Back in the day you could only watch college bb on weekends and he was always the guy calling the game for CBS. Might have don't other stuff but that's what I remember.
Billy Packer passes away
- Thread starter wccat
- Start date
Him and Al McGuire were the 2 that I remember from that era.
Yeah he had a annoying prickish times but for that day he was one of the analyst there was.
Dang that must of sucked. I can remember when I was like 9 during the John wall year the tournament was only on one channel and that was CBS, then they got smart and started using for networks and made it possible to watch every game
Billy Al and Joe Dean were the best oh and dont forget Cawood
Makes me miss the 3 Dave's on JPSports. Golden Flake and Dr Pepper TYFYS
Yes! Joe Dean with ‘string music in Lexington KY’ along with Tom Hammonds.
They earned that seed in hindsight given that they got to the Elite 8 and lost on a last second shot.
He was an ACC shill, but he was the voice of the big game during the 90's. My formative UK experiences included him calling the game.
I remember one year in the early 2000s Duke was playing Mississippi State in the second round. The way Packer called the game you'd think Duke was the Harlem Globetrotters and State was the Washington Generals. He talked about the Duke players on both ends of the floor. Rarely mentioned any State players or strategies.
I remember that! But, man, freshman Prickett was no joke. He had a hell of a season that year. He showed a lot of talent that year, inside and outside. Then, he regressed every season after that. Truly puzzling.
Had the chance to briefly talk to him at
the Mideast Regional in Tuscaloosa in 1975 when we played Marquette. Several of my UK friends had traveled for the game and were waiting for several of our fraternity brothers who played on that team to come out of the locker room to visit with them before we all headed back to Lexington.
He was very nice and said he thought we could make it to the final 4. We did of course. If we had been in the ACC he’d have been a big advocate out loud for UK
the Mideast Regional in Tuscaloosa in 1975 when we played Marquette. Several of my UK friends had traveled for the game and were waiting for several of our fraternity brothers who played on that team to come out of the locker room to visit with them before we all headed back to Lexington.
He was very nice and said he thought we could make it to the final 4. We did of course. If we had been in the ACC he’d have been a big advocate out loud for UK
R.I.P., a lot my childhood people like TV/Movies/Sports are dying. Getting old sucks.
Sad news. I always liked Packer. He did some games with Gary Bender back in the day and those two made a good team. Still remember his takes on our 98 game with duke. "He's hurting WoJo!"
"Kryzezewski would like to call a timeout here but he doesn't have one". "Scored 62 in a high school game once, he must think he's back in Boston"
"Kryzezewski would like to call a timeout here but he doesn't have one". "Scored 62 in a high school game once, he must think he's back in Boston"
Yeah He hated Kentucky. Back in the day, when all the big satellite dishes were the in thing, they would go to commercial on the network, but the “dish” would still be on with their microphones still on and he would be giving it too Joe B. and the Cats. But never the less prayers for his family!
You’re about as old as my kids lol 24, 22, 21, and 20.
Apparently you didn't listen to him that much. That is pure BS.
Remember his last game before he got fired? As I recall, UNC was losing and he got angry and started yelling that the game was over. He sounded like me when UK falls behind early in the game.
I also recall a game he did when we played IU. He laughed when one of our players got mugged, screamed for a foul when Hawkins fouled one of their players and kept yelling that if Patrick Ewing Sr were playing, he would be dominating Kentucky. (PE Jr was playing for IU back then.) It was definitely the worse bias I have ever heard from an announcer.
I'll always remember Patrick Sparks running over and high fiving him after he hit the shot to put us into overtime against Michigan State.
He looked old at 38.
What did he do? Got behind every game. Didn't call time outs. Not as strategy, he just didn't call timeouts. Mass subbing for no reason. That team coached itself and took Tubby along for the ride. It became more evident every year after that. After '98 a Tubby coached team never beat a team higher than a 6 seed in his career.
Packers gift was to make fans of every blue blood think he hated their team
Listening to Carolina fans this morning talking about how much he liked Duke
Duke fans talking about how much he liked Carolina
Listening to Carolina fans this morning talking about how much he liked Duke
Duke fans talking about how much he liked Carolina
I had read somewhere that he made a ridiculous pay demand from CBS when his contract was up and they told him to go kick rocks
He did not show bias unless UK was playing a ACC team. Then he slobbering all over ACC. Overall I liked him though.
In the early 80s "who would win between Kentucky and Louisville?" was a popular debate. He and Al McGuire tackled it on their radio show. McGuire said Louisville couldn't beat us without an aircraft carrier (seven foot center). Packer said Louisville didn't need one.
He was biased for his ACC schools but you always knew it was a big game when he was calling it. RIP
Also, someone told me they heard Nantz teasing him about his ACC bias during a commercial and Packer getting all testty about it.
Did any of you guys know that in the Kandas-North Carolina game mentioned in this thread, UNC's starting guards got in a fistfight right before the game?