NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – APRIL 2: Kansas Jayhawks and Villanova Wildcats perform the national anthem before the game during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final 4 Semifinals at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on April 2, 2022 General view of arena inside, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Longtime college basketball announcer Billy Packer has died at the age of 82.
Packer’s son Mark, a Charlotte-based radio host for the ESPN and ACC networks, said: shared the news about his father’s death on Twitter tonight.
“The Packer family would like to share the sad news. Our wonderful father Billy has passed away. We are relieved to know he is in heaven with Barb. RIP Billy ‘ writes Mark Packer.
Packer, who led Wake Forest to the 1962 Final Four as a player, began his broadcasting career in 1972 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1981, Packer moved to CBS, where he remained until his retirement in 2008. Packer has called every NCAA men’s basketball tournament, including the Final Four, from 1975 to 2008.
Our condolences to Packer’s friends and family during this difficult time.
