Basketball Hall of Fame coach George Raveling, who participated in the March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. and was a Nike executive instrumental in the signing of Michael Jordan, died Sept. 1. He was 88.
Raveling’s family announced the death on social media on Sept. 2, adding he dealt with cancer.
‘It is with deep sadness and unimaginable pain that we share the passing of our beloved ‘Coach,’ George Henry Raveling, who faced cancer with courage and grace,” the family said in a statement. ‘He transitioned peacefully at 88, surrounded by family as well as love, faith, and sacred protection. There are no words to fully capture what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, former players, and assistants − and to the world.’
A former guard at Villanova, Raveling was hired as Washington State coach in 1972, becoming the first African-American basketball coach in the Pac-8. In 11 seasons, he guided the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances, snapping a near 40-year drought for the program. He then spent three seasons at Iowa from 1983-86, taking the Hawkeyes to two NCAA Tournaments. In 1984, he was an assistant for Team USA in the 1984 Olympics.
Raveling returned to the West Coast in 1986 to coach Southern California, where he coached for eight seasons with two NCAA Tournament appearances. However, his coaching career ended in 1994 after he was seriously injured in a car accident.
After retiring from coaching, Raveling became Nike’s global basketball sports marketing director. Before then, Raveling was pivotal in getting Jordan to sign with the brand, as he had coached the NBA great during the 1984 Olympics. Jordan told USA TODAY Sports in 2015 Raveling really pushed him to sign with Nike.
“Prior to all of that, Sonny (Vaccaro) likes to take the credit. But it really wasn’t Sonny, it was actually George Raveling,’ Jordan said. ‘George Raveling was with me on the 1984 Olympics team. He used to always try to talk to me, ‘You gotta go Nike, you gotta go Nike. You’ve got to try.’’
Another notable moment in Raveling’s life came in August 1963, when he volunteered to be security for King at the March on Washington and was with King on the podium when he made his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Raveling asked King for his copy of the speech and kept it despite being offered money for it. He donated it to Villanova in 2021.
Raveling was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. A three-time Pac-10 coach of the year, he finished his coaching career with a 336-293 record.