Dr. Jack Ramsay has passed away

[newellbrian]

RIP Dr Jack. Your legacy will forever live on in the city of Portland, and in the Trail Blazers.

www.nba.com/blazers/trail-blazers-legendary-coach-dr-jack-ramsay-passes-away-age-89

[Kasey]

i wasn't even alive during his era but his impact with the team is still alive and well. i would be sad, but it seems as though he lived a great life and touched so many people. RIP Dr. Jack. you will be missed as well as celebrated.

[Kasey]

i thought i would add a few photos of Coach Ramsay.

[Kasey]

and one more.

[DiamondThief]

R.I.P. Dr. Jack.

This is from Andy Gray at @sivault on Twitter. It is Jack Ramsay as captain of his college basketball team I think in the late 1940s.

[Cam]

Such sad news. He did so much for the game of basketball. He coached the Blazers championship team in 1977!

[Brian]

There were guys who were called the Blazers head coach over the past 44 years, but Ramsay was and always will be known as Portland's coach.

[oregondoc]

Yes, I think we can say he lived a great, full life. Touched so many and nothing negative you can say about him. I mostly remember him from ESPN radio playoff broadcasts, but thankfully for those of us who weren't alive in '77 or earlier, we have photos, videos that will always be around. So fitting that the restaurant next to the Rose Garden bears his name/title. So that will be a source for future generations of Blazers fans to learn of his legacy, his story. Man, that gives me shivers thinking about those who are going to come after us and become part of the Blazer family of fans - I digress though. But I think he ties us altogether in a sense - since he started RipCity and of course, gave us that lone title (for now). Here is the NBA's tribute video that was released today



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[SurferGirl]

I barely remember seeing him in interviews but from what I remember he was more knowledgeable about the game of basketball than most of the other commentators/analysts, if not all. I have just been learning more and more about him over the past few days (from the same person who has always educated me about the Blazers!) and he sounds remarkable. I'm glad he is still honored so strongly among Blazers fans and basketball fans alike. Rest in Peace, Coach.

[newellbrian]

Trail Blazers share their thoughts on Dr. Jack.

[SurferGirl]

That's great Anees and Brian! It would be great to see other photos and videos attached here!

[newellbrian]

Here is an absolutely fantastic video that the Blazers put up in memory of Dr. Jack. I swear someone starting cutting some onions as soon as I watched this video, lol. Tonight is for you, Jack!!!!

[newellbrian]

These are the patch's that we are gonna wear the remainder of the season. Love the plaid flair.

[Kasey]

here is the funeral report from the Associated Press:

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) -- Jack Ramsay's trophy case resembled his life - both were full.

With friends and family simultaneously mourning and celebrating his life, the Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA championship-winning coach was remembered at his funeral Mass on Thursday as someone endlessly devoted to his family, fitness and faith. He died on Monday at the age of 89, after fighting cancer in many forms for the final 15 years of his life.

Chris Ramsay delivered his father's eulogy, calling him "a basketball genius."

"His teams were an extension of himself," Chris Ramsay said. "They were smart and they outworked the opponent. He taught a team game, where sharing and giving was required. His game, when executed properly by the right personnel, was unbeatable. ... His trophy case collapsed under the weight of all the awards."

Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Billy Cunningham, Bob McAdoo, Phil Martelli and former referee Bob Delaney were among those attending from the basketball world, along with former coach Jim O'Brien, Ramsay's son-in-law.

Many broadcasting colleagues of the man best known as "Dr. Jack" were also at the funeral, inside St. John the Evangelist Church in southwest Florida.

"Basketball royalty," McAdoo said.

But the overriding theme of the funeral was not basketball. It was faith.

A devout Catholic, Ramsay would routinely find early morning Mass to attend in cities that his broadcast work took him to before hopping onto a flight to either head back home or call a game in another city. At his family's annual reunion last year, Ramsay rose from his seat at the head of a table and urged his children and grandchildren to take their faith more seriously.

"My dad was special in so many ways," Chris Ramsay said. "He was a multi-faceted man with many interesting sides to his personality and life. He had many names. He was John T. Ramsay, Coach Ramsay, Jack Ramsay, Dr. Jack, Dad and Pop. Each personality added to and complemented the other, each forming and shaping the other into one unbelievable man."

Jack Ramsay's life, by any measure, was complete. His name adorned the marquee at Madison Square Garden, he was considered a founding father of "Big 5" college basketball in Philadelphia, he led a team headlined by Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas and Lionel Hollins to the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA title, he was known for his fashion sense as a coach, he drove powerful sports cars and even picked up surfing and golf along the way.

But those flashy things never overshadowed his simpler side. Ramsay's wife died in 2010 after a long fight with Alzheimer's disease, and long after she stopped even understanding who he was most of the time, Ramsay kept holding her hand, feeding her and trying to ease her fears and confusions in any way he could.

"We're celebrating the life of a child of God and a man of faith," said Fr. John J. Ludden, the church's pastor.

Jack Ramsay was 864-783 in his NBA coaching career, was honored in 1996 as one of the league's top 10 all-time coaches, plus posted a 234-72 record with seven NCAA tournament appearances at Saint Joseph's, his alma mater.

Chris Ramsay, who worked alongside his father at ESPN in recent years, saw firsthand how much respect his father commanded by those in the game.

"You were eager when he called and you paid attention," Chris Ramsay said. "You waited for directions, for inspiration, a pearl of wisdom, a piece of advice. He's not here to call your name out loud any longer, but I guarantee you will do something soon that was inspired by Jack Ramsay. He will move you. He will call your name again, and you will listen."

[Yeseeka]

I don't know much of anything about Dr. Ramsay, but from everything I've read and been told, everyone liked and respected him. That's rare in life and especially in sports.