Episode 7 – Garrett Boorojian and Chris Ramsay discuss relationship building in a team environment.
Chris is the former ESPN Coordinating Producer / former Senior Director and Deputy Editor at ESPN.com.
Chris started his career at ESPN supervising the production of the late night SportsCenter and ESPNEWS. He also produced ESPN coverage of the NBA Finals.
Chris is an alumnus, class of 1980, of Rollins College, in Winter Park, Florida, with a B.A. in Communications.
His late father, Basketball Hall of Famer, Dr. Jack Ramsay was named to the lists of Top 10 Coaches in NBA History and Top 15 Coaches in NBA History. Chris’s brother-in-law, who’s also Dr. Ramsay’s son–in–law, is former NBA head coach Jim O’Brien.
Dr. Ramsay served in the US Navy as a captain and frogman in World War II. (Frogmen preceded the Navy Seals). He graduated from Saint Joseph’s College (now called Saint Joseph’s University) with a bachelor’s degree and received both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Before coaching in the NBA, Dr. Ramsay coached Saint Joseph’s College to the 1961 NCAA Final Four. His record as head coach at Saint Joseph’s was 234–72.
Dr. Ramsay was the General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, led by Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, when they won the NBA Championship in 1967.
Dr. Ramsay coached four NBA teams with a combined NBA head coaching record of 864–783 (76ers, Buffalo Braves, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers).
Dr. Ramsay coached the 1976–1977 Trail Blazers, led by Basketball Hall of Famer and College Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton and former NBA All–Stars Lionel Hollins and Maurice Lucas, to the NBA Championship in 1977 against Basketball Hall of Famer and College Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving’s (Dr. J’s) 76ers.
The Trail Blazers were the underdog team. In addition to Dr. J., the 76ers had Basketball Hall of Famer George McGinnis, and top-tier players such as Doug Collins, Henry Bibby, Joe Bryant, Mike Dunleavy, Daryl Dawkins, World B. Free, Caldwell Jones and Steve Mix.
The following year, Dr. Ramsay was the head coach of the Western Conference team in the 1978 NBA All-Star Game.
After coaching, notably, Dr. Ramsay was an ESPN television analyst and ESPN Radio analyst. He worked with his son Chris at ESPN when they covered the NBA Finals.
In 1995, at 70 years of age, Dr. Ramsay was a world–class triathlete. He was also a book author.
Dr. Ramsay received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2009–2010 NBA season.
Before he passed away, Dr. Ramsay created the “The Jack Ramsay Grassroots Basketball Development Clinic” in Zimbabwe, Africa. The name of his charity is “Africa Outreach USA,” which Chris leads on behalf of his late father.
Chris and his brother (John) and three sisters (Susan, Sharon and Carolyn) carry on their late father’s legacy as successful professionals and educators.