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George Raveling, the beloved college basketball coach and Nike executive who played a key role in signing Michael Jordan, has passed away at 88.

His family shared that he was surrounded by loved ones and passed peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer.

“There are no words to fully capture what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, and the world,” they said. “He will be profoundly missed, but his spirit, energy, and wisdom live on in all he touched.”

Raveling played at Villanova from 1957 to 1960 and later became an assistant coach there. He went on to lead Maryland, Washington State, Iowa, and USC, earning three Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards and NABC Coach of the Year honors.

He also served as an assistant for Team USA in the 1984 Olympics and was inducted into both the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2013) and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2015).

After retiring, Raveling became Nike’s global basketball marketing director and persuaded Michael Jordan to join the brand.

Beyond sports, he attended Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington and secured a copy of the “I Have a Dream” speech, which he later donated to his alma mater.

George Raveling’s legacy on and off the court will be remembered and celebrated.