If you were a kid growing up in Winston-Salem during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, you knew who Billy Packer was. At first, he was the fearless guard who, in 1962, led Wake Forest to its only Final Four appearance. The team was ranked as high as #3 in the nation that season, and Billy ended his stint with the Demon Deacons scoring over 1,300 points and averaging 82% at the free throw line. Billy also initiated the first official scrimmages between Wake and Winston-Salem State at a time when Black players and White players weren’t allowed to compete against each other.
Later, after his playing days were over, Billy served as an assistant coach for the Deacs. Then, in 1972 he was asked by C.D. Chesley to fill in as an analyst on an ACC game being broadcast from Raleigh. The next year he was hired as the main analyst for ACC broadcasts and remained in that position until 2008. Billy knew the game of basketball inside and out and he was the best analyst in the business, so it’s not surprising that NBC came calling in 1974, and asked Packer to work their Final Four broadcast. He stayed with the Peacock network until CBS lured him away in 1981, and he continued to call Final Fours until 2008. In all, he worked 34 straight NCAA Final Four tournaments.
Although Billy was born in New York and later made his home in Charlotte, generations of Winston-Salem natives considered Billy as one of our own. That’s because even prior to his achieving national prominence, Billy was always active in the area. He even showed up one evening at my nephew’s recreation league banquet to hand out trophies, and he was a fixture at the new Stratford Road Putt Putt course in Winston, where he served as play-by-play man for televised matches. Only Billy Packer could make Putt Putt sound exciting.
I only worked with Billy briefly in 1974. I had just been hired by WFMY-TV, and he was contracted to produce and host a series of segments about ACC basketball. I ran studio camera for Billy and came to know him as a super nice guy, and the most prepared and knowledgeable basketball analyst in the history of television.
Several years ago, I called Billy and invited him to be a guest on my “Triad Today” TV show, but he declined. “Thanks Jim, but I just don’t get up to Winston that often anymore,” he said. I was disappointed, and I regret not having the opportunity to interview him, but I understood. Billy Packer passed away last week at the age of 82. He was an original. He was the best at what he did. He was a legend. He was one of us.
