Billy Packer

mstranahan

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,561
Saw that Billy Packer died yesterday. Like him or hate him, he was part of the broadcasting group that took basketball to its prominent position on tube. I used to watch him call ACC games with Bones McKinney and Jim Thacker (Sail with the Pilot and NCNB We want to be th best bank in the neighborhood still ring in my head). The Enberg / McGuire / Packer trio was legendary and set the standard. Moving to CBS with Nantz was a complimentary pairing of Nantz' smooth polish and Packer's abrasive style.

There were sides of him that many didn't like. (The whole Mr Cash huckster schtick. His self promotion in general. His blatant favoritism for his alma mater and related abject hatred of everything about Duke & UNC.) Putting that discussion aside, he knew basketball and had a way of explaining it really clearly so the average viewer had a better understanding of what was going on.

He was a really important part of college hoops' emergence and his impact will continue. He was also an ACC guy through and through.
 
leatherneckjacket

leatherneckjacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,078
Location
Atlanta, GA
mstranahan said:
Saw that Billy Packer died yesterday. Like him or hate him, he was part of the broadcasting group that took basketball to its prominent position on tube. I used to watch him call ACC games with Bones McKinney and Jim Thacker (Sail with the Pilot and NCNB We want to be th best bank in the neighborhood still ring in my head). The Enberg / McGuire / Packer trio was legendary and set the standard. Moving to CBS with Nantz was a complimentary pairing of Nantz' smooth polish and Packer's abrasive style.

There were sides of him that many didn't like. (The whole Mr Cash huckster schtick. His self promotion in general. His blatant favoritism for his alma mater and related abject hatred of everything about Duke & UNC.) Putting that discussion aside, he knew basketball and had a way of explaining it really clearly so the average viewer had a better understanding of what was going on.

He was a really important part of college hoops' emergence and his impact will continue. He was also an ACC guy through and through.
Click to expand...
All hatred towards Duke is 100% warranted.
 

yellowjacket

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
83
mstranahan said:
Saw that Billy Packer died yesterday. Like him or hate him, he was part of the broadcasting group that took basketball to its prominent position on tube. I used to watch him call ACC games with Bones McKinney and Jim Thacker (Sail with the Pilot and NCNB We want to be th best bank in the neighborhood still ring in my head). The Enberg / McGuire / Packer trio was legendary and set the standard. Moving to CBS with Nantz was a complimentary pairing of Nantz' smooth polish and Packer's abrasive style.

There were sides of him that many didn't like. (The whole Mr Cash huckster schtick. His self promotion in general. His blatant favoritism for his alma mater and related abject hatred of everything about Duke & UNC.) Putting that discussion aside, he knew basketball and had a way of explaining it really clearly so the average viewer had a better understanding of what was going on.

He was a really important part of college hoops' emergence and his impact will continue. He was also an ACC guy through and through.
Click to expand...
 
Randy Carson

Randy Carson

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,306
Location
Apex, NC
mstranahan said:
Saw that Billy Packer died yesterday. Like him or hate him, he was part of the broadcasting group that took basketball to its prominent position on tube. I used to watch him call ACC games with Bones McKinney and Jim Thacker (Sail with the Pilot and NCNB We want to be th best bank in the neighborhood still ring in my head). The Enberg / McGuire / Packer trio was legendary and set the standard. Moving to CBS with Nantz was a complimentary pairing of Nantz' smooth polish and Packer's abrasive style.

There were sides of him that many didn't like. (The whole Mr Cash huckster schtick. His self promotion in general. His blatant favoritism for his alma mater and related abject hatred of everything about Duke & UNC.) Putting that discussion aside, he knew basketball and had a way of explaining it really clearly so the average viewer had a better understanding of what was going on.

He was a really important part of college hoops' emergence and his impact will continue. He was also an ACC guy through and through.
Click to expand...
Those were the golden years of the ACC. I made other comments in a thread entitled, "What the...?".

I don't think we will ever see the likes of that era again.
 
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