BILLY PACKER REMEMBERED

 (Quick explanation: The following was written for the Richmond Times-Dispatch a year ago as part of our SPORTS MEMORIES series … but was rejected. Too negative, I recall, was the explanation. Come to think about it, that described Billy Packer more often than not. It happens in a business where your job is to tell people what is going on and not be concerned whether they like it or not. 

Packer died Jan. 26, 2023 at age 82. Said broadcast partner Jim 

Nantz, “He had the ability to make every fan base think he was 

against them … and he relished the role. North Carolina thought he 

favored Duke … and Duke thought he was in the bag for North 

Carolina. He loved it. He LOVED it.”)

.

I know I’m old and out of touch with the modern games people play, but, 

please, how to explain …

… CBS, in its infinite wisdom, could bump Billy Packer to a forced 

retirement before his time. Now, the best there was – and probably ever will 

be – at analyzing college hoops is gone. Boo CBS. Boo Sean McManus. Boo 

all the know-nothing critics who trashed him because … he didn’t suffer fools 

like them.

McManus, the network sports boss and son of sportscasting legend Jim 

McKay, should have known better than to dismiss Packer after the 2008 Final 

Four. What followed was a succession of nice-guy lightweights who avoided 

controversy the way that Packer relished it. As a result, must-see TV became 

just another bland blabfest. Not even the great Jim Nantz could make it work 

the way it was when Billy took on any and all comers.

Still fresh in this mind’s eye was St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli acting like 

a jerk when Packer said his Hawks didn’t deserve a No. 1 seed in the 2004 

NCAA tournament. Martelli went on a rant unbecoming of a leader of young 

men … who then went out and proved Billy right.

“Often wrong but never in doubt,” said Packer, who died Thursday (Jan. 26, 

2023) of kidney failure. He was 82.

The memory man always liked Billy for being true to his feelings and, most 

of all, for not kissing up to anybody – which really set him apart from his 

contemporaries. Not that he was perfect, by any means. Shortly after we were 

assigned the University of Virginia beat in 1984, Packer was in 

Charlottesville for a game and, during a halftime interview, asked about

 Ralph Sampson.

“You covered him here,” Packer began … Uh, no Billy, actually we didn’t, not 

on a regular basis anyway. Ralph finished his UVA career with the 1982-83 

season. Non-plussed, Packer quickly moved on to something else. It was no 

big deal to him … or us, for that matter.

In retrospect, it was a good thing he didn’t inquire about the one memorable 

occasion we were sent to talk to Sampson during his undergraduate days. It 

was prior to his final campaign. The Cavaliers were going to meet the Russian 

National Team at the Richmond Coliseum in a game sponsored by the Times-

Dispatch … and I came to Charlottesville to interview the 7-4. three-time 

national player of the year about the matchup.

Sounded simple enough, right? Well, in those days of long ago, Sampson was 

made available to the media 30 minutes one day a week. Coach Terry 

Holland did his best to protect Ralph from inquiring minds who wanted so 

much of his time that it wasn’t feasible to grant every request.

Anyway, we had heard Sampson had grown weary of so much attention, not 

to mention an abundance of criticism, and could be less than engaging with 

reporters. Little did we know …

I was joined by a late writer from the late Washington Star, and we met Ralph 

in the Cavaliers’ locker room at the appointed time. He sat down … and for 

the next 10 minutes grunted responses to questions – all but refusing to 

answer anything. If I hadn’t been charged with writing a piece on him for the 

Russian game program, I would have gotten up and left.

Just when it seemed this had been a monumental waste of time … in walks a 

television crew from cable’s Superstation TBS, which was going to carry the 

Virginia/Georgetown (Sampson vs Patrick Ewing) showdown to open the 

regular season. And Ralph suddenly perked up, acted like he wanted to help 

… ask him anything … and we finally got what we came for … thanks to Ted 

Turner, of all people.

It had been eight years since we covered baseball and spent seven spring 

trainings with Turner’s Atlanta Braves. Of course, we never saw Turner in 

West Palm Beach, Fla. At the time he was too busy making TBS a national 

presence while quietly wooing wife-to-be Jane Fonda, the actress.

But, as usual, we digress. Back to one-of-a-kind Packer. An attempt to catch 

up with, and talk to, Billy was met by a distinct lack of enthusiasm by 

someone who knew him well. This was more than a year ago.

How is he doing? 

“OK.”

Is he still bitter about being let go by CBS? 

“I don’t think so … I can’t say he ever was.”

I understand Billy hasn’t attended a game since the 2008 final between 

Kansas and Memphis. Please tell him he’s been missed.

“OK.”