A franchise, a city and a sport have lost one of their greatest coaches and competitors. Dr. Jack Ramsay, who led the Portland Trail Blazers to their only championship in 1977, died last week at the age of 89 following a long battle with cancer.
Ramsay was known for his coaching style—fast paced and unselfish—as well as his flamboyant style of dress. In classic ’70s garb, Ramsay prowled the sidelines in plaid bell bottoms and colorful sports jackets.
Early this season, current Blazers head coach Terry Stotts honored Ramsay by wearing a similarly outrageous suit. Since his death, the team has begun wearing plaid patches that read, “Dr. Jack, 77.”
Their first home game with those patches on their jerseys, the Blazers won one for the Portland legend, defeating the Houston Rockets in dramatic style and advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
Ramsay grew up in Milford, Connecticut, where he played basketball, baseball and soccer in high school. He attended Saint Joseph’s College, playing basketball and baseball.
His college tenure was interrupted by World War II, in which Ramsay participated as a member of the U.S. Navy.
His title of Doctor is not honorary; he received a doctorate degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963.
For the next few years, Ramsay would play guard in the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League while coaching at local high schools. He also coached for his alma mater before moving on to the professional ranks.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Ramsay was the general manger and head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, and coach for the Buffalo Braves (known today as the Los Angeles Clippers). Everywhere he coached, Ramsay improved the level of play. His teams always featured efficient passing and offensive execution.
One hallmark of Ramsay-coached teams was their physical conditioning. Training camp would begin each year with an epic cross country run led by Ramsay himself. When hired to coach for the young expansion team in Portland, the city rejoiced to have a winner at the helm.
Prior to Ramsay coming to the Blazers at the start of the ’76–77 season, the team had never been to the playoffs and had never had a
winning season.
They had a promising young center, former number one overall pick and UCLA great Bill Walton. Another cornerstone player came from the ABA dispersal draft, where Portland received the enforcer, Maurice Lucas.
Ramsay surrounded his all-star big men with speedy perimeter players such as Lionel Hollins, Dave Twardzik, Larry Steele and rookie Johnny Davis. The chemistry of that team was magical—they embraced their coach’s style and today are remembered as one of the most team-oriented championship squads in NBA history.
Ramsay would coach the Blazers for nine more seasons, though outside that first year he only won two more playoff series. In his 10 seasons with Portland, Ramsay had a win/loss record of 453–367 (.552).
His career did not end with coaching. Ramsay went on to announce television games for several NBA teams before being hired by ESPN in 1996 as a radio analyst. He educated the masses about the old-school and modern game until last year during the playoffs. Continued health problems forced Ramsay to step down before the 2013 season officially ended.
Ramsay was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. At the NBA’s 50th anniversary he was selected as one of the 10 greatest coaches of all time.
Ramsay’s legacy in Portland is not about wins, losses or accolades, though his championship remains the singular moment in not only this city’s, but the state of Oregon’s sports memories. His hard-nosed, blue collar method is still favored by local athletic enthusiasts. Fans in Portland love to cheer for a group that favors the whole rather than the individual. They give standing ovations when players put their body on the line by diving for a loose ball. They chant the names of players who out-hustle their opponents. These are all characteristics of a Jack Ramsay team.
Rip City may have been coined during the Blazers’ inaugural season, but it was Dr. Jack that put them on the map. This is the 28th season since Ramsay coached the Blazers, and in that time they have come tantalizingly close to reliving the glory of an NBA championship.
Portland has never had a coach equal to Ramsay. They are impossible shoes to fill, though perhaps Terry Stotts can be the man who comes close. Stotts employs a similar offensive-focused, opportunistic concept and has led his team to the second round, hoping for more. This season may not have the perfect storm that the ’77 team did, but one can hope Stotts stays around for a decade, just like the guy he dressed up as, Dr. Jack Ramsay.