Bill Schonely Children: Did Bill Schonely Have Kids?

Bill Schonely nicknamed “The Schonz,” was an American sports broadcaster who worked as the play-by-play announcer for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1970 until 1998.

Bill  Schonely was married twice and was the father of 4 children. His son Steve died after a battle with cancer. He was 61, went to high school in Seattle, and lived in Hawaii.

One of his sons, Rick, was a statistician for the broadcast crew in the 1980s. Bill Schonely passed away a the age of 93 on January 21, 2023. The cause of death was not immediately determined.

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.