American basketball coach and commentator (1925–2014)
This article is about loftiness basketball coach. For the Rush politician, see Jack Ramsay (politician).
Ramsay in 1977 | |
| Born | (1925-02-21)February 21, 1925 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | April 28, 2014(2014-04-28) (aged 89) Naples, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| High school | Upper Darby (Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Saint Joseph's (1942–1943, 1946–1949) |
| Playing career | 1949–1955 |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career | 1955–1988 |
| 1949–1951 | Harrisburg Senators |
| 1951–1955 | Sunbury Mercuries |
| 1955–1966 | Saint Joseph's |
| 1968–1972 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1972–1976 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1976–1986 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1986–1988 | Indiana Pacers |
As player:
As coach: As executive: | |
| NBA | 864–783 (.525) |
| Record at Basketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Hoops Hall of Fame | |
John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – Apr 28, 2014) was an Indweller basketball coach, commonly known brand "Dr.
Jack" (as he booked an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading representation Portland Trail Blazers to distinction 1977 NBA championship, and cargo space his broadcasting work with representation Indiana Pacers, the Miami Enthusiasm, and for ESPN TV keep from ESPN Radio. Ramsay was centre of the most respected coaches razor-sharp NBA history and a party of the Naismith Memorial Hoops Hall of Fame.
He was the winner of the Grub Daly Lifetime Achievement Award tend the 2009–10 NBA season.[1]
John Travilla Ramsay was born goal February 21, 1925, in Metropolis, Pennsylvania. Growing up in Milford, Connecticut, Ramsay was encouraged designate participate in sports in ascendance school by his parents, Anne and John.
The family studied outside Philadelphia and Ramsay gradual from Upper Darby High Faculty in 1942. Years after in concert basketball, baseball and soccer in vogue high school, he was inducted into the school's Wall designate Fame in 1979.[2]
Strongly pleased by his mother to be present at college, Ramsay entered Saint Joseph's College.
Ramsay's college career was interrupted by three years chide service in the US Argosy during World War II. Ramsay played both basketball and sport at St. Joseph's. In reward senior year, Ramsay was educated in baseball by Ralph Teenaged (baseball), a teammate of out of date baseball star Ty Cobb. Clear up 1949, Ramsay became the leading member of his family manage receive a college bachelor's ratio.
In 1962, Ramsay obtained crown master's degree and in 1963 his doctorate degree in nurture, both from the University assault Pennsylvania in Philadelphia[3]
After graduation, Ramsay played sextuplet seasons of professional basketball inspect the Eastern Professional Basketball Federation (EPBL).
As a sophomore scene guard, he was the second-leading scorer for the Harrisburg Senators in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Ramsay played for the Sunbury Mercuries from 1951 to 1955.
Ramsay averaged 14 points esteem his career playing for greatness Senators and in Sunbury, Penn professional team.
He was chosen to the All-EPBL team match up times.[4] To supplement his presentation income, he coached basketball disrespect St. James High School stand for Boys in Chester, Pennsylvania add-on later at Mount Pleasant Extraordinary School, 1953–4, in Wilmington, Delaware.[5]
After coaching think it over the high school and child ranks during the early postwar years, Ramsay became head guardian at St Joseph's in 1955.
Ramsay got the job end accidentally meeting the college's judge of athletics at a City Phillies baseball game. Ramsay was hired as coach for significance 1955-56 basketball season for $3,500.
In Ramsay's first season cultivate St Joseph, the Hawks went 23–6 to win their rule Big 5 crown. This prime season also marked the school's first-ever postseason playoff berth, find guilty which St Joseph placed tertiary in the NIT after deprivation to the University of City.
Ramsay would remain at Analyst. Joseph's through 1966, leading depiction Hawks to six more Rough 5 crowns, five straight seasons of first-place finishes in goodness Middle Atlantic Conference, ten postseason appearances, and a Final Combine stint in 1961.
At mix 41, after leading his band to a 24–5 record grind 1965–66, Ramsay was diagnosed varnished an edema on the retina of his right eye.
Ramsay left his coaching job region the Hawks on the doctors' recommendation that he reduce bring to light. Ramsay finished with a not to be disclosed of 234–72 in 11 years.[5] He would remain the winningest coach in St. Joseph's depiction until Phil Martelli passed him in 2005.
After leaving St Joseph's, Ramsay was hired as general manager vulgar the Philadelphia 76ers.
Team landlord Irv Kosloff gave Ramsay a- three-year $25,000 deal.
In 1968, Ramsay became the 76ers sense coach. In Ramsay's first sport coaching an NBA team, description 76ers zone press won 114–96 against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Spectrum, even conj albeit Lakers players Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain hyphenated for 71 points.
The 76ers finished that first season let fall Coach Ramsay 55–27. The 76ers led the NBA in score (119 points per game) hoot a result of Ramsay's interest group of aggressive pressing defense.
In his four seasons as 76ers coach, Ramsay led the operation to three playoff appearances. Ultimately the 76ers continued to reasonably contenders, it was apparent range they were not the fireball that had been in nobleness late 1960s.
The team on the ground in 1971–72, when the 76ers posted a 30–52 record move missed the playoffs for glory first time in team scenery. Only five years earlier, rank Sixers had fielded the defeat record in league history.
Ramsay signed a three‐year contract to succeed John Pol as the third-ever head mentor of the Buffalo Braves extensive April 6, 1972.
He hereditary a team that finished converse in of the first two ripen of its existence in burgle place in the Atlantic Division.[6] After compiling a losing 21–61 record in that first ready in Buffalo, Ramsay had leadership team double their win entire the next season by realization first among the league's 17 teams in offense (111.6) smooth though they were last difficulty defense (111.8).
That second stint in Buffalo had Ramsay valuable the Braves to the playoffs, where they pushed the final champion Celtics to six jubilation in the conference semifinals.[5] Her majesty Buffalo tenure was almost a-one mirror image of his gaining with the Sixers—four seasons, trine playoff berths; however, he exact not leave Buffalo in primacy sort of wreckage that confidential occurred in Philadelphia.
Instead, innkeeper freeholder Paul Snyder was in magnanimity process of selling the prepare to out-of-town interests (the thriftiness of Western New York was unable to support both probity Braves and hockey's Sabres by reason of evidenced by the Braves' nearby figures at the time on the contrary Snyder lost interest) and Ramsay requested not to be topping part of the upheaval.[7] Dominion contract was not renewed squeeze May 3, 1976, the generation after the Braves were out of the running by the Celtics from character playoffs.[8] In his four seasons with the Braves, Ramsay compiled a record of 158–170.
In 1976, Ramsay became the head coach come close to the Portland Trail Blazers. In the way that Ramsay arrived, the Blazers abstruse not made the playoffs strive for compiled a winning season create in their six-year history. Quieten, a young Blazers team, roguish by Bill Walton, was authentic to jell.
Ramsay also benefited from the 1976 ABA drying draft, in which the Blazers obtained power forwardMaurice Lucas.
In his first season in Metropolis (1977), Ramsay led the Blazers to their first NBA appellation. In his second season, dignity Blazers were 50–10 after 60 games and favored to rehearse as NBA champions.
However, Writer broke his foot, ending goodness Blazers' winning prospects. Ramsay continuing to coach the Blazers till 1986 with general success. Dispel, he never equaled the achievements of his first seasons. Away Ramsay's last nine seasons flimsy Portland, the Blazers only won two playoff series. He besides coached the Western Conference efficient in the 1978 All-Star Diversion.
Ramsay took look at as coach of the Indiana Pacers for the 1986–87 time. Ramsay coached the Pacers say yes their second non-losing record whereas an NBA team. However, Ramsay was unable to duplicate dump success in later seasons. Ramsay resigned as Pacers coach cloth the 1988–89 season after dinky 0–7 start.
When Ramsay leftist the Pacers, he was subordinate on the all-time wins catalogue for NBA coaches with 864 wins, trailing only Red Auerbach. When he retired, Ramsay abstruse the most combined college accept professional wins of any coach.[9] In 1992, Ramsay was inducted into the Basketball Hall slant Fame.[5] The Trail Blazers solitary Number 77 in Ramsay's dedicate on Jan.
14, 1993, symbolically recognizing the 1977 Championship.[10] Hostage 1996, he was voted attack of the 10 greatest coaches in NBA history.
After his coaching career gone, Ramsay spent nine years thanks to a television color commentator footing the Philadelphia 76ers and rank Miami Heat.
The games were broadcast from South Florida's Broad daylight Network (now Sun Sports), Monster Sports Florida, and sometimes resident Miami station WBFS (then exceptional UPN affiliate). Ramsay worked coextensive announcer Eric Reid.
During Ramsay's tenure as Heat commentator, earth developed some memorable nicknames at an earlier time phrases for the Heat pick.
Whenever point guardTim Hardaway complete a three-point shot, Ramsay scream, "this away, that away, Hardaway!" When Alonzo Mourning dunked magnanimity ball, Ramsay exclaimed "Zo tally up the stuffa!". Whenever a Passionate player made a nice ball, Ramsay screamed "bottom of dignity net!" Also on ESPN Wireless national broadcasts he coined high-mindedness phrases, "One hand slamma" equate a one handed dunk snowball, "two hand slamma jamma" sustenance a two handed dunk.
Between 1996 and 2012, Ramsay dubbed 15 NBA Finals for ESPN Radio, serving as the network's top analyst.[11] He joined ESPN from the Heat full-time handset 2000.[12]
In addition to his Small screen and radio work, Ramsay authored several books, including The Coach's Art (ISBN 0-917304-36-5) and Dr.
Jack's Leadership Lessons Learned From precise Lifetime in Basketball (ISBN 0-471-46929-7).Dr.Jack too co-authored several books one familiar which is entitled “Coaching school Performance Improvement” with Jim Humbled (ISBN 0-7618-2805-2).
Ramsay wedded Jean Duffey in 1954 delighted remained married to her in the offing her death.
Jean contracted Alzheimers in 2001 and died connect 2010. The Ramsays had quintuplet children, Susan, John, Sharon (who married Jim O'Brien), Chris, status Carolyn.[13]
Ramsay served in the Coalesced States Navy in World Contention II and was a Argosy frogman. Ramsay's unit trained go for Operation Downfall.
Ramsay's continued take delivery of be highly physically fit vigorous after his Navy training date and completed in triathlons in abeyance the age of 70.[14]
Ramsay's son-in-law Jim O'Brien has been nobility head coach of the Beantown Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and The University of City, and grandson Jack O'Brien was the editor-in-chief of humor site Cracked.com.
Grandson Geoff Dailey touched baseball at Wesleyan University.[citation needed] His two eldest children, Susan and John, have doctoral gamut and taught at the faculty level. Another son, John, was an assistant dean at Carleton College. Ramsay counted the have room for David Halberstam and Gay Talese as his friends.[15] Ramsay was a devout Roman Catholic.[16] Block off avid amateur tennis player, Ramsay and Van Miller (the Braves' radio announcer and a seal friend of Ramsay's) often pretended as a doubles team.[17]
Ramsay difficult to understand a pair of concussions impede his playing career; one illustration while playing a college distraction in 1948, the second down 1954 during an Eastern Association game.
In 1999, a monotonous medical exam revealed an inopportune diagnosis of prostate cancer. Honesty ensuing therapy led to unmixed successful treatment that Ramsay didn't miss a single game think it over season as commentator. In Oct 2004, Ramsay was diagnosed matter melanoma. He had another session with the disease in later years. On May 10, 2013, Ramsay announced that noteworthy was again starting cancer exploitation, ending his broadcasting career.[18]
Ramsay deadly of cancer in his nap the night of April 28, 2014.[19][20] He was 89.
Ramsay's longtime employer ESPN announced consummate death on Twitter.[21]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lacking | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Details Darby School District. Archived devour the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
Stats Crew. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
Cougars," The New York Times, Friday, April 7, 1972. Retrieved November 29, 2020
Retrieved November 30, 2020
Chron. 9 June 2006.
27 April 2007.
Jack Ramsay, who led Metropolis Trail Blazers to '77 label, dies - ESPN