Hall of Fame Basketball Coach George Raveling died at the age of 88, his family announced In a post on social media. Ravelen was surrounded by family at the time of his death after fighting cancer. The Washington, DC, native played basketball in Villanova from 1957-60, and after a collegial career where he helped the Wildcats lead to two NIT performances, he became assistant coach for Villanova of 1963-69.
Raveling coached as an assistant in Maryland before landing his first head coach position in Washington State for almost ten years in the early 1970s. He also coached in Iowa and eventually USC, where he earned NABC coach from He Year Honors in 1992 as he coached the Trojan horses. During his time with USC, Raveling earned three times PAC-10 coach of the year. During his 22 years as head coach, he gained a record of 336-292 and earned induction in 2013 in the Basketball Hall of Fame college.
“It is with deep sadness and unimaginable pain that we share the death of our beloved ‘coach’, George Henry Raveling, who stood cancer with courage and grace,” his family announced. “He passed peacefully to 88, surrounded by family and love, faith and holy protection. There are no words to fully record what George meant for his family, friends, colleagues, former players and assistants – and for the world. He will be deeply missed, but his aura energy, divine presence and timeless wisdom in everything he has lived in everything he has wisdom.” “
Raveling also served as an assistant coach at the 1984 Olympic Games for Team USA, where he coached Michael Jordan on his way to a gold medal. Raveling played an integral part in Jordan Building a Sneaker Empire, when he introduced former Nike director Sonny Vaccaro in Jordan in an attempt to have him draw at the Sportswear brand. Jordan credit Raveling as the main reason why he signed at Nike about various other brands who wanted him, Say in 2015″… Sonny (Vaccaro) likes to take the honor, but it was really not Sonny, it was actually George Raveling. … When I had the opportunity to play at the Olympic Games, I became very good friends with George Raveling. He is the one who really persuaded me to watch Nike, because I wasn’t ready to Nike.”
After his retirement from Coaching in 1994, Raveling served as director of international basketball at Nike.
Apart from the fact that it was an important figure in the basketball world, Raveling was also present for an important piece in American history, because during the Mars on Washington in 1963 he served as security for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr .. The speech can be seen in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC
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