One of the most influential figures in the history of basketball and a close friend of the Kentucky Wildcats has passed away.
George Raveling, a Hall of Fame coach who helped steer Michael Jordan to Nike and owned the original copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, lost his fight with cancer at the age of 88. The family announced he faced the battle “with courage and grace,” but ultimately passed away peacefully on Monday, September 1.
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 alongside John Calipari, Raveling played at Villanova before coaching at Washington State, USC and Iowa as the first African American coach of the then-named Pac-8 Conference. From there, he served as an assistant coach on the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic teams and became a broadcaster for Fox Sports and CBS before taking on an expanded role at Nike as Director of Grassroots Basketball, then as the Director of International Basketball.
Serving key positions on the boards of the NABC, NCAA, USA Basketball and Nike, he became a friend of the Kentucky basketball program over the years. That included being named a UK legend for the annual Unity Series as a trailblazer in diversity, equity and inclusion in 2023 ahead of the team’s matchup vs. Kentucky State. The Unity Series saw the Wildcats take on at least one historically black college and university each season while raising awareness of the missions of the HBCUs.
Raveling spoke to the 2023-24 Kentucky team featuring Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham ahead of the matchup that fall.
Before being honored as a Unity Series Legend, Coach Cal and Joe B. Hall were regular guests on Raveling’s Coaching For Success Podcast in Conversation with Coach and Inside BBN series.
Other guests included Oscar Robertson, Hubie Brown, Nolan Richardson and Jerry Tarkanian.
As a coach, Kentucky went 1-0 in its single head-to-head matchup vs. Raveling in 1974 when the Wildcats beat his Washington State Cougars 97-75 in the UKIT.
“(Saddened) to hear about the passing of (George Raveling)!” former Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua said in a social media post. “He was a Coaches Coach! Thank you for your guidance and for the many jewels you shared! A definition of a Life Learner!! Godspeed Coach! Will reread one of your book recommendations in your honor!”
A friend of Kentucky basketball and an icon in the sport. May Coach Raveling rest in peace.
