Speakers Bio

Billy Packer (born February 25, 1940 in Wellsville, New York) is an American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.
 Broadcasting partners

For more than three decades, Packer has served as a color commentator on network television broadcasts of college basketball. He has covered every NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, including the Final Four, since 1974. His broadcast teammates have been Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire, Gary Bender, Brent Musburger, and (since 1991) Jim Nantz and Verne Lundquist. When working games for Lincoln-Financial Sports, Packer's on-air partner is Tim Brant. When Nantz covered the 1992 Winter Olympics for CBS, Packer's on-air partner was Mel Proctor.

 
Memorable calls

On April 4, 1983, after Lorenzo Charles made a game-winning slam dunk as North Carolina State upset Houston to win the NCAA title, Packer said, "They won it...on the dunk!"

After the University of Arizona won the 1997 national title, Arizona star player Miles Simon celebrated on the court. Observing the scene, Packer said, "Simon says... championship."

Packer's eye for detail has earned him grudging respect throughout his career as a basketball analyst, even from his harshest critics. In the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Packer's awareness of substitution patterns led the CBS production truck to post a graphic during the second half of a regional semifinal game between Boston College and Villanova: "Substitutions: Villanova 72, Boston College 7."

Early life

Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 1958 to 1962 and played guard on the school's basketball team for his last three years (in his day, freshmen were not eligible for varsity sports), leading Wake to two ACC titles and the 1962 Final Four. He was a member of the Delta Nu chapter of Sigma Chi Fraternity.

After graduation, he had a brief stint as an assistant coach for his alma mater. In 1972, Packer began his career in broadcasting in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he was asked to fill in as an analyst for a regionally televised ACC game. Packer became a regular the next season.

History and awards

Packer worked first at the network level with NBC (1974-1981) and then CBS (1982-present). He has covered Atlantic Coast Conference basketball games since 1972, and currently covers the league for Lincoln-Financial Sports, a division of Raycom Media. Packer won a Sports Emmy Award in 1993.

In 2005, Packer received the Marvin Francis Award for "notable achievement and service in coverage of the ACC," as reported by the Washington Post.