Billy Packer has passed away

[liveanddiedeac]

Carolina fans hated him. That’s enough for me.

And our fans would say he was a Carolina homer when he called Wake v. UNC games. In all honestly as a color analyst Billy was about as good as it gets I think. Down the middle, no BS catch-phases or hyperbole and just gave good analysis. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and rest in peace Billy!

 

[stonevilleicetea]

Another piece of my childhood gone! My dad used to always tell me how he went to wake and I always wondered why he hated wake so much but I still enjoyed him calling those games.

 

[62deac]

R.I.P. from a fellow Wake class of '62 member.

 

[Dkin]

R.I.P. from a fellow Bethlehem PA native

 

[Complacent Deac]

He was the voice of professional Putt Putt, or was that Musberger?

 

[Deacfreak07]

have seen the charlie davis stuff mentioned before, but what's the recap?

IIRC, Davis was passed over for a promotion. I think the university perspective may have been related to a graduate degree or other credential.

 

[Shorty]

He was the voice of professional Putt Putt, or was that Musberger?

That was Billy. I used to love watching Packer call the PPA.

 

[Deacsfan27]

His son, Mark has (former of Packer and Durham) has had a really bad past year. Mother passed away, tore his achilles, show was cancelled, and now this. Hope he's doing alright - he's lost a ton of weight based on seeing him on ACC PM.

 

[EatLeadCommie]

Hated him when he was announcing, then when he left I thought, "Who are these clowns? Bring back Billy Packer!" The perfect counter to the rah-rah, vapid style of Vitale.

RIP

 

[BarcaDeac]

IIRC, Davis was passed over for a promotion. I think the university perspective may have been related to a graduate degree or other credential.

IIRC he had a big falling out with Wake for decades over this. seems like last year they buried the hatchet and he was part of the 60-year Final Four anniversary. I recall him being in a pregame hype video.

 

[BarcaDeac]

His son, Mark has (former of Packer and Durham) has had a really bad past year. Mother passed away, tore his achilles, show was cancelled, and now this. Hope he's doing alright - he's lost a ton of weight based on seeing him on ACC PM.

yeah and he was also fired as the host of the Sirius show Off Campus. they still have it but it's very different. when it was Packer it was like 75% him taking calls from crazy fans, 25% interviews. Now it's Jacob Hester of LSU fame plus a rotating cast of former CFB players, and they mostly talk and do interviews.

 

[Deacsfan27]

I find it hard to believe that he did anything wrong - I've always really enjoyed him. He definitely liked taking shots at the "espn brass" when he did P&D though, maybe there was some more in-depth issues that we just saw the surface of.

 

[thatguy2016]

His son, Mark has (former of Packer and Durham) has had a really bad past year. Mother passed away, tore his achilles, show was cancelled, and now this. Hope he's doing alright - he's lost a ton of weight based on seeing him on ACC PM.

Weight loss was definitely intentional. He also had a pretty sweet 2-week trip to Italy (not to minimize the loss of his parents).

RIP Billy, one of the best

 

[Complacent Deac]

That was Billy. I used to love watching Packer call the PPA.

He was really good at it, and legitimized it in my view.

Those official holes are TOUGH.

 

[Dispatch Deac]

I was in high school during Packer's years at Wake Forest. He was joined in the backcourt by Alley Hart. The great Len Chappell (my boyhood hero) ruled in the paint. Dr. Richard Carmichael from High Point Central (my Boy Scout camp counselor) played on the front line. My school was filled with Hole worshippers and I enjoyed watching their discomfort. Those were great years for the Deacons.

 

[Deacsfan27]

His story about wanting to go to Duke, and then when they told him that they were between him and another guy, calling Duke and telling them to forget it, he's going to Wake, is a GOAT story.

 

[dridings]

Hang it….final four, two ACC titles. Billy could be controversial but loved Wake Forest and stood up for Charlie Davis when that stance wasn’t popular

Should have been done years ago

 

[Deacfreak07]

IIRC he had a big falling out with Wake for decades over this. seems like last year they buried the hatchet and he was part of the 60-year Final Four anniversary. I recall him being in a pregame hype video.

He asked to be removed from the HOF which is a really big deal. Especially considering his status and connection to our one FF team. Really seemed like repairing that relationship was a priority for Currie, and I suspect Billy was likely a little less vitriolic as he neared the end. We also repaired the relationship with Davis which is a bigger deal and likely made reconnecting with Billy a possibility. Interested to see if Wake is in his will.

 

[Deaconblue]

have seen the charlie davis stuff mentioned before, but what's the recap?

It's about 2/3 through John Dell 's story

Before he talked about college basketball on TV, Billy Packer helped Wake Forest get to the Final Four

He was part of the 1961-62 team that is the only Wake Forest team to get to a Final Four

greensboro.com

Charlie Davis was one of the first few black young men to play basketball at Wake. He played while Billy was assistant coach. Billy and CD both had family roots on New York.

CD was the first black to be ACC Player of the Year. After CD's very short NBA career he went to work at WFU Athletics Department. A few years later he was passed over for promotion. (Context-this was 10 to 15 years after the legal end to "Jim Crow" laws in North Carolina. However, segregationist thinking still existed in the minds of some on the WFU campus.)

Billy made his unhappiness known and asked to have his own enshrinement in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame rescinded.

Charlie Davis left Wake in 1971 (eligibilty complete) and went the NBA without a Wake degree. It took him until 1990 to get the last 18 hours completed. There were thoughts that the lack of a college degree was used to deny CD the position and that people in Wake Athletics had not been willing to make it possible for Charlie to finish his degree while employed there.

And if you read the whole article, there is a "Professor Bull" mentioned. Most likely he is Professor Jasper L. "Bull" Memory, a Wake academic standout and legendary figure.

 

[Biff Tannen]

CD opened my account at the on campus Wachovia my freshman year. I had no idea until my roommate's dad told me later that day. I guess he got that job after he finished his degree.