PHILADELPHIA (2/26/04) - One of the most respected basketball minds of all-time, former Saint Joseph's University men's basketball coach (1955-66) and basketball hall of famer Dr. Jack Ramsay will make several appearances on campus over the next week to promote his latest book "Dr. Jack's Leadership Lessons Learned from a Lifetime in Basketball."
Ramsay will hold book signings on Sunday, February 29 and Monday, March 1. On Sunday, he will be available from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse prior to SJU's women's basketball regular season finale against St. Bonaventure. He will also be signing copies of his book on Monday in Saint Joseph's Drexel Library from 10:30 - 11:30 AM.
Finally, Ramsay will appear on the season finale of Phil Martelli's HawkTalk television show, which will tape on Monday from 12:00 - 1:00 PM in the Hawk Rock Cafe located in the University's Campion Student Center.
In 11 seasons at SJU, Ramsay compiled a 234-72 record, including a run of 10 postseason appearances. Under his guidance, the Hawks reached the Final Four and finished third nationally in 1961.
In 1966, Ramsay got his first taste of the NBA as the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that captured the NBA world championship. But coaching was always in Ramsay's blood, and over the next two decades, he would return to the sidelines as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, Buffalo Braves, Portland Trail Blazers and the Indiana Pacers. When he retired from the Pacers after seven games in the 1988-89 season, Ramsay had the second most wins in NBA history, only trailing Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach. During his Portland coaching career, the Trail Blazers made the playoffs nine times and won a dramatic NBA championship in 1977.
Ramsay's two coaching books - "Pressure Basketball" and "The Coach's Art" - remain basketball classics. He is a 1942 graduate of Upper Darby (PA) High School and 1949 graduate of Saint Joseph's. Ramsay spent nine years doing television color commentary for the Miami Heat. He currently does ESPN's NBA "Game of the Week" on radio and serves as the network's NBA basketball analyst. Still in popular demand as a clinician, Ramsay remains an avid tri-athlete.
