Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Orange, New Jersey, U.S. | April 19, 1943
Career information | |
High school | Saint Cecilia (Kearny, New Jersey) |
College | La Salle (1960–1963) |
NBA draft | 1963: 14th round, 82nd overall pick |
Selected by the New York Knicks | |
Position | Guard |
Coaching career | 1963–1981 |
Career history | |
As coach: | |
1963–1968 | Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison |
1970–1981 | Seton Hall |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Joseph Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach.
Born William Joseph Raftery [1] in Orange, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Kearny, [2] Raftery grew up in a Catholic family with Irish immigrant parents, Francis and Margaret. [3] He had a brother, Francis, and a sister, Rita, who was a Catholic nun (Sr. Francis Raftery) who served as president of the College of Saint Elizabeth. [4]
Raftery graduated in 1959 from the now defunct St. Cecilia High School in Kearny, where he starred in basketball and became the all-time leading scorer in state history with 2,193 points, a record he held for nine years. (Shaheen Holloway, one of his successors as head coach at Seton Hall University, scored 42 fewer points and Kyrie Irving had 113 fewer as New Jersey high school players.) [5] He earned all-state honors in basketball and led his team to the state championship in his senior season. He was also named all-state in baseball and soccer. [6] He has been named, retroactively, Mr. Basketball USA for 1959. [7]
Raftery played for the La Salle Explorers men's basketball team under coach Donald "Dudey" Moore. During his freshman year he scored a freshman record 370 points, followed by a team leading 17.8 points per game in his sophomore year. As a senior, he co-captained the Explorers to the National Invitation Tournament. [8] Just before graduating with a B.A. in history, he was selected in the 14th round (82nd overall) of the 1963 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, but he never played in the NBA. [9] [10]
Raftery began his coaching career at Fairleigh Dickinson University at Madison (now in Florham Park, New Jersey) where he was the head basketball coach from 1963 to 1968. [9] Also, Raftery coached golf and served as associate athletic director.
From 1970 to 1981, he was the head coach of the Seton Hall Pirates, where he posted a 154–141 record and led the team to four ECAC post-season tournaments and two National Invitational Tournament appearances. In 1979, he was named Coach of the Year by the New Jersey Sports Writers Association. [11] His 154 wins as a coach places him fifth on the all-time list at Seton Hall behind Honey Russell, P. J. Carlesimo, Frank Hill, and Kevin Willard.
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison Devils [12] (NCAA College Division independent)(1963–1968) | |||||||||
1963–64 | Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison | 8–10 | |||||||
1964–65 | Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison | 10–12 | |||||||
1965–66 | Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison | 12–10 | |||||||
1966–67 | Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison | 15–9 | |||||||
1967–68 | Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison | 18–6 | |||||||
Fairleigh Dickinson–Madison: | 63–47 | ||||||||
Seton Hall Pirates [13] (NCAA University Division/Division I independent)(1970–1976) | |||||||||
1970–71 | Seton Hall | 11–15 | |||||||
1971–72 | Seton Hall | 10–16 | |||||||
1972–73 | Seton Hall | 8–17 | |||||||
1973–74 | Seton Hall | 16–11 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1974–75 | Seton Hall | 16–11 | |||||||
1975–76 | Seton Hall | 18–9 | |||||||
Seton Hall Pirates (New Jersey-New York 7 Conference)(1976–1979) | |||||||||
1976–77 | Seton Hall | 18–11 | 3–1 | T–1st | NIT First Round | ||||
1977–78 | Seton Hall | 16–11 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
1978–79 | Seton Hall | 16–11 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
Seton Hall Pirates (Big East Conference)(1979–1981) | |||||||||
1979–80 | Seton Hall | 14–13 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
1980–81 | Seton Hall | 11–16 | 4–10 | 7th | |||||
Seton Hall: | 154–141 | 14–22 | |||||||
Total: | 217–188 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion |
Raftery said it was during his senior year in college, when La Salle was competing in the NIT, that legendary New York sportscaster Bob Wolff suggested he eventually consider a career in broadcasting. “It always stuck in my head,” Raftery said. “It was just one of those things in the back of my head, and I said, ‘This will keep me in the game that I enjoy.’” [14]
He began his broadcasting career as co-host of ESPN’s College Hoops Tonight in 1980. He began calling New Jersey Nets games in 1982. [15]
Raftery has served as an analyst and color commentator for CBS Sports' college basketball coverage since 1983. During CBS' coverage of March Madness , Raftery had long partnerships with James Brown (90-93) and Sean McDonough (95-99) but rose to prominence during his 15-year partnership (00-14) with Verne Lundquist. [16] [17]
Starting with the 2014–15 collegiate basketball season, CBS/Turner Sports partnered Raftery with Jim Nantz and Grant Hill to make up the primary announcing team for the remainder of the regular season, all the way through the NCAA men's basketball tournament and the Final Four. [18]
Raftery was also an analyst with ESPN, primarily partnered with Sean McDonough and Jay Bilas and formerly Mike Gorman for Big East games.
Before CBS elevated him to their primary announcing team, he served as an analyst for CBS Radio/Westwood One's coverage of the NCAA Men's Final Four from 1991-2014 [19] working in later years with Kevin Kugler and John Thompson.
After the media rights for the Big East moved from ESPN to Fox Sports in 2013, Raftery signed with Fox Sports to call Big East basketball games on the upstart network Fox Sports 1 with Gus Johnson. [20]
Raftery was also the lead analyst for the Nets (prior to the franchise's move to Brooklyn) for over 20 years until 2002 [21] and was an on-course commentator for PGA Tour Champions Tour events. [8] While at CBS he also worked as an analyst for select NBA games, paired with Brent Musburger and Dick Stockton.
Beginning with the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Raftery has been paired with Ian Eagle, [22] his former partner with the Nets and frequent regular season college basketball partner.
His trademark quotes include:
Additionally, he is remembered for "Send It In, Jerome!", his call immediately after Jerome Lane of the University of Pittsburgh shattered the backboard with a powerful dunk during a 1988 game. [24]
Aside from his commentating duties, Raftery was also the president of W.J. Raftery Associates, an event/marketing firm. [8]
Raftery earned an M.A.E. in education from Seton Hall University in 1966. [11] [28] In 2001, he received an honorary doctorate from La Salle. [11] [1]
Raftery and his wife, the former Joan Fleming, live in Florida. [29] Previously they lived in Florham Park, New Jersey, where they raised four children, Billy, Kristi, Kelli and Suzi. [30] They have five grandchildren. [8]
In 2015, Billy and his father's broadcasting partner, Grant Hill, produced With A Kiss, a documentary about Raftery's first shot at calling the Final Four at age 73. [30] The documentary premiered in 2016, hours before the longtime broadcaster called his second Final Four as a television analyst for CBS Sports. [31] In 2018, Billy and Hill formed Point Road Productions. [32]
Marv Albert is an American former sportscaster. Honored for his work by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks". Albert worked for Turner Sports as the lead announcer for NBA games on TNT.
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree programs. In addition to two campuses in New Jersey, the university has a campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, one in Wroxton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and an online platform. Fairleigh Dickinson University is New Jersey's largest private institution of higher education, with over 12,000 students.
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the most prolific scorers and all-around players in basketball history. He is the only one to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ABA, and NBA in points per game in a season. He ranks as the all-time ABA scoring leader in regular season and postseason (33.5) play, while his 36.3 points per game are the most in the NBA Finals history. Barry was also the only player to score at least 50 points in a Game 7 of the playoffs in either league until Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum both reached that mark in 2023. He is one of only four players to be a part of a championship team in both leagues.
Thomas William Heinsohn was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster. He played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, and also coached the team from 1969 to 1978. He spent over 30 years as the color commentator for the Celtics' local broadcasts alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman. He is regarded as one of the most iconic Celtics figures in the franchise's history, known during his lifetime for his charisma and loyalty to the team and its traditions. From this, he earned the nickname "Mr. Celtic".
Richard John Vitale, also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster for ESPN. He is known for catchphrases such as "This is awesome, baby!" and "diaper dandy", as well as his enthusiastic and colorful remarks during games. He has also written fourteen books and appeared in several films.
Hubert "Hubie" Jude Brown is an American retired basketball coach and player and active television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Tom Brennan is a radio and television sportscaster and former men's basketball head coach at the University of Vermont from 1986 to 2005.
Peter John Carlesimo is an American basketball coach who coached in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college basketball for nearly 40 years. He is also a television broadcaster and has worked with ESPN, The NBA on TNT, Westwood One, Fox Sports Southwest, Pac-12 Network, The NBA on NBC, and CSN New England.
Anthony William Packer was an American college basketball player, sportscaster, and author. Packer spent more than three decades working as a color analyst for television coverage of college basketball.
Ian Eagle is an American sports announcer. He calls NBA, NFL, and college basketball games on CBS, TNT, and TBS, as well as Brooklyn Nets games on the YES Network and French Open tennis for Tennis Channel. Other announcing experiences include Army–Navy football games, boxing, and NCAA track and field for CBS.
Peter Vecsey is an American sports columnist and analyst, specializing in basketball. In his childhood, he attended Archbishop Molloy High School, in Queens, New York, and graduated in 1961. Vecsey had written a column on the NBA for the New York Post. He was formerly an analyst for TBS and NBC and is currently an analyst for NBA TV. His writing style has been described as vicious, combative and containing cruel wit. In the 1960s, he served in the United States Army Special Forces.
Doris Burke is an American sports announcer and analyst for NBA on ESPN, NBA on ABC, College Basketball on ESPN, and College Basketball on ABC games. She formerly worked as an analyst for WNBA games on MSG and has worked on New York Knicks games. Burke was the first female commentator to call a New York Knicks game on radio and television.
James Gerard Spanarkel is an American television analyst for College Basketball on CBS and a former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks. He played college basketball for Duke University, where he was an All-American.
The Curt Gowdy Media Award is an annual award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to outstanding basketball writers and broadcasters. It is named for American sportscaster Curt Gowdy, who was the Hall of Fame's president for seven years.
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights refer to the 17 intercollegiate sports teams representing Fairleigh Dickinson University's Metropolitan campus in Teaneck & Hackensack, New Jersey. Fairleigh Dickinson's Florham Campus has a different mascot, the Fairleigh Dickinson Blue Devils. Fairleigh Dickinson University or (FDU) offers a variety of sports on the Division I level. The women's bowling team has won two national titles: in 2006 and 2010. The men's basketball team has reached the NCAA Tournament seven times in the program's history. The Knights compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Northeast Conference.
As of 2023, New Jersey has five teams from major professional sports leagues playing in the state, with only one team identifying themselves as solely being from the state. The other remaining teams identify themselves as being from the New York metropolitan area with the National Women's Soccer League team having a team name that includes both New Jersey and New York. The National Hockey League and National Basketball Association teams representing Philadelphia have their training facilities in South Jersey.
Shaheen Holloway is an American men's basketball coach and former player who is the coach for the Seton Hall Pirates. He played college basketball at Seton Hall from 1996 to 2000. A point guard, Holloway played professionally for seven seasons. He served as the head coach for the Saint Peter's Peacocks from 2018 to 2022, where he led the 15th seed Peacocks to the Elite Eight in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. As head coach of Seton Hall, he led the top-seeded Pirates to the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship.
Marcus Gaither was an American-French professional basketball player, who played the guard position. In 1989–90 Gaither led the Israel Basketball Premier League in scoring. He then played in France for 11 years, and he ended his career playing for one season in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A.