.png)
Like many, I’m terribly saddened by the news of Bill Walton’s passing.
I was in college at the same time he played, always looking forward to UCLA teams, led by the Wizard of Westwood Coach John Wooden and the Bruins, coming to Cal Berkeley.
In his day, few maintained the constant solid play of Walton, who left us on Monday after a battle with cancer, not before departing with two straight national championships featuring an 88-game winning streak with UCLA in 1972 and 1973, in which he was part of 73 of them. Along the way, he also helped pave the way for a pair of NBA championships – one with the Portland Trail Blazers, a second with the Boston Celtics. In between, he was a member of the Clippers when the team made its home in San Diego.
Much later, I fully enjoyed telecasts when he was behind the mic, calling college basketball as an analyst for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network.
Some might say he was different, zany in fact, but boy did he did he know the game, delivering commentary in not so ordinary terms, enlightening his audience with an unconventional tone, yet in a way that kept you listening, hanging onto his every word wondering what he might say next.
A bit strange, yes. A little quirky, yes, but he was always entertaining. I’ll miss the lively banter with those seated next to him doing the play-by-play, both sharing an amusing moment, a quick story, as the action unfolded before them.
Among those sharing a broadcast was Dave Pasch, who was often on the other side of Walton’s freewheeling comments, taking on the friendly verbal jabs in a good-natured way, always laughing them off. Pasch told ESPN on Sunday that he and Walton had a “special friendship,” noting that his sidekick would never miss picking up the tab after meals.
Pasch many times heard during a commercial break, with the headsets off, “I love you, but don’t tell anybody,” he recalls Walton saying.
They were a team for 12 years on ESPN basketball games, working together the last time on Feb. 1 when USC and Oregon took the court against each other. With a mix of announcers, Walton also became a key fixture over the years in front of Pac-12 viewers.
During his Sunday tribute, an amused Pasch was talking about the day he encouraged Walton to take a bite out of a cupcake with a lit candle on top. The flame didn’t stop Walton, who chomped away in front of the camera. “Oh, I was kidding,” Pasch was quick to say, overtaken with laughter.
Walton, known for his antics and sometimes being at odds with Wooden, one day protested against the Vietnam War by lying down across Wilshire Boulevard, later getting arrested. In Wooden’s final years before his death, they became much, much closer, Walton regularly calling his former coach twice a week.
A colorful soul, never missing an opportunity to weigh in on any number of topics, Walton will be uniquely remembered for his love of tie-dye shirts and his favorite rock band, the Grateful Dead.
He was especially proud of the Pac-12, soon on its way out, passionately referring to it through his signature statement – “The Conference of Champions.”
A one of a kind? Oh yes. A broadcast professional fully engaged, enjoying his craft? You bet. Walton, who traditionally greeted others with a big smile, had a following all his own, me included, and will be sorely missed. Thanks Bill for the good times – on and off the court.
Bill Walton, who won titles at the collegiate level with UCLA and in the pros, playing for Portland and Boston, passed away on Monday at that age of 71.
