The Big Lead

Broadcaster, Hall of Fame coach who introduced Michael Jordan to Nike dies at 88

By J.P. Hoornstra

Rick Kamla (middle) announces George Raveling (left) as the winner of the John Bunn lifetime achievement award and Eddie Doncette (right) as winner of the Curt Gowdy media award for broadcasting during the 2013 basketball hall of fame finalists press conference at the Hilton Americas on Feb. 15, 2013.
Rick Kamla (middle) announces George Raveling (left) as the winner of the John Bunn lifetime achievement award and Eddie Doncette (right) as winner of the Curt Gowdy media award for broadcasting during the 2013 basketball hall of fame finalists press conference at the Hilton Americas on Feb. 15, 2013. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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George Raveling carried himself with a quiet gravity, the kind forged through decades of coaching, barrier-breaking, and the occasional brush with history. He died Monday at age 88, leaving behind a legacy far larger than his 335 career wins.

Before he was a Hall of Fame coach, before he handed Michael Jordan a path to Nike immortality, Raveling was a power forward at Villanova who embodied a hard-nosed style of play. He would imbue the same spirit in the teams he coached at Washington State, Iowa, and USC.

The accolades came later: three Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards, national honors in 1992 and 1994. He retired with a career record of 335-293 before going into broadcasting for Fox Sports and CBS.

Raveling’s imprint extended far beyond the hardwood.

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At the 1984 Olympics, serving as an assistant under Bob Knight, Raveling watched a young Jordan dazzle. He nudged him toward Nike, personally introducing him to dealmaker Sonny Vaccaro shortly before Jordan made his Chicago Bulls debut.

The rest — the Swoosh, the Jumpman, the billion-dollar empire — began with that push. Raveling had unknowingly altering the business of sport forever.

"For more than 40 years, he blessed my life with wisdom, encouragement, and friendship," Jordan said in a statement provided to the AP. "He was a mentor in every sense and I'll always carry deep gratitude for his guidance. I signed with Nike because of George, and without him, there would be no Air Jordan."

Nike would later make Raveling its Director of Grassroots Basketball, then International Basketball.

Raveling's life veered into history in other ways. In 1963, as part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s security detail during the March on Washington, Raveling asked for a copy of the “I Have a Dream” speech — and got it.

George Raveling never coached an NBA game. But he helped shape the modern basketball landscape more than most who did, earning him a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.

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