PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Former WSU coach and Nike executive George Raveling passed away at the age of 88 due to cancer, his family announced Tuesday.

The Hall of Famer was highly respected as one of the major leaders in the push for more black basketball coaches at predominantly white universities. He was hired by Washington State in 1972 and became the first African American basketball coach in the Pac-8.

Raveling led WSU to two NCAA Tournament appearances in his 11 seasons in Pullman. He was then named to the USA Basketball coaching staffs during the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.

He was a three-time Pac-10 coach of the year and rounded out his coaching career with a 336-293 record.

Raveling was one of the main reasons that Michael Jordan decided to sign with the Oregon-based company Nike.

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