The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2023
Jack Ramsay
- Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2023
- Embed from Getty Images
- Sport(s): Basketball
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Statistics:
NBA Champion (1977)
1 NCAA Division I Final Four Appearance (1961)
864-783 NBA Record
234-72 NCAA Record
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame -
Jack Ramsay was the head coach at St. Joseph's for 11 years (1955-66), and he took his school to the Final Four in 1961. Ramsay left St. Joseph's to become the Philadelphia 76ers general manager in 1966, and he adopted a dual role as their head coach two years later.
Ramsay’s Sixers were aggressive on the defensive side, and they were in the post-season in the first three years of his tenure. The Sixers fell apart in the 1971-72 season, and Ramsay was predictably let go. He signed with the Buffalo Braves in 1972, taking them from 20 wins in his first year to three straight playoff appearances. It was an impressive achievement considering Buffalo's talent, and when the Braves did not renew his contract, he took over the head coach position in Portland. What he would do next gained him entry into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Trail Blazers had never been to playoffs before Ramsay, and with a young Bill Walton on his roster, Portland stunned the NBA by winning it all. Had an injury to Walton not happened the following season, Ramsay likely would have won two straight, but what he did in 1976-77 elevated him permanently.
Ramsay stayed with Portland until 1986, and he would later coach Indiana to limited results. He resigned very early in the 1988-89 season, and at the time, Ramsay was second behind Red Auerbach in NBA coaching wins.
We are proud to nominate Jack Ramsay for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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