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‘Onions!’ Raftery gets praise
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Bill Raftery’s Final Four call lit up social media.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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I can’t recall an announcer who’s been more universally praised than Bill Raftery. His on-air call of the NCAA semifinal and championship games drew praise from longtime industry veterans, fans and the press.
SportsBusiness Daily collected some of the tweets that were sent out during last Monday’s championship game, which shows how popular the longtime broadcaster has become. Here’s a sampling:
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The Washington Post’s Kent Babb: “Hey CBS, how about make Bill Raftery a permanent part of the Final Four? He’s just too much fun.”
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NBA.com’s Lang Whitaker wrote, “Whoever wins this game the MVP is Raftery.”
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The Charlotte Observer’s Jonathan Jones: “Raftery calling this game is amazing.”
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NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano wrote, “Bill Raftery is good people. He’s also great at his job.”
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SI.com’s Richard Deitsch: “Bill Raftery is in his 70s and going nuts. Just awesome.”
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David O’Brien wrote, “How did Bill Raftery not do a Final Four till now. The man brings it. He makes me smile.”
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ESPN’s Trey Wingo: “Raftery has been a pure joy to listen to.”
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The Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur wrote, “Bill Raftery rules. He just damn rules.”
