Ramsey was born in Selma, Alabama on July 13, 1937 but spent most of his life in New York City. In his youth, he played in the Rucker Park League, winning the MVP and was known for his wars with Connie Hawkins. After graduating from High School of Commerce, he joined the NYU Violets as a forward in 1956. At NYU, he played with future hall of famer Thomas “Satch” Sanders. Over three years, he averaged 20.2 points per game and 17.5 rebounds. in his senior year, 1958, Ramsey was named as an All-American. When he died, he still held the school record for rebounds in a game, with 34 against Boston College. As of 2018, he was 11th on NYU’s all-time scoring list.\n', '

After graduating from NYU with a degree in business, Ramsey entered the 1959 NBA draft where the St. Louis Hawks selected him with the 13th overall pick. At a height of 6’4”, Ramsey was short to play the forward position, but was not a strong enough ball handler to play guard. This limited his career to 11 games in his rookie season with the Hawks and the Knicks and two games in the 1960–61 season with the Syracuse Nationals. He played semi-pro basketball for one season before injuries forced him to retire. \n', '

After his playing days ended, Ramsey charged that a quota system in basketball limited the number of black players in the league at that time. Fellow broadcaster Marv Albert agreed, saying “If you didn’t start as a black player, you wouldn’t be with the team.” Out of basketball, Ramsey became a teacher for several years.\n', '

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