Calvin Ramsey (July 13, 1937 – March 25, 2019) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player and broadcaster. A standout college player for

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, he played 13 NBA games over two seasons. After his playing career ended, he began a 28-year affiliation with the New York Knicks as a broadcaster and a community representative.

Biography

Early life and Career

Ramsey was born in Selma, Alabama on July 13, 1937 but spent most of his life in New York City. In his youth, he played in the

Rucker Park Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the former Polo Grounds site. It is geographically at the base of a large cliff ...

League, winning the MVP and was known for his wars with

Connie Hawkins Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins (July 17, 1942 – October 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk" was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. Early ye ...

. After graduating from High School of Commerce, he joined the NYU Violets as a forward in 1956. At NYU, he played with future

hall of famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Thomas “Satch” Sanders. Over three years, he averaged 20.2 points per game and 17.5 rebounds. in his senior year, 1958, Ramsey was named as an All-American. When he died, he still held the school record for rebounds in a game, with 34 against Boston College. As of 2018, he was 11th on NYU's all-time scoring list. After graduating from NYU with a degree in business, Ramsey entered the 1959 NBA draft where the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

selected him with the 13th overall pick. At a height of 6’4”, Ramsey was short to play the forward position, but was not a strong enough ball handler to play guard. This limited his career. He played 11 games in his rookie season with the Hawks (he also played for the New York Knicks). Next he played in two games in the 1960–61 season with the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances. 1946– ...

. He played semi-pro basketball for one season before injuries forced him to retire. After his playing days ended, Ramsey charged that a quota system in basketball limited the number of black players in the league at that time. Fellow broadcaster

Marv Albert Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American retired sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he wa ...

agreed, saying “If you didn’t start as a black player, you wouldn’t be with the team.” Out of basketball, Ramsey became a teacher for several years.

Broadcaster and coach

In 1972, he joined the Knicks broadcasting team, a position he held until 1982. He called the Knicks win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the

1973 NBA Finals The 1973 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1972–73 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the culmination of that season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks defeated the Weste ...

and, over his tenure, worked with Dick Stockton for one season, and Marv Albert, who joined the television crew in 1979. In 1982, the Knicks retired Ramsey from the broadcast booth and replaced him with former NBA player

Butch Beard Alfred "Butch" Beard Jr. (born May 5, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He was the starting point guard with the 1975 NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Career Early years Beard played high school basketbal ...

. After leaving the Knicks, he joined the coaching staff of NYU in 1983, which restored its basketball program after a 12-year hiatus. His former teammate at NYU, Mike Muzio, was appointed as the head coach. He continued in that role for the remainder of his life.

Later life

In 1991, the Knicks hired him as a community ambassador where he worked with schools and youth programs. He also attended Knicks games until his health began to fail in 2018. On March 25, 2019, Ramsey died from cardiac arrest at a rehabilitation facility. Ramsey had suffered from diabetes for a number of years. Ramsey was inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.

References

External links