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 (appro ...

coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, and for

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

TV and

ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically 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 banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...

. 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 pre ...

. He was the winner of the

Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is an annual award given by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) to a longtime NBA coach's life in basketball and his "standard of integrity, competitive excellence and tireless promotion" of ...

for the

2009–10 NBA season The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 1,230-game regular season (82 games for each of the 30 teams) began on October 27, 2009, and ended on April 14, 2010. The season ended with the Los Ang ...

Early life

John Travilla Ramsay was born on February 21, 1925, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Growing up in

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the Vill ...

, 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 Upper Darby High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in Upper Darby Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Upper Darby School District. Established in 1895, it is the oldest high school in Delaware Count ...

in 1942. Years after playing basketball, baseball and soccer in high school, he was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1979.

College career

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 naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

Ralph Young (baseball) Ralph Stuart Young (September 19, 1888 – January 24, 1965), commonly known as "Pep", was an American professional baseball player and coach. A native of Philadelphia, Young played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), principally as a ...

, a teammate of professional baseball star

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...

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

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

. In 1962, Ramsay obtained his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate 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 prac ...

and in 1963 his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degree in

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, both from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in Philadelphia.

Professional career

Harrisburg Senators (1949–1951)

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 The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

Sunbury Mercuries (1951–1955)

Ramsay played for the Sunbury Mercuries from 1951 to 1955. Ramsay averaged 14 points in his career playing for the Senators and in

Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury ( ) is a city and the county seat of Northumberland County in Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Susquehanna Valley, Sunbury is positioned on the east bank of the Susquehanna River. Sunbury's roots stretch back to the early ...

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. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

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

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous 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 America. It lie ...

Coaching career

Saint Joseph's (1955–1966)

After coaching in the

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

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 university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

. 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 (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. S ...

on the

retina The retina (; or retinas) is the innermost, photosensitivity, light-sensitive layer of tissue (biology), tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focus (optics), focused two-dimensional ...

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 Philip Martelli Sr. (born August 31, 1954) is an American college basketball coach, who was recently the associate head coach for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, Michigan Wolverines. As the former head coach of the Saint Joseph's Hawk ...

passed him in 2005.

Philadelphia 76ers (1968–1972)

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

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

at the Spectrum, even though Lakers players

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

and

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

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 (1972–1976)

Ramsay signed a three‐year contract to succeed

John McCarthy John McCarthy may refer to: Government * John George MacCarthy (1829–1892), Member of Parliament for Mallow constituency, 1874–1880 * John McCarthy (Irish politician) (1862–1893), Member of Parliament for the Mid Tipperary constituency, ...

as the third-ever head coach of the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference ...

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 (state), 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 so ...

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 variet ...

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 eithe ...

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

Portland Trail Blazers (1976–1986)

In 1976, Ramsay became the head coach of the

. 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 William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...

, was starting to jell. Ramsay also benefited from the 1976

ABA ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

dispersal draft, in which the Blazers obtained

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

Maurice Lucas Maurice Lucas (February 18, 1952 – October 31, 2010) was an American professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star and won ...

. In his first season in Portland (

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

), 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. Ramsey coached the Western Conference side in the 1978

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. Unfortunately for the Blazers, Walton broke his foot, but he tried to return for the playoff run. In Game 2, he suffered another injury that X-rays revealed that his navicular bone below the left ankle was broken. Citing the treatment of injuries of him and other teammates by Portland staff, Walton declared he would never play for the team again, and he sat out the entire 1979 season before leaving for the

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

in 1980. Ramsay would continue 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 and never reached a Conference Final.

Indiana Pacers (1986–1988)

Ramsay took over as coach of the

for the 1986–87 season. Ramsay coached the Pacers to their second non-losing 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. As a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented champio ...

. 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 person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for the

and the

. The games were broadcast from

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

's Sunshine Network (now

Sun Sports FanDuel Sports Network Sun is an American regional sports network owned by Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group) and operated as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local coverage of professional, col ...

Fox Sports Florida FanDuel Sports Network Florida is an American regional sports network owned by Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group) and operated as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local sports coverage in the ...

, and sometimes local Miami station WBFS (then a

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

affiliate). Ramsay worked alongside announcer

Eric Reid Eric Todd Reid Jr. (born December 10, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for LSU Tigers, receiving consensus All-American recognition. He ...

. 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 Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

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 Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...

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'' ().Dr.Jack also co-authored several books one of which is entitled “Coaching for Performance Improvement” with Jim Lynch (ISBN 0-7618-2805-2).

Personal life

Ramsay married Jean Duffey in 1954 and remained married to her until her death. Jean contracted Alzheimer's in 2001 and died in 2010. The Ramsays had five children, Susan, John, Sharon (who married Jim O'Brien), Chris, and Carolyn. Ramsay served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in World War II and was a Navy

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater. The term often applies more to professional rather than recreational divers, especially those working in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some Europea ...

. Ramsay's unit trained for

Operation Downfall Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ...

. Ramsay continued to be highly physically fit well after his Navy training days and completed triathlons until the age of 70. Ramsay's son-in-law Jim O'Brien 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

and The

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

Cracked.com Cracked.com is an American website that was based on ''Cracked'' magazine. 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 couple of hundred thou ...

. 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 college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866, the main campus is between Northfield and the approximately Carleton ...

. Ramsay counted 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 Gaetano "Gay" Talese (; born February 7, 1932) is an American writer. As a journalist for ''The New York Times'' and ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine during the 1960s, he helped to define contemporary literary journalism and is considere ...

as his friends. Ramsay was a devout

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. An avid amateur

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player, Ramsay and

Van Miller Van Miller (November 22, 1927 – July 17, 2015) was an American radio and television sports announcer from Dunkirk, New York, where he began his career at Dunkirk radio station WDOE, WFCB calling play-by-play for high school football games. In ...

(the Braves' radio announcer and a close friend of Ramsay's) often played as a doubles team. Ramsay had a pair of

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

s 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 Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

. 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 is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

. 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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

, align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , align="center" , 4th in East, , 5, , 1, , 4, , .200 , align="center" , Lost in Division semifinals , - , align="left" ,

, 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 Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

, align="left" , , 82, , 21, , 61, , .256, , align="center" , 3rd in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , align="center" , 3rd in Atlantic, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 49, , 33, , .598, , align="center" , 2nd in Atlantic, , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,

, 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 Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 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 Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 58, , 24, , .707, , align="center" , 1st in Pacific, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 45, , 37, , .549, , align="center" , 4th in Pacific, , 3, , 1, , 2, , .333 , align="center" , Lost in

First round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, - , align="left" ,

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

, - , align="left" ,

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

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , align="center" , 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 46, , 36, , .561, , align="center" , 4th in Pacific, , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 48, , 34, , .585, , align="center" , 2nd in Pacific, , 5, , 2, , 3, , .400 , align="center" , Lost in

, - , align="left" ,

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

, 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, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, align="left" , , 82, , 41, , 41, , .500, , align="center" , 4th in Central, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .250 , align="center" , Lost in

, - , align="left" ,

, 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 NBA broadcasters NBA 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 20th-century American sportsmen

Early life

College career

Professional career

Harrisburg Senators (1949–1951)

Sunbury Mercuries (1951–1955)

Coaching career

Saint Joseph's (1955–1966)

Philadelphia 76ers (1968–1972)

Buffalo Braves (1972–1976)

Portland Trail Blazers (1976–1986)

Indiana Pacers (1986–1988)

Broadcasting and media

Personal life

Death

Head coaching record

NBA

See also

References

External links