Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
Mark Packer’s accidental career was one of the best.
Packer grew up in Winston-Salem and attended Clemson, where he played golf for the Tigers. He did not know what he would do after graduation but was determined NOT to follow his Hall of Fame father Billy into broadcasting.
Billy’s career was also unexpected after being an All-ACC guard for Wake Forest and helping the Deacons to their only Final Four in 1962. Packer originally planned to attend Duke but was miffed when the Blue Devils asked him to wait on another guard they were recruiting. So he went to Wake and lived in Winston-Salem after college.
He was in the hotel equipment business when C.D. Chesley began televising ACC basketball games and hired Billy as a part-time announcer. He was so good he wound up honored by the basketball Hall of Fame after calling national games for NBC and CBS. Mark used his dad’s connections to help him get started in the sports marketing business.
The local sports radio station asked him to audition for a spot on its daily call-in show. “Primetime with Packman” became the highest rated sports show in the market and always featured great guests from the college and pro ranks. Food sponsors filled tables in their raucous studio with samples and the 6-foot Packer ballooned to more than 250 pounds.
He did it for 13 years before leaving to get back in shape and eventually be a host on the new ACC Network, where he broadcasted daily with Wes Durham from his basement studio in Charlotte. He was so good and even-handed that personalities from pro franchises and college programs gladly came on. During COVID, he used remote broadcasting to keep his show cooking.
And Pack was not hesitant to tell it like it was, calling out and supporting controversial issues around the ACC. When Carolina sneaked into the NCAA Tournament last March with a First Four invitation, Packer placed a big box of tissues on the table next to the microphone and invited Tar Heel haters to cry their eyes out. His show, which he eventually did without Durham, was a staple for thousands of ACC fans who watched him issue opinions and predictions while promoting his in-studio guests.
Packer surprised the regional media and his fan base Thursday when he announced his retirement a week after his oldest daughter was married in Charlotte, and he and his wife kept the young couple’s dog while they honeymooned in Greece. The news stunned social media as hundreds of well-wishes flooded in with thanks for the memories he created.
Breaking News.
My agent alerted ESPN this morning that I have decided to retire.
Given the difficult challenges of past 3 years on both a personal and professional level, the timing is right.
I can't wait to travel, write, teach & live again!
Thank you for all the support.
— Mark Packer (@MarkPacker) May 22, 2025
Billy died in 2023 and departed with great pride that his son did it his own way. Mark is only 56 and will surely get free-lance opportunities in the ever-changing media. But he will pick and choose from those offers as he spends time with his growing family.
Way to go, Packman, keep doing it like you’ve done.
chapelboroaudio.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2025/05%20-%20May/23/Art%27s%20Notebook%20052325%20-%20FINAL.mp3
Featured image via Associated Press/Karl B. DeBlaker
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: Thanks, Packman Chapelboro.com.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chansky’s Notebook: Thanks, Packman )
Also on site :