On Tuesday morning, the sports world received sad news. It was announced that Hall of Fame basketball coach George Raveling passed away. He was 88 years old. The news hits particularly hard for USC, as Raveling coached the Trojans from 1986-1994. With star Harold “Baby Jordan” Miner, he led USC to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, he was named the National Assocation of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coach of the Year.
Prior to his time with the Trojans, Raveling served as the head coach at Washington State and Iowa. He made two additional NCAA Tournament appearances at each school. Raveling was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Raveling’s legacy, however, goes beyond the basketball court. A lifelong civil rights activist, in 1963, he participated in the famous March on Washington. Raveling was actually on stage providing security for Martin Luther King Jr. when he gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
George Raveling was a friend to virtually everyone in the global basketball community. The outpouring of affection and admiration for him, in the wake of his passing, has been universal and heartfelt. We send our prayers and condolences to George Raveling’s family and friends.
