Hall of Fame Coach Jack Ramsay has died at 89

Legendary coach Jack Ramsay, who won 864 NBA games in two decades of coaching, has died at the age of 89 after a prolonged battle with cancer. In addition to winning a NBA Championship in 1977 with the Portland Trail Blazers, Ramsay also happens to be one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Clippers franchise, having coached the Buffalo Braves for four seasons in the seventies. He remains the only coach in franchise history to take the team to three consecutive playoff appearances. Ramsay was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 and remained a very visible expert in basketball circles long after he stopped coaching through his work as a television and radio analyst, one of the best in the business.

Of his 864 victories as a coach, 158 came with the Braves, ranking him second behind Mike Dunleavy Sr. (215) among franchise coaches. His nine career playoff victories is sadly a franchise record that still stands, though hopefully not for much longer.