John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – April 28, 2014) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA championship, and for his broadcasting work with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

, the Miami Heat, and for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

TV and

ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN ...

. Ramsay was among the most respected coaches in NBA history and a member of the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

. He was the winner of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2009–10 NBA season.

Early life

Growing up in

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between New Haven and Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the village of Devon and the borough of Woodmont. ...

, Ramsay was encouraged to participate in sports in grade school by his parents, Anne and John. The family moved outside Philadelphia and Ramsay graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1942. Years after playing basketball, baseball and soccer in high school, he was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1979. Strongly encouraged by his mother to attend college, Ramsay entered Saint Joseph's College. Ramsay's college career was interrupted by three years of service in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Ramsay played both basketball and baseball at St. Joseph's. In his senior year, Ramsay was coached in baseball by

Pep Young Lemuel Floyd Young (August 29, 1907 – January 14, 1962) was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of ten years in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–40), Cincinnati Reds (1941) and St. Louis Cardinals (1941 ...

, a teammate of professional baseball star

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the l ...

. In 1949, Ramsay became the first member of his family to receive a college

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

. In 1962, Ramsay obtained his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

and in 1963 his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

degree in

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, both from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

in Philadelphia After graduation, Ramsay played six seasons of professional basketball in the

Eastern Professional Basketball League The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(EPBL). As a sophomore playing guard, he was the second-leading scorer for the Harrisburg Senators in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

. Ramsay averaged 14 points in his career playing for the Senators and the Sunbury, Pennsylvania professional team. He was selected to the All-EPBL team four times. To supplement his playing income, he coached basketball at St. James High School for Boys in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...

and later at Mount Pleasant High School, 1953–4, in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

Coaching career

College

After coaching in the

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and minor-league ranks during the early postwar years, Ramsay became head coach at St Joseph's in 1955. Ramsay got the job after accidentally meeting the college's moderator of athletics at a

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

baseball game. Ramsay was hired as coach for the 1955-56 basketball season for $3,500. In Ramsay's first season at St Joseph, the Hawks went 23–6 to win their first Big 5 crown. This first season also marked the school's first-ever postseason playoff berth, in which St Joseph placed third in the NIT after losing to the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

. Ramsay would remain at St. Joseph's through 1966, leading the Hawks to six more Big 5 crowns, five straight seasons of first-place finishes in the Middle Atlantic Conference, ten postseason appearances, and a Final Four stint in 1961. At age 41, after leading his team to a 24–5 record in 1965–66, Ramsay was diagnosed with an

edema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

on the

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which the ...

of his right eye. Ramsay left his coaching job with the Hawks on the doctors' recommendation that he reduce stress. Ramsay finished with a record of 234–72 in 11 years. He would remain the winningest coach in St. Joseph's history until Phil Martelli passed him in 2005.

Professional

Philadelphia 76ers

After leaving St Joseph's, Ramsay was hired as general manager by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. Team owner Irv Kosloff gave Ramsay a three-year $25,000 deal. In 1968, Ramsay became the 76ers head coach. In Ramsay's first game coaching an NBA team, the 76ers zone press won 114–96 against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

at the Spectrum, even though Lakers players Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Chamberlain combined for 71 points. The 76ers finished that first season with Coach Ramsay 55–27. The 76ers led the NBA in scoring (119 points per game) as a result of Ramsay's style of aggressive pressing defense. In his four seasons as 76ers coach, Ramsay led the team to three playoff appearances. While the 76ers continued to be contenders, it was apparent that they were not the powerhouse that had been in the late 1960s. The team collapsed in 1971–72, when the 76ers posted a 30–52 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in team history. Only five years earlier, the Sixers had fielded the best record in league history.

Buffalo Braves

Ramsay signed a three‐year contract to succeed John McCarthy as the third-ever head coach of the Buffalo Braves on April 6, 1972. He inherited a team that finished each of the first two years of its existence in last place in the Atlantic Division. After compiling a losing 21–61 record in that first season in Buffalo, Ramsay had the team double their win total the next season by finishing first among the league's 17 teams in offense (111.6) even though they were last in defense (111.8). That second season in Buffalo had Ramsay leading the Braves to the playoffs, where they pushed the eventual champion Celtics to six games in the conference semifinals. His Buffalo tenure was almost a mirror image of his time with the Sixers—four seasons, three playoff berths; however, he did not leave Buffalo in the sort of wreckage that had occurred in Philadelphia. Instead, owner Paul Snyder was in the process of selling the team to out-of-town interests (the economy of

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

was unable to support both the Braves and hockey's

Sabres A sabre is a type of sword. Sabre, Sabres, saber, or SABRE may also refer to: Weapons and weapon systems * Sabre (fencing), a sporting sword * Sabre (tank), a modern British armoured reconnaissance vehicle * Chinese sabre or ''dao'', a variety ...

as evidenced by the Braves' attendance figures at the time but Snyder lost interest) and Ramsay requested not to be a part of the upheaval. His contract was not renewed on May 3, 1976, the day after the Braves were eliminated by the Celtics from the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

. In his four seasons with the Braves, Ramsay compiled a record of 158–170.

Portland Trail Blazers

In 1976, Ramsay became the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. When Ramsay arrived, the Blazers had not made the playoffs or compiled a winning season record in their six-year history. However, a young Blazers team, led by Bill Walton, was starting to jell. Ramsay also benefited from the 1976 ABA dispersal draft, in which the Blazers obtained power forward Maurice Lucas. In his first season in Portland ( 1977), Ramsay led the Blazers to their first NBA title. In his second season, the Blazers were 50–10 after 60 games and favored to repeat as NBA champions. However, Walton broke his foot, ending the Blazers' winning prospects. Ramsay continued to coach the Blazers until 1986 with general success. However, he never equaled the achievements of his first seasons. During Ramsay's last nine seasons in Portland, the Blazers only won two playoff series. He also coached the Western Conference side in the 1978 All-Star Game.

Indiana Pacers

Ramsay took over as coach of the

for the 1986–87 season. Ramsay coached the Pacers to their second winning record as an NBA team. However, Ramsay was unable to duplicate that success in later seasons. Ramsay resigned as Pacers coach during the 1988–89 season after a 0–7 start. When Ramsay left the Pacers, he was second on the all-time wins list for NBA coaches with 864 wins, trailing only

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...

. When he retired, Ramsay had the most combined college and professional wins of any coach. In 1992, Ramsay was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Trail Blazers retired Number 77 in Ramsay's honor on Jan. 14, 1993, symbolically recognizing the 1977 Championship. In 1996, he was voted one of the 10 greatest coaches in NBA history.

Broadcasting and media

After his coaching career ended, Ramsay spent nine years as a television

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...

for the

and the Miami Heat. The games were broadcast from

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...

's Sunshine Network (now Sun Sports),

Fox Sports Florida Bally Sports Florida is an American regional sports network owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts local sports coverage in the state of Florida, with a focus on professional sport ...

, and sometimes local Miami station WBFS (then a UPN affiliate). Ramsay worked alongside announcer

Eric Reid Eric Todd Reid Jr. (born December 10, 1991) is a former American football Safety (gridiron football position), safety. He played college football for LSU Tigers football, Louisiana State University (LSU), and received consensus College Football ...

. During Ramsay's tenure as Heat commentator, he developed some memorable nicknames and phrases for the Heat players. Whenever

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

Tim Hardaway Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...

made a three-point shot, Ramsay shouted, "this away, that away, Hardaway!" When Alonzo Mourning dunked the ball, Ramsay exclaimed "Zo with the stuffa!". Whenever a Heat player made a nice shot, Ramsay screamed "bottom of the net!" Also on ESPN Radio national broadcasts he coined the phrases, "One hand slamma" after a one handed dunk and, "two hand slamma jamma" after a two handed dunk. Between 1996 and 2012, Ramsay called 15 NBA Finals for

, serving as the network's top analyst. He joined

from the Heat full-time in 2000. In addition to his TV and radio work, Ramsay authored several books, including ''The Coach's Art'' () and ''Dr. Jack's Leadership Lessons Learned From a Lifetime in Basketball'' ().

Personal life

Ramsay's son-in-law

Jim O'Brien Jim O'Brien may refer to: Sports Basketball * Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1950), American coach for Emerson College, Ohio State and Boston College * Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1951), American player for the New York Nets and Memphis Sounds *J ...

has been the head coach of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and The

, and grandson Jack O'Brien was the editor-in-chief of humor website

Cracked.com Cracked.com is a website based on the humorous ''Cracked'' magazine, which dates back to 1958. It was founded in 2005 by Jack O'Brien.Axon, SamuelStreamy Awards 2010: Here Are the Winners ''Mashable''. April 11, 2010. In 2007, Cracked had a coup ...

. Grandson Geoff Dailey played baseball at Wesleyan University. His two eldest children, Susan and John, have doctoral degrees and taught at the college level. Another son, John, was an assistant dean at

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowlin ...

. Ramsay counted on the late

David Halberstam David Halberstam (April 10, 1934 April 23, 2007) was an American writer, journalist, and historian, known for his work on the Vietnam War, politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, Korean War, and late ...

and Gay Talese as his friends. Ramsay was a devout

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. An avid amateur

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

player, Ramsay and Van Miller (the Braves' radio announcer and a close friend of Ramsay's) often played as a doubles team. Ramsay had a pair of concussions in his playing career; one happened while playing a college game in 1948, the second in 1954 during an Eastern League game. In 1999, a routine medical exam revealed an early diagnosis of prostate cancer. The ensuing therapy led to a successful treatment that Ramsay didn't miss a single game that season as commentator. In October 2004, Ramsay was diagnosed with

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

. He had another bout with the disease in his later years. On May 10, 2013, Ramsay announced that he was again starting cancer treatment, ending his broadcasting career.

Death

Ramsay died of cancer in his sleep the night of April 28, 2014. He was 89. Ramsay's longtime employer

announced his death on Twitter.Basketball Hall of Famer 'Dr. Jack' Ramsay dies at 89 - CNN
/ref>

Head coaching record

NBA

, - , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, align="left" , , 82, , 55, , 27, , .671, , align="center" , 2nd in East, , 5, , 1, , 4, , .200 , align="center" , Lost in

Division Semifinals Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics * Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisti ...

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, align="left" , , 82, , 47, , 35, , .573, , align="center" , 2nd in Atlantic, , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 30, , 52, , .366, , align="center" , 3rd in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" , Buffalo , align="left" , , 82, , 21, , 61, , .256, , align="center" , 3rd in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" , Buffalo , align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , align="center" , 3rd in Atlantic, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" , Buffalo , align="left" , , 82, , 49, , 33, , .598, , align="center" , 2nd in Atlantic, , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" , Buffalo , align="left" , , 82, , 46, , 36, , .561, , align="center" , 2nd in Atlantic, , 9, , 4, , 5, , .444 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 49, , 33, , .598, , align="center" , 2nd in Pacific, , 19, , 14, , 5, , .737 , align="center" , Won

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

, - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 58, , 24, , .707, , align="center" , 1st in Pacific, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 45, , 37, , .549, , align="center" , 4th in Pacific, , 3, , 1, , 2, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in

First Round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 38, , 44, , .463, , align="center" , 4th in Pacific, , 3, , 1, , 2, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in

, - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 45, , 37, , .549, , align="center" , 3rd in Pacific, , 3, , 1, , 2, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in

, - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , align="center" , 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 46, , 36, , .561, , align="center" , 4th in Pacific, , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 48, , 34, , .585, , align="center" , 2nd in Pacific, , 5, , 2, , 3, , .400 , align="center" , Lost in

, - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , align="center" , 2nd in Pacific, , 9, , 4, , 5, , .444 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" , Portland , align="left" , , 82, , 40, , 42, , .482, , align="center" , 2nd in Pacific, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .250 , align="center" , Lost in

, - , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

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, align="left" , , 82, , 38, , 44, , .463, , align="center" , 6th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 7, , 0, , 7, , .000, , align="center" , (resigned), , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , - , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , , , 1,647, , 864, , 783, , .525, , , , 102, , 44, , 58, , .431

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, Jack 1925 births 2014 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players United States Navy personnel of World War II American Roman Catholics Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Philadelphia Buffalo Braves head coaches Deaths from cancer in Florida College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Guards (basketball) Indiana Pacers head coaches Miami Heat announcers Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association broadcasters National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches Philadelphia 76ers announcers Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Portland Trail Blazers head coaches Saint Joseph's Hawks baseball coaches Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball coaches Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball players Sunbury Mercuries players Sportspeople from Philadelphia

Early life

Coaching career

College

Professional

Philadelphia 76ers

Buffalo Braves

Portland Trail Blazers

Indiana Pacers

Broadcasting and media

Personal life

Death

Head coaching record

NBA

See also

References

External links