Billy Packer apparently passed tonight

[IDUNK4HEELS]

He and Jim Thacker were quite a team doing ACC games back in the 70’s to the 90’s. Billy Packer was a excellent guard in college at Wake Forest and was very knowledgeable of the game but like Rece Davis the other night he did not have a lot of love for Carolina basketball 🏀. UNC players over the years knew of his disdain for the light blue and white and after Carolina nipped Georgetown in the title game in 1982 they all refused to talk to him or answer any of his questions during the postgame.

He was a positive influence on many Saturdays of my youth during the “Sail with the Pilot” broadcast so I will pay him respect and appreciate what he did week after week during the season and may he rest in peace….

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

For some of the older fans here you might remember he also did a bunch of National games with sports guru Dick Enberg and retired Marquette coach Al McGuire.

 

[DaSheed]

A bit of a curmudgeon…. But McGuire balanced him out perfectly

”Oh! He walked! He walked and the referee missed it!“

 

[bluetoe]

Packer and Thacker was the best BB broadcast duo ever for college ball. They were perfect and watching them do a game was watching awesomeness.. Packer would try to horn in to the play-by-play and say something stupid and Thacker would put him firmly in his place, without any edge, and thusly control Billy's obnoxiousness.. But when Packer stuck to his color role, he was the best, even as opinionated as he was. Watching any game done by them was as good as it gets. It was just special.

I never let Billy's prejudices bother me. After all, he was an ex-WF guy from a time when they were as much our rivals as dook was.

 

[dtodd4475]

RIP, as an announcer I was not a fan of his work, but that was just a piece of his life, and he was very successful in that profession.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I pray that his family finds peace in the many memories of a life well lived! I thought he was an excellent commentator in retrospect too, but I really hated his Anti-UNC bias at the time! Who knew I was watching greatness and that one day I would fondly remember his calls?

RIP and enjoy that awesome bball game in heaven!

 

[notashelbyfan]

I think he hated Dean Smith more than he hated Carolina!

 

[vbrs]

I really enjoyed having him announce the games. Especially when he was with Thacker. That made the game seem important. I didn't mind that he wasn't a Heels fan.

 

[bluetoe]

A bit of a curmudgeon…. But McGuire balanced him out perfectly

”Oh! He walked! He walked and the referee missed it!“

the remarkable thing here is that when someone walked back then and it was missed, someone got upset over it. Now it's just par for the course and most walking calls are of the minor and inconsequential kind (easy for the ref to call), while a full gallop down the lane gets routinely overlooked.

 

[bluetoe]

I really enjoyed having him announce the games. Especially when he was with Thacker. That made the game seem important. I didn't mind that he wasn't a Heels fan.

lol, I always thought that many Heels fans considered anyone a hater who didn't jump out of their shorts to praise us. If you're going to pick on someone else's prejudices, maybe recognize our own as well.

 

[Heelicious]

lol, I always thought that many Heels fans considered anyone a hater who didn't jump out of their shorts to praise us. If you're going to pick on someone else's prejudices, maybe recognize our own as well.

Nah don’t get it twisted! EVERYBODY especially announcers should be at least half drunk on the Carolina Blue Kool-aid for all games, regardless of how the Heels on the court that day actually play.

Otherwise you’re “not a real fan or a real knowledgeable announcer” 😏

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I really enjoyed having him announce the games. Especially when he was with Thacker. That made the game seem important. I didn't mind that he wasn't a Heels fan.

My feeling , as well.

He knew his stuff and would explain things for us. I always liked that.

Like a lot of knowledgeable folks, his knowledge content seemed to take more of a back seat the longer he broadcast. So far Bilas hasn't fallen into that trap, but he is getting to be more of a "personality" with time, and that's where it often starts. He should probably be thinking about an assistant coaching job somewhere.

 

[Steat]

Packer and Thacker was the best BB broadcast duo ever for college ball. They were perfect and watching them do a game was watching awesomeness.. Packer would try to horn in to the play-by-play and say something stupid and Thacker would put him firmly in his place, without any edge, and thusly control Billy's obnoxiousness.. But when Packer stuck to his color role, he was the best, even as opinionated as he was. Watching any game done by them was as good as it gets. It was just special.

I never let Billy's prejudices bother me. After all, he was an ex-WF guy from a time when they were as much our rivals as dook was.

Thacker's famous phrase "Watch Out"!

 

[tarwhiz]

Packer and Thacker was the best BB broadcast duo ever for college ball. They were perfect and watching them do a game was watching awesomeness.. Packer would try to horn in to the play-by-play and say something stupid and Thacker would put him firmly in his place, without any edge, and thusly control Billy's obnoxiousness.. But when Packer stuck to his color role, he was the best, even as opinionated as he was. Watching any game done by them was as good as it gets. It was just special.

I never let Billy's prejudices bother me. After all, he was an ex-WF guy from a time when they were as much our rivals as dook was.

Great post! I agree 100%.
Billy Packer doing College basketball games is among the very first things that brought me to my favorite sport.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Packer and Thacker was the best BB broadcast duo ever for college ball. They were perfect and watching them do a game was watching awesomeness.. Packer would try to horn in to the play-by-play and say something stupid and Thacker would put him firmly in his place, without any edge, and thusly control Billy's obnoxiousness.. But when Packer stuck to his color role, he was the best, even as opinionated as he was. Watching any game done by them was as good as it gets. It was just special.

I never let Billy's prejudices bother me. After all, he was an ex-WF guy from a time when they were as much our rivals as dook was.

That was back in the era of great duos. We had the L&M boys: Lewis and Miller. Wake had Long and Leonard. Like Lewis and Miller, they averaged nearly 50 points per game during their best season together. And that was before the 3pt shot. Duke's duo was Marin and Mullins, iirc.

 

[bluetoe]

That was back in the era of great duos. We had the L&M boys: Lewis and Miller. Wake had Long and Leonard. Like Lewis and Miller, they averaged nearly 50 points per game during their best season together. And that was before the 3pt shot. Duke's duo was Marin and Mullins, iirc.

in another thread somewhere, there is a discussion about waning interest in ACC BB, and I guess college ball in general. The talent level in the ACC got sky-high over time, and there have been a ton of fantastic moments but the purity of the game as was played in the ACC back then has really suffered. It just isn't the same. The best basketball ever played was from that time, IMO.
I haven't lost interest altogether by any means, but the feeling I'd get watching those games on Saturdays hasn't been duplicated in a long time. Even seeing us ruin K's going away game pales. Wait, maybe let me think about that some more.

 

[Steat]

One of Packer's best calls...

 

[strummingram]

He was a college basketball icon. I never knew that he was a basketball player until I saw that History of the ACC Tournament series on ACCN. He played for WF and old Bones McKinney was their coach.

However, my most vivid memory of him is when he tried to downplay Gerald Henderson's assault on Tyler Hansbrough. He refused to acknowledge what everyone else saw. It was embarrassing for him.