ESPN Retirement Lets ACC College Football Media Darling Finally Fulfill 15-Year-Old Promise To Wife

For three decades, Mark Packer’s voice has become synonymous with college sports. Whether it was dissecting playoff chances, breaking down the ACC’s weekly chaos, or putting forward his expert opinions on SiriusXM, Packer brought personality and pulse to the college football world. But now, the veteran host is calling his own number, and this time, it’s not another media move. It’s retirement. And not just the golf-course-and-lakehouse kind.

“I can’t wait to travel, write, teach & live again!” This is what Packer said in his retirement message a month ago. And if you watched ACC PM or Packer and Durham, chances are you were hearing Packer live from his basement. But now that the underground media bunker is finally closed, Packer has revealed his post-retirement plans. And yes, it does include sports, but not in a way he was associated with. He will be trading ACC drama for Grand Slam dreams. In a heartfelt conversation with Clemson Tiger Net, Mark Packer opened up about a promise he made to his wife 15 years ago, one that he’s finally ready to keep.

“One thing I told my wife 15 years ago is that when I finally retire, she loves tennis. And I said, “Listen, when I retire, whenever that may be. Of course, she’d laugh because she knew I’d never would, but I have now. I said, “One thing I want to do is take you to every major Grand Slam event,” he shared. At the time, it was easy to laugh off; he was in the thick of a thriving career, and retirement felt like a lifetime away. But now? Melbourne, Wimbledon, Paris, and New York City are all on the itinerary.

Packer said, “We’re going to go down to Melbourne, Australia. We’re going to do Bora Bora, New Zealand, and Australia in January and parts of February. So, that’s going to be the first of the Grand Slams. She loves Paris. We’ll go to the French Open.” Packer has a full world tour mapped out. For Packer, it’s less about crossing places off a list and more about finally being able to experience what he’s been missing. But it’s not just about tennis, though. Tennis is her wife’s affair. Food is Mark’s.

“I can’t wait to absorb different cultures,” he said, revealing he’s even been taking Italian lessons. He is even more pumped for the food, wine, and exploring places he’s only seen on TV. “I don’t know what kind of bourbon they’ve got in Australia, but I’m looking forward to checking that out,” he joked. After years of giving fans his all, both in front of the camera and behind the mic, Mark Packer is finally clocking out of the basement and stepping into the sun.

The man who once helped shape the voice of ACC football from a basement studio is now charting a course around the world, Grand Slam by Grand Slam, culture by culture, and bite by bite. Packer’s retirement is all about leaning into the things that matter most. For the guy who brought college football into living rooms every fall, it’s time for the world to return the favor.

The unexpected send-off for a familiar voice

Mark Packer knew retirement would be a change of pace, but what he didn’t see coming was the wave of emotion that followed. The longtime ESPN and ACC Network host thought he’d simply log off, pack his bags, and start his next chapter. Instead, what he received felt like a full-blown farewell tour. “I almost felt like I’d gone to a funeral,” Packer admitted. “Because I don’t look at this as an end. I look at it as a new kind of beginning, a new chapter for me to go do stuff that I want to go do.”

The moment that really struck him? The sheer number of messages and calls he received, including one from Syracuse AD John Wildhack. “The amount of people that called or sent a note or an email or text, I was completely blown away,” he said. Even now, weeks after the announcement, Packer’s still humbled by the response. The man who spent years giving playmakers and programs the spotlight was suddenly the one being honored. “Mentally, I wasn’t prepared for that at all. I really wasn’t. And so, it’s flattering. I’m humbled by it. I’m glad folks enjoyed it. I mean, I had a great time doing it.”

Packer even received a stack of handwritten notes from the Wake Forest University Sports Marketing Summer Immersion class. “I love a handwritten note… thanks to the entire Wake Forest University Sports Marketing Summer Immersion class for all the kind notes! It was my pleasure to speak to the class,” he posted on X. For someone who spent his career talking sports, this kind of appreciation hit different. If Packer ever wondered what his presence meant to the college sports world, the answer is yes. It meant everything.