(February 2009 | hi res photos available) -- Billy Packer, Emmy Award-winning sports personality, will deliver the 26^th Annual Frank L. Marcon Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, in Billera Hall. A question and answer period will follow the lecture. The program is open to the public free of charge, but tickets are required. For tickets, call 610-282-4604.

Earlier in the day, Packer will meet with students during a discussion session at 4:00 p.m. in the DeSales University Center. (Note: Although this is a student-only event, media is welcome to attend. A media opportunity with Packer will follow the student event at 5:00 p.m. Any member of the media who would like to attend should contact Penny Savakis, public relations director at DeSales, at 610-282-1100, ext. 1477, or at Penny.Savakis@DeSales.edu.)

Packer, who is considered one of the most accomplished broadcasters in all of college basketball, served as color commentator on network television broadcasts of college basketball for more than three decades. Prior to his departure from CBS Sports last summer, he covered every NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, including the Final Four, since 1974.

Born in Wellsville, New York, Packer was raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Liberty High School. He developed his love of college basketball while growing up as the son of long-time Lehigh University coach Tony Packer.

The Marcon Lecture series is named in memory of Frank L. Marcon, a prominent area businessman who served as a DeSales University trustee from 1966, until his death in 1982. Previous speakers have included Charlie Rose, Tim Russert, Mark Shields, Paul Gigot, Helen Thomas, Bob Arnot, Peggy Noonan, Tucker Carlson, William Kristol, Frank Deford, Larry Kane, and Lisa Myers.

Packer attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) guard 1960 to 1962, and led his team to two ACC titles and the 1962 Final Four. After graduating with a degree in economics, he served as assistant coach at Wake Forest from 1965 to 1969.

He began his broadcasting career in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1972, when he was asked to fill in as an analyst for a regionally televised ACC game. He became a regular the next season and served until 2008. He served as lead college basketball analyst for NBC Sports from 1974 to 1981, and for CBS Sports from 1982 to 2008.

Packer joined NBC Sports for the opening round of the 1974 NCAA tournament. In 1975, he teamed with Curt Gowdy for the entire tournament, including the UCLA - Kentucky title game. The following year, Packer worked with Dick Enberg for regular-season games as well as the tournament. Packer and Enberg were joined by Al McGuire in 1978, to become one of the most popular broadcasting triumvirates. He also teamed with other broadcast notables including Gary Bender, Brent Musburger, Jim Nantz, Verne Lundquist and Tim Brant.

Among his honors and awards are a Sports Emmy Award in 1993, and the Marvin Francis Award in 2005, for "notable achievement and service in coverage of the ACC," as reported by the Washington Post. He also is the author of Hoops, Why We Win, and several other basketball books. In addition, he has been inducted into various Hall of Fames including the Lehigh Valley Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Hall of Fame, the National Polish Sports Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame

Currently, Packer is involved with various projects including sports promotion projects, such as Survive and Advance, and also continues to work in his various real estate investments.

Packer and his wife, Barbara, reside in Charlotte, North Carolina, and have three children and four grandchildren.

Hi-Res Photos by John P. Filo/CBS

• Billy Packer Head Shot
• Billy Packer Candid Shot

Press Release: Billy Packer, Emmy Award-Winning Sports Personality, to Deliver 2009 Marcon Lecture, Tues., April 14 | Posted on: 2/25/2009

For more info:
Tom McNamara, Executive Director of Communications
DeSales University | 2255 Station Avenue | Center Valley, PA 18034

610.282.1100 x1219 | Tom.McNamara@desales.edu