Key takeaways:
- Billy Packer passed away on Thursday at the age of 75 due to kidney failure
- He had a broadcasting career spanning over three decades, and received a Sports Emmy in 1993
- He was born in 1940 in North Carolina and was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 1999
Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster, passed away on Thursday at the age of 75. Packer had been hospitalized in Charlotte for the past three weeks due to several medical issues, and ultimately died from kidney failure.
Packer’s broadcasting career spanned over three decades and coincided with the growth of college basketball. He worked as an analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008, and received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993.
Mark Packer, Billy’s son, told The Associated Press that his father had a great passion for college basketball and enjoyed being involved in the Final Fours. “He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,” Mark Packer said. “He timed it right.”
Billy Packer was born in 1940 in North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University. He began his broadcasting career in 1965 and worked for both NBC and CBS. He was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 1999.
Packer’s death has been met with an outpouring of condolences from the college basketball community. He will be remembered for his passion and dedication to the sport.
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