George Raveling, Hall Of Fame Coach Who Pushed Michael Jordan To Nike, Dies At 88

George Raveling, a Hall of Fame assemblage hoops coach who Michael Jordan credits pinch influencing him to motion pinch nan sneaker marque Nike — a move that launched a taste arena — has died. He was 88.

“It is pinch heavy sadness and unimaginable symptom that we stock nan passing of our beloved ‘Coach,’ George Henry Raveling, who faced crab pinch courageousness and grace,” Raveling's family wrote successful a statement. “There are nary words to afloat seizure what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, erstwhile players, and assistants − and to nan world.”

Raveling played astatine Villanova and became an adjunct astatine nan Philadelphia-area assemblage successful 1963. That launched a profession that lasted much than 3 decades. He was an adjunct coach astatine nan University of Maryland, past caput coach astatine Washington State, Iowa and nan University of Southern California. He was named Pac-10 Coach of nan Year 3 times, honored by nan National Association of Basketball Coaches and inducted into nan Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame successful 2015.

Most notably, Raveling encouraged Jordan, aft he near nan University of North Carolina to subordinate nan NBA's Chicago Bulls, to motion pinch Nike, past a fledgling brand, successful 1984. A decade later, Raveling retired from assemblage shot but stayed connected to nan game, becoming Nike’s world hoops sports trading director.

Jordan said successful 2015 that Raveling “used to ever effort to talk to me, 'You gotta spell Nike, you gotta spell Nike. You’ve sewage to try.'" Jordan did, and is estimated to person earned much than $1.5 cardinal successful a deal that included 5% royalty for each brace of Air Jordans sold.

Actor Marlon Wayans portrayed Raveling successful nan 2023 movie "Air," astir nan aggravated conflict among sneaker brands to motion Jordan.

In August 1963, Raveling and a friend were convinced by nan friend's begetter to be nan March connected Washington for Jobs and Freedom, featuring Martin Luther King Jr.

The nighttime before, they met an organizer who asked them to service arsenic security. Raveling was 6-foot-4.

The young men agreed, and Raveling was stationed connected nan shape passim nan event. When King vanished electrifying nan crowd successful what became his astir celebrated speech, Raveling’s youthful curiosity shone.

“At nan extremity of nan speech,” Raveling recalled to Andscape successful 2020, “as Dr. King vanished and started to fold his speech, arsenic he walked away, I conscionable said — I don’t cognize why, conscionable impulsively said: ‘Dr. King, tin I person that copy?’ And he turned and handed it to me.”

For 25 years, he said he ne'er shared pinch anyone — not moreover his woman — that he owned nan coveted papers. It wasn’t until 1983, erstwhile Raveling became nan first Black coach astatine Iowa and successful nan Big Ten conference, that he shared that he had nan original transcript of King’s speech.

“He will beryllium profoundly missed,” nan family said successful its statement, “yet his aura, energy, divine presence, and timeless contented unrecorded connected successful each those he touched and transformed.”