For the first time in 34 years, Billy Packer won’t be calling the Final Four, the Miami Herald reports. CBS won’t renew the 68-year-old’s year-to-year contract, an exec confirmed, but will replace Packer with veteran announcer Clark Kellogg. Packer has been a controversy magnet, most famously for calling Allen Iverson “a tough monkey” in 1996.
“'No one has ever loved the game of college basketball more than Billy Packer,” said longtime broadcasting partner Jim Nantz, who will stay on alongside Kellog. “He protects the heart and soul of the sport. Fans don't realize they owe Billy a thank you.” (More college basketball stories.)