer for Golf Channel and Mark is a sports radio host based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1988, Billy Packer was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.[17]
Death
Packer died of kidney failure on January 26, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the age of 82.[18][19]
Notes and references
- ^ "Lehigh County Hall of Fame 2012 inductees announced," The Express-Times (Easton, PA), Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2014
- ^ "St. Lawrence University - Hall of Fame - Anthony Packer".
- ^ ""Billy Packer gave his best," The Mountain Eagle (Whitesburg, KY), Wednesday, July 23, 2008". Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ "Anthony Packer, 77, Lehigh U. Basketball Coach from 1950–65," The Morning Call (Allentown, PA), Friday, February 26, 1993. Retrieved March 23, 2014
- ^ Burns, Ed (March 30, 1987). "WARNING: 'HOOPS' MAY BE ADDICTIVE". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Report:-CBS-parting-ways-with-Billy-Packer Report:CBS parting ways with Billy Packer[permanent dead link]
- ^ "1987 PPA Semi Final Match #1".
- ^ "Longtime Final Four broadcaster Packer dies at 82". January 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, Fantasy Sports News - CBSSports.com Live Scores, Stats, Schedules Archived December 31, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Frager, Ray. "Love-hate with Billy Packer". The Baltimore Sun. Trif Alatzas. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Pucin, Diane (July 15, 2008). "The thrill had gone out of Billy Packer's game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
- ^ Hiestand, Michael (April 2, 2008). "CBS analyst Packer to keep future unscripted". USA Today. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- ^ Rubin, Richard. "CBS sportscaster apologizes to two Duke students". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
- ^ Schlabach, Mark (March 12, 2006). "Packer: Too Many MVC, CAA Teams". Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
- ^ Billy Packer Out, Clark Kellogg In
- ^ ""It's Over" — CBS Cans Billy Packer". Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ "Billy Packer « National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum". October 21, 2013. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^ "Billy Packer, 82, longtime Final Four basketball analyst, dies". ESPN. January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Legendary Hoops Analyst DEAD AT 82, TMZ, January 27, 2023
External links
- Knight talks basketball, retirement with announcers Nantz, Packer - April 2, 2008
- Bio on CBS SportsLine
- A conversation with Billy Packer from CSTV's Hoops Odyssey Blog - March 18, 2007
- ESPN.com article detailing Billy Packer's recent monopoly on broadcasting NCAA Final Four games - Bill Simmons, March 21, 2007
- Billy Packer Made the Right Call (for once) on News & Observerwebsite, March 20, 2008.