Think about what makes March Madness not just any other tournament but March Madness. A month of excitement, unpredictability, jaw-dropping moments, heroes, almosts, Cinderellas, heartbreak, and magic. Now try to think about March Madness without Bill Raftery.
Not that easy, is it? Raftery has been broadcasting games since 1982, and covered his first NCAA Tournament for CBS in 1991 (doing radio). He’d been responsible for the radio broadcast of the Final Four for more than 20 years. But it wasn’t until 2015 that Raftery got his first chance to do the Final Four on TV for CBS. It seems like a misprint. Raftery is so tied to the intrinsic culture of college basketball and the tournament that he must have done the Final Four for CBS sooner. But now that he’s here, and he’s seemingly here to stay as long as he wants, it just fits.
As Jim Nantz put it in an article by USA Today‘s George Schroeder:
“All the rest of the world has gotten a little bit older, but Raftery is this timeless guy who continues to see things very quickly, very crisp in his commentary, this whimsical approach to dropping in a quip here and there — I just laugh.”
Raftery has this incredible ability to resonate with multiple generations of college basketball fans. Older fans (and coaches) remember him as a player, or a coach, and a tether to the way basketball once was. Younger fans gravitate toward Raftery for the way he exudes enthusiasm and authenticity out of every broadcast. They’ve never known March Madness without him, and they can’t imagine a college basketball world where he isn’t in it. And fans in between can remember specific Raftery calls, plays or games that wouldn’t be the same without him. His voice and the play are married. They are one. And those fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
Before I spoke with Raftery for a conversation with Uproxx, I thought about my dad. He fits squarely in that middle generation of college basketball fans. And like I assume many parents, he does his best Raftery impression while he and I watch games together. He always has. Those memories of the tournament are just as important to me as the memories of games I attended in person.
Without Raftery, something big would be missing from the game. I’m just thankful he’s always been there.
Martin Rickman: Do you still get the thrill or jitters from calling a game?
Bill Raftery: I’m just so happy to be doing it, I never really thought much about it. I’m like anybody. When the ball goes up, we’re ready to go.
When you look back at when you first started broadcasting, what did you want to get out of it? Did you ever think you’d be on this side of the profession for as long as you have?
I’ve told this story, but it’s still incomprehensible it turned out this way. When I was a senior in college [at LaSalle], Bob Wolff was doing our game on CBS during the NIT, and he spent a couple of days with us. Our coach had me show the man around and have dinner with him. When he was leaving, he said, “Someday when you’re finished doing whatever you are going to do, you ought to try my profession.” It always stuck in my head. Then the Big East started with ESPN, and Dave Gavitt used to do the color analysis as the commissioner. But he didn’t want to continue it too long. One night we were out, and I told him, “You know something, I might like to do that.” At the time I was thinking I was going to be John Wooden, and be coaching forever. Within a year and a half, he gave it up, and we had practice in October of 1981. He told me, “If you want this, let me know in two days.” I did.
We had done nicely enough, and we were going to have a real good team [at Seton Hall]. But I just found with the philosophies and finances of the Big East, we were somewhat short. It was just one of those things in the back of my head, and I said, “This will keep me in the game that I enjoy.”
That’s how I got into it. I just put my head down, and minded my own business, and was lucky enough to survive.
There’s always growing pains in a new area of expertise. Were there hard lessons to learn?
Looking back, I had unbelievable support. I think over the years a lot of producers and people I work with, by either direct, indirect or subtle comments, have helped, and administrators, too.
What goes into your gameday preparation?
I’ve had all these teams [for the Sweet Sixteen games], but one thing I’ve found is you have to stay current. I’ve done Villanova maybe 10 times this year, but I’ve got their Iowa tape, and their Big East tape. That’s what I’m doing in the hotel. I’ve done Kansas. I’ve done Miami. And that’s what I do pretty much, so I have an idea of what worked, what didn’t work, what they went into. It’s more for recognition than it is even usage on the air. You want to be aware.
And you have your little cheat sheet. That’s done already, with the stats, and it’s nice to know who can or cannot make free throws, or other bio things that you pick up. That’s pretty much what I do. Jim [Nantz] has his own way, and they button up the broadcast with what they have. A lot of what they have wouldn’t fit for me anyhow, or be appropriate.
Is there something about Jim that people should know?
He’s so caring about the broadcast, and sharing I guess goes with that. Whenever there’s three in a booth, the play-by-play guy sacrifices. Jim just wants a great show, so he’s not pushy. He just wants everything to be done right and enjoyable for the public. He’s so enjoyable to be around. We spend a lot of time off-air.
The other thing that amazes me about him is his memory. We were talking about Miami recently, and that was the first game we ever did together in 1986. I asked him, “Do you remember who was in the stands?” And he said, “Tito Horford.” [Al Horford’s father, who enrolled at LSU before eventually playing at Miami.] I jumped in before he could say it, “And Jimmy Johnson.” He was sitting with the basketball player trying to recruit him to come to Miami.
Arizona was playing in that game, and I asked him, “Who was that kid who Lute Olson was mad at for breaking Craig McMillan’s nose and hit him again at practice?” He said, “Ralph Jacobs.” That kid never got in! And that was way back in 1986. I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me.
There’s so much more to the play-by-play guys that people aren’t aware of, or how much work they have, or how conscientious they are. And that fits him. I don’t know how he does what he does. He goes Super Bowl, to us, then he goes to the Masters, and he doesn’t miss a swing. But the nicest thing about it is the friendship that’s developed. We look forward to it. That’s an extra bonus to what you’re doing.
A piece of advice I’ve gotten from other broadcasters is how important it is to be yourself and not put an act on when you’re on camera. Have you found that to be the case?
I think I’m the same on air as I would be if I met you downstairs for a beverage. The only thing is on TV there’s more of a timing thing you have to do. Certainly I’ve heard that and recommended it to people. I just tell people to enjoy yourself. People see through you if you’re being different than you are. Word passes on quickly.
Do you have a call or a game that stands out among your favorites? It seems like every viewer can pick out their favorite Raftery moment, but I’m curious which one is yours.
Oh, boy. There are two that immediately jump out. Nothing even that I said during them. The six overtime game between Syracuse and Connecticut at The Garden [in 2009]. This game was lengthy and emotional and everything else, and I remember saying to a writer afterward, “Well, that was the longest I’ve been out in New York when my wife wasn’t mad at me.” It was like 2 in the morning when we left The Garden.
That, and the George Mason game when they beat Connecticut. That was the start of teams that you didn’t pay attention to with the capabilities of getting all the way to the Championship, like Butler and Wichita State. There are other games that were buzzer beaters and things of that nature, but those two, especially.
Also the Jerome Lane game. He broke the backboard, and we’d never seen that before. I think Darryl Dawkins had done it, but I’d never seen it before my eyes.
That call has been played time after time, and nobody can really separate the play from your voice. That has to be powerful.
What made it powerful was a couple of years ago, ESPNU had a show in Charlotte and it was one of the anniversaries of that dunk. Unbeknownst to me, they had Jerome Lane call in, and in the middle of it, he said, “Thanks, Mr. Raftery, for making me famous.” And I said, “Thanks, Jerome, for making me famous.” He also added on that his son never knew he played or thought he was any good until he heard the replay of that. Then he figured his dad was good because he could tear a backboard down.
Do you have a time when you think the catchphrases need to be tossed in there?
You hope to be spontaneous, but some just fit. At the beginning of the game, I’ve been doing that “Man To Man” thing with no spacing between the words, and it just has become a thing to do. It’s expected, but some things do pop. Whether it’s “Send It In,” or “Onions,” but I always tell people you know I didn’t go to Harvard. There’s not much in there.
The documentary your son put together is coming out soon [It’s called “With A Kiss,” and is airing April 2 on CBS at noon]. Have you seen the finished product?
My son has said nothing to me other than he interviewed me a couple times. I have no idea the theme or the direction. I have not seen it, and will not see it, until everybody else does. We may not be speaking when it’s over [laughs], but he went and pitched it to CBS. I was apprehensive. But he wanted to do it, and they thought it was a good idea. They did one for Verne Lundquist last year that was phenomenal.
He’s sort of gone underground the past few weeks because of the time table, I guess. Hopefully it’s good for him and his career, and hopefully he stretches the truth to make me look good somehow.
I don’t think he should have too much trouble doing that. And if he does, hey, you won’t be on speaking terms for a bit like you said.
Exactly, exactly. I know he’s worked hard. He’s talking to people, and it’ll be intriguing. I know the whole family is excited about it.
Is the Final Four and March Madness still your favorite sports moment of the year?
We start every year wherever it might be, and the whole year is exciting, but you take that deep breath, and it’s almost like you made the playoffs. That’s us, too. It was fun all year, but this steps it up a bit. The word “special” jumps in. You try and work as hard and be as prepared for somebody who may not get any further as you would for a Kansas or another No. 1 seed. That may be the last time for awhile, or the last time ever for some of them. You can tell by the crew, not that they weren’t ready or excited all year, but there’s an extra edge.
