Going into his last NCAA tournament weekend the announcer shares some of his fondest memories of his colleagues and who and what he misses and will miss.
decided this would be his last time calling the Final Four — a farewell in his hometown of Houston — he knew it would be an emotional experience.
“Pat’s ritual was to prepare notes all night and then sleep during the day. He liked to take naps before the game just to go in refreshed. He laid down for a nap that afternoon and never woke up.” Millions of Americans know Nantz, whose voice is synonymous with some of the biggest events in sports, among them the Super Bowl, Masters and Final Four. McGrath, while virtually unknown to the outside world, was revered in sports broadcasting, working football, baseball and basketball games throughout a career that spanned half a century. By his count, he worked alongside 120 different play-by-play announcers, among them Jack and Joe Buck, Dick Enberg, Bryant Gumbel, Marv Albert ... on and on.
McGrath would quickly jot his observations and calculations on a steady stream of notecards and hand them to Nantz. “I had this dream where Billy would be there and I’d be able to give him a hug walking off the court,” he said. Packer, hospitalized the last three weeks of his life, died of kidney failure on Jan. 26. The night before, Nantz was able to have a final conversation with him.
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