PORTLAND, Ore. (August 9, 2013) – The Portland Trail Blazers have extended the contract of Founding Broadcaster Bill Schonely, it was announced today by President & CEO Chris McGowan.
Affectionately known by fans and media as “The Schonz,” Schonely enters his 10th season as an ambassador and 44th year overall with the Trail Blazers in 2013-14. Celebrated throughout the region for his broadcasting acumen, Schonely served as the voice of the Trail Blazers from their birth into the NBA in 1970 through the 1998 NBA Playoffs. He provided the play-by-play for more than 2,500 Trail Blazers basketball games.
The legendary broadcaster was recognized with the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during the 2012 Hall of Fame reunion dinner in Springfield, Mass. The prestigious award is presented annually to members of the print and electronic media whose longtime efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
“I’m thrilled that the organization has included me in its future plans,” said Schonely. “I’ve been here a long time, enjoyed every moment, and I look forward to exciting things in the future for this franchise. As they say, ‘You’ve got to make your free throws.’ And I think the Trail Blazers will do exactly that.”
As an ambassador for the Trail Blazers, Schonely regularly makes appearances in fan, sponsor and community initiatives in support of the team’s outreach mission.
Schonely has dedicated a large part of his life to giving back to the Portland community he famously coined “Rip City.” He is involved in helping support numerous charitable causes, including the American Heart Association, Life Flight and the Providence Child Care Center Foundation, where he assists medically fragile children through the “Bill’s Kids” program.