Bill Schonely Cause Of Death

Bill Schonely, the original radio broadcaster for the Trail Blazers passed away a the age of 93 on January 21, 2023. The cause of death was not immediately determined.

Bill Schonley coined the iconic phrase “Rip City” which became synonymous with Portland and its basketball team,

Schonely broadcast games for the Blazers for the first 28 seasons, including a two-year stint as the team’s television play-by-play man from 1992 to 1994, with his deep voice and memorable catchphrases like bingo-bango-bongo and lickety-brindle-up-the-middle.

Following his broadcasting career, he became a fixture at home games. He mingled with fans before games at “Schonely’s Place,” an arena concourse bar named after him. As the game approached, he would shake the head coach’s hand as a good luck gesture.

On several occasions, he sang “God Bless America,” encouraging fans to sing along.
With 28 years calling games and two years doing sideline reports and features, he was the second-longest tenured announcer at the time, trailing only the late Chick Hearn of the Los Angeles Lakers.