Bill Raftery

Bill Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach.

Despite a long and successful college basketball coaching career, Raftery is today probably best known for his enthusiastic play-by-play coverage of college basketball games. He has served as an analyst and play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports' college basketball coverage for over 23 years. During CBS' play-by-play coverage of March Madness, Raftery is frequently partnered with Verne Lundquist. Raftery is also an analyst with ESPN, primarily partnered with Sean McDonough and Jay Bilas; he also serves an analyst for CBS Radio/Westwood One's coverage of the NCAA Men's Final Four along with Kevin Harlan and John Thompson. Raftery has also served as an analyst for the New Jersey Nets and served as an on-course commentator for Senior PGA Tour events.

Coaching Experience

From 1970 to 1982, he was the head coach of Seton Hall University where he amassed a 154-141 win-loss record and led the Pirates to four ECAC post-season tournaments and two National Invitational Tournament appearances. His 154 wins as a coach place him fourth on the all-time list at Seton Hall behind Honey Russell, P.J. Carlesimo (who immediately succeeded Raftery as head coach), and Frank Hill. Prior to his job at Seton Hall, he was at Fairleigh Dickinson University where he coached basketball (leading the team to an NIT berth) and golf, and also served as Associate Athletic Director. In 1989, he was named Coach of the Year by the New Jersey Writers Association.

Athletic Career & Education

Raftery was a New Jersey high school legend amassing "All-State" selections in basketball, soccer and baseball at St. Cecilia High School in Kearny, New Jersey.

Basketball was Raftery's strongest sport, scoring a New Jersey state record 827 points in his senior year, and leading St. Cecilia to the New Jersey State Championship. He ended his high school career with 2,192 points, which at the time also was a state record.

Raftery played at La Salle University under legendary coach Donald "Dudey" Moore. During his freshman year he scored a freshman record 370 points, followed by a team leading 17.8 points per game in his sophomore year. As a senior he co-captained the Explorers to the National Invitation Tournament.

Following his senior year at La Salle, Raftery was drafted by the New York Knicks making it to the final cut, but he never played in the NBA.

Raftery earned a degree in history from La Salle University and a master's degree in education from Seton Hall. In 2001, he received an Honorary Doctorate from LaSalle University. Aside from his ESPN and CBS commentating duties, Raftery is the president of W.J. Raftery Associates, an event/marketing firm. He lives in Florham Park, New Jersey with his wife, Joan.

Famous Quotes

Raftery is known for his creative colloquialisms, his unique pronunciation of "man-to-man," and his often original ways of expressing play-by-play activities. The following are some of his more oft-used and memorable quotes.
* "Shoulder ... shake ... a little lingerie!"
* "Oh Vern..the Kiss!"
* "A little pirouette, and they said this was a beer town!"
* “I wheel the wheel barrel down the street to the tin!”
* "Give it to the big fella!"
* "Send it in, Jerome!"
* "The Big Guy"
* "With disdain to the tin!"
* "Send it in, Verne!"
* "...with the kiss!"
* "With the sweet kiss, off the glass..."
* "With a little dipsy do"
* "Dagger!"
* "Onions!"
* "Nylon!"
* "The vegetable cart"
* "Put a little english on it"
* "With the teardrop, that'll make you cry"
* "Panties on the deck"
* "We got a little nickel-dimer here"
* "The small change"
* "With the blow-by"
* "With authority!"
* "Send it in, big fella!"
* "Send it in, medium size fella!"
* "From the Right Wing!"
* "There's a little lingerie on the deck"
* "The bounce to ecstasy"
* "You might call this Newton's Law!" [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJfjzyka9dg YouTube - Indiana Basketball v. Illinois ] ]
* "Most unattractive but beneficial"
* "With the dribble drive"
* "Attacking the tin!"
* "Strong... to the goal!"
* "Bring your lunch!"
* "Elevation!"
* "(insert co announcers name), (insert team name) goes man to man!"
* "They're playing a (insert zone defense name) zone with man-to-man principles!"
* "A little ricochet romance!"
* "Get the puppies set!"
* "He can do it all; let him into the band!"
* "(insert player's name) with some early onions!"
* "Fill the lane! Provide the lift!"
* "He can make you ask for your mommy."
* "Walter at the altar: High Mass!"
* "Bottle of blackout!"
* "Deployment!"
* "Divine intervention!"
* "With a little smoocher!"
* "Protect the women and children!"
* "Chubby Checker Do the Twist!"
* Verne Lundquist: "I hope Dwyane Wade likes cajun cooking!" ... (dramatic 5 second pause) ... Bill Raftery: "JAMBALAYA!"
* "A Large Edifice!"
* "He's got the puppies sent off the bus."
* "Why the lefties look so pretty its amazing."
* "Count your Chiclets!"
* "A little kiss!"

Beyond the use of his celebrated signature phrasings, Raftery has also demonstrated the ability to blend humor and analysis in individual game situations.

In the late stages of a competitive 2002 NCAA Tournament game between UCLA and Cincinnati, a CBS camera showed the parents of a player who was shooting free throws. Raftery immediately remarked, "Free throws can destroy a family."

In 2007, Raftery along with his broadcast partner, Verne Lundquist, made a classic exchange after Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts made an emphatic jam in Ohio State's regional final victory.

Raftery: "The speed! Done with alacrity! Sitting over there, he was salivating at an opportunity."Lundquist: "I'm still stunned at 'alacrity'."Raftery: "Don't ask me to spell it."

References