USA TODAY Sports Network
 |  USA TODAY

Former Iowa men’s basketball coach George Raveling, who led the Hawkeyes for three seasons in the 1980s, died Sept. 1 at age 88.

Raveling’s family announced the death on social media on Sept. 2, adding he dealt with cancer.

“It is with deep sadness and unimaginable pain that we share the passing of our beloved ‘Coach,’ George Henry Raveling, who faced cancer with courage and grace,” the family said in a statement. “He transitioned peacefully at 88, surrounded by family as well as love, faith, and sacred protection. There are no words to fully capture what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, former players, and assistants − and to the world.”

Raveling replaced Lute Olson as Iowa’s coach in 1983. His first Iowa team finished 13-15. He then led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 1984-85 and 1985-86. Raveling was an assistant coach for U.S. Olympic team in 1984.

Raveling’s tenure at Iowa is perhaps best known for providing the talent that fueled Tom Davis’ first Hawkeye team. The 1986-87 Hawkeyes were 30-5 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, with a roster consisting almost entirely of Raveling recruits.

Raveling recruited an impressive group of talented players to Iowa City, including B.J. Armstrong, Roy Marble, Ed Horton, Greg Stokes and Kevin Gamble, all of whom went on to play professionally.

“We would like to extend our sympathies to the Raveling family,” Iowa head coach Ben McCollum said in a news release. “George leaves behind an amazing basketball legacy. He was truly a trailblazer for our sport who devoted his life to the game.”

A former guard at Villanova, Raveling was hired as Washington State coach in 1972, becoming the first African-American basketball coach in the Pac-8. In 11 seasons, he guided the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances, snapping a near 40-year drought for the program. He then spent three seasons at Iowa from 1983-86.

Raveling returned to the West Coast in 1986 to coach Southern California, where he coached for eight seasons with two NCAA Tournament appearances. However, his coaching career ended in 1994 after he was seriously injured in a car accident.

After retiring from coaching, Raveling became Nike’s global basketball sports marketing director. Before then, Raveling was pivotal in getting Jordan to sign with the brand, as he had coached the NBA great during the 1984 Olympics. Jordan told USA TODAY Sports in 2015 Raveling really pushed him to sign with Nike.

“Prior to all of that, Sonny (Vaccaro) likes to take the credit. But it really wasn’t Sonny, it was actually George Raveling,” Jordan said. “George Raveling was with me on the 1984 Olympics team. He used to always try to talk to me, ‘You gotta go Nike, you gotta go Nike. You’ve got to try.’”

Another notable moment in Raveling’s life came in August 1963, when he volunteered to be security for King at the March on Washington and was with King on the podium when he made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Raveling asked King for his copy of the speech and kept it despite being offered money for it. He donated it to Villanova in 2021.

Raveling was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. A three-time Pac-10 coach of the year, he finished his coaching career with a 336-293 record.

“He was my best friend … he was 1 of 1,” said Scott Howard, director of player personnel with the Denver Nuggets, who served two years as a graduate assistant and one as a volunteer assistant under Raveling at Iowa and later at USC. “He was an amazing guy with a great sense of humor and had a great way about him.

“In my lifetime there was nobody that had the impact George had. He had the coaching impact and then he went to Nike where he was a worldwide basketball figure by the end of his career.”

This story has been updated to add more information and quotes.

Jordan Mendoza of USA TODAY and the University of Iowa sports information department contributed to this report.