MIAMI – Former Miami Heat broadcaster and Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay has died at the age of 89, following a long battle with cancer.
Ramsay worked for the Heat for more than eight years and 500 games from 1992 until 2000.
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Prior to his years as a broadcaster, he spent 20 years as a coach in the NBA, leading his teams to the playoffs 16 times. He was the coach for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, the only year the team has won the NBA championship.
Heat play-by-play announcer Eric Reid tweeted, "Very hard to wake up to the news that Dr. Jack Ramsay has passed away. So grateful that his path crossed ours. Hall of Fame Coach & Man."
Heat owner Mickey Arison called Ramsay "a great man."
"When I first bought the team, we had no basketball organization in place and Dr. Jack was the first person who I turned to for advice," Arison said. "So for a few days, he was the entire basketball organization for the Miami Heat. Over the years I often turned to him for advice and he will be sorely missed by us all. My deepest sympathies to his family and all that loved him."
According to ESPN, Ramsay's funeral is scheduled for Thursday. He died peacefully in his sleep in Naples early Monday.