Trail Blazers Press Release

Bill Schonely: 2012 Gowdy Award Winner

09/04/12

  1. Written by: caseyholdahl


    Bill Schonely Named Recipient of Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Award

    Trail Blazers founding broadcaster Bill Schonely is the recipient of the 2012 Curt Gowdy Media Award.

    The Gowdy Media Award is named in honor of legendary sports broadcaster and former Hall of Fame Board member and President, the late Curt Gowdy. 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.

    “We couldn’t be happier for Bill. He’s been one of the strongest pillars for our franchise since its inception 42 years ago,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. “This is a testament to the impact he’s had on fans in the city of Portland and broadcasters across the country. From calling our championship run in the seventies, voicing the NBA Fan-tastic commercials in the eighties and his present-day work as our Ambassador, Bill has dedicated his life to this organization and the game of basketball.” read more >>>

    The Hall of Fame Case For Bill Schonely



    An Evening With The Schonz

    At 2:18 pm Pacific Standard Time on June 5th, 1977, pandemonium erupted across the Pacific Northwest after Philadelphia’s last ditch effort rimmed short, giving the Trail Blazers a 109-107 victory in Game 6 to become the first and only squad from Rip City to be crowned champions. Within seconds of the final whistle sounding and the clock striking triple zero, the 12,666 fans in attendance at Veterans Memorial Coliseum rushed the floor. The thousands of people in Portland packed the city’s streets. And the millions listening worldwide as Bill Schonely verbally illustrated the game’s final, intense moments as if you were sitting in the front row exploded with joy. The Trail Blazers had done it! Portland was now officially on the map. And the man with a bird’s eye view, Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Bill Schonely relived it all.

    "Yeah, that was a special time,” Schonely thought back. “The crowd erupted when George McGinnis took that shot from the left corner and it didn't go in. And the Blazers won the game and they were the World Champions. They were number ONE! That means a great deal. That was terrific."

    And here we were, 35 years later at the Oregon Historical Society celebrating the organization’s biggest accomplishment and honoring one of the most recognizable and legendary voices in radio broadcasting, the man of the hour, Mr. Bill Schonely, who still remembers that day in 1977 very fondly. read more >>>

    NBA "FAN-Tastic" Commercial Featuring Bill Schonely


    Bill Schonely: Profile of a Portland Broadcasting Legend

    If you head out to a Portland Trail Blazers game these days, chances are you won't see a lot of familiar faces. The rebuilding franchise has cleaned house and started anew, hoping for better things in the future. But you can still find one very recognizable figure present at the Rose Garden on game nights, greeting fans with a contagious smile and genuine hello. His golden voice instantaneously brings back good feelings and even better memories of past Blazer teams, and somehow gives the listener a glimmer of hope for the future. For those of us who have followed the Trail Blazers for any part of the last four decades, this man needs no introduction. He's known simply as "The Schonz." read more >>>

    'This is the Schonz. Please leave a message.'



    Listen: The Schonz Classic Radio Calls

    Download and listen to some of the catchphrases and calls that helped make Bill Schonely the iconic figure that he is today.
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