Villanova Alumnus, Basketball Legend George Raveling Passes Away

Villanova Men’s Basketball alumnus George Raveling passed away on Monday, Sept. 1, per an announcement from his family posted to his verified Twitter account.

Born on June 27, 1937 in Washington, D.C., Raveling lived a basketball life, playing for the Wildcats from 1957 t0 1960. He helped Villanova to a pair of NIT appearances and earned team captain honors during his senior season before the Philadelphia Warriors selected him in the eighth round of the NBA Draft. Raveling later served with the Wildcats as an assistant from 1963 to 1969, kicking off a three decade coaching career that included stints at Washington State, Iowa and USC.

Away from the court, Raveling served as Nike’s global basketball sports marketing director, helping to bring Michael Jordan and his eponymous shoe line to the company. Jordan later described Raveling as a mentor. Raveling also participated in the 1963 March on Washington, volunteering to provide security during Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Following the speech’s conclusion, Raveling asked King for his typewritten notes for the speech, and King obliged. Raveling later donated the notes to Villanova, and they’ve since spent time on display both on campus and at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

After his retirement from coaching, Raveling stayed around the game, spending time as a color commentator with CBS Sports and FOX Sports.

Raveling made a poignant post via his Twitter account days before his passing, which reads as follows: “Embrace the dawn of a new chapter, for within its pages lie the untold adventures and limitless opportunities that await your self-discovery.”