A legendary Basketball analyst and Commentator died at the age of 82.
Longtime college basketball commentator and analyst Billy Packer has died after spending 34 years on his Final Four broadcast teams. According to the reports, 27 of them were with CBS Sports as its Emmy award-winning college basketball analyst prior to his last Final Four in 2008.
On Thursday night, Packer’s family announced the passing of the Legendary basketball commentator and the voice of the NCAA Tournament for more than 30 years.
According to his family, Packer died on January 26 at the age of 82.
In a post tweeted by Mark, he wrote, “The Packer Family would like to share some sad news. Our amazing father, Billy, has passed. We take peace knowing that he’s in heaven with Barb. RIP, Billy.”
During an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Packer’s son, Mark Packer said that his father Billy had been in a Charlotte hospital for the three weeks because of multiple health problems. During his stay, he eventually suffered kidney failure.
For 34 straight Final Fours, Billy Packer was the lead college basketball analyst, working for both NBC and CBS. He also did ACC games on Raycom, as well. In 1993, Packer won a Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst.”
Billy is also known for being the son of Anthony Packer, who was a longtime college basketball head coach and was with Lehigh for 16 years.
Billy Packer dead at 82 https://t.co/3d1G7Wqg3W— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 27, 2023
“In his playing days in high school, Billy Packer earned Pennsylvania all-state honors, eventually going to Wake Forest University where he was named All-ACC in both 1961 and 1962. Packer also helped the Demon Deacons win three straight ACC regular-season championships and also gave them their first appearance in the Final Four in 1962. That season, Packer also made the all-region team,” Daily Caller reported.
Following his death, CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus released a statement, claiming that “Billy Packer was synonymous with college basketball for more than three decades and set the standard of excellence as the voice of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.”
“He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of those sports. In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. 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. He will be deeply missed by all,” McManus added.
