Billy Packer, who had a long history with the ACC and the NCAA tournament, has died. He was 82.
Packer was recruited by Duke but ended up at Wake Forest.
Born Anthony William Paczkowski - his family Anglicized Paczkowski to Packer in his childhood - Packer was at Wake Forest from 1958 to 1962, helping to lead the team to Wake’s only Final Four in 1962.
He coached briefly before finding his calling behind the mike. He started calling ACC games in 1972 and, obviously gifted, started working for NBC in 1974, though he kept doing ACC games for a time.