Bill Raftery, a hugely popular and accomplished television basketball analyst, and a former college coach, will be honored in April with the Peter Carlesimo/Jack Powers Distinguished Service Award presented by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association.
The DSA presentation will be made at the 93rd MBWA All-Met Haggerty Awards Dinner scheduled Thursday, April 23, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY.
Raftery has served as a TV analyst for CBS Sports since 1983 and, since 2013, has been the lead game analyst for Fox Sports. A recipient of four Sports Emmy Awards, he is renown for his insight, opinions, enhanced sideline enthusiasm and unique catch phrases like “Onions!” (making a shot late in a close game), “Send it in big fella” (slam dunk), a “Little Nickel-Dimer” (a soft foul call) and “With a kiss!” (bank shot).
In his broadcasting career, Raftery also has worked the college basketball “mic” at ESPN, Turner Sports and Westwood One/CBS Radio, and was the lead analyst for the NBA’s Nets for more than 20 years. He has covered numerous big-time events, including the NCAA Tournament, Final Four, plus Big East, Big Ten, ACC and SEC conference championships.
His broadcasting partners over the years include Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Gus Johnson, Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, James Brown, Verne Lundquist, Brent Musburger, Dick Stockton and Ian Eagle.
In addition to his Emmy Awards, Raftery received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and has been inducted into the now-named National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2019.
Prior to taking up the microphone, Raftery was the head men’s basketball coach at Division III FDU Madison for five seasons (1963-64 through 1967-1968, 63-47 W-L) and Division I Seton Hall for 11 seasons (1970-71 through 1980-81, 154-141 W-L). His overall head coaching record is 217-188 (.536 W-L pct).
Born William Joseph Raftery in Orange, NJ, and raised in nearby Kearny, Raftery played and graduated from now-defunct St. Cecilia High School in Kearny, where he was a three-sport star who was selected All-State in soccer, basketball and baseball. He was the all-time leading basketball scorer (2,193 points) in New Jersey history after leading the Bluejays to a state championship as a senior in 1959.
As a college player, Raftery played on the varsity for three seasons at La Salle, leading the Explorers in scoring (17.8 ppg) as a sophomore. He co-captained the team as a senior, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in History in 1963. He was drafted by the New York Knicks but did not play in the NBA. He has since achieved a Master’s degree in Education from Seton Hall and received an honorary doctorate in 2001 from La Salle. He is the president of W.J. Raftery Associates, an event/marketing firm.
Bill Raftery and his wife, Joan, live in Florida. They have four grown children and five grandchildren.
The co-namesakes of the MBWA Distinguished Service Award, Peter Carlesimo and Jack Powers, were both former Met area athletic directors who became the first and only two fulltime executive directors of the National Invitation Tournament, which was established by the Met Writers in 1938. The NIT is now owned and operated by the NCAA.
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