billy packer legendary college basketball Broadcaster and beloved voice of the Final Four, he has died at 82, his family confirmed Thursday night.
Packer, whose television career included 34 Final Fours, He died of kidney failure after weeks of being hospitalized in Charlotte, his son, Mark, told The Associated Press.
CBS college basketball broadcast commentators Jim Nance (left) and Billy Packer on the court for a pre-game analysis, Storrs Connecticut, 1991.
(Bob Stowell/Getty Images)
He had been battling various medical issues at the time of his passing.
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«The Packer family would like to share some sad news. Our amazing dad Billy has passed away. We are at ease knowing he is in heaven with Barb. RIP Billy,» he said separately in a tweet Thursday night.
Packer’s award-winning career made him a household name during the NCAA Tournament where he worked on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008, covering historic moments like John Wooden’s last game as manager.
Sportscaster Billy Packer (left) interviews coach Bobby Knight after Indiana’s victory in the NCAA Final Four.
(Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Wooden’s tenth and final national championship coincided with the first time Packer called the Final Four in 1975.
«He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,» Mark Packer told the AP. «He got the timing right. Everything in life is about timing. The ability to get involved in something that, frankly, he was going to watch anyway, was a joy for him. And then college basketball took off with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and that became, I think, the catalyst for college basketball fans going crazy for March Madness.»
CBS analyst Billy Packer watches as the Oklahoma State Cowboys mascot tries to get some TV time before the start of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament fourth round regional game against the St. Joseph’s Hawks in the Continental Airlines Arena on March 27, 2004, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
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Tributes for Packer also poured in on social media.
Associated Press contributed to this report.