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Johnny Kerr

(Redirected from Johnny "Red" Kerr)

John Graham Kerr (July 17, 1932[1] – February 26, 2009), also known as Red Kerr, was an American basketball player, coach, executive and broadcaster who devoted six decades to the sport at all levels. The affable 6'9", 230-pound center starred for the University of Illinois (1951–1954) before he became a three-time All-Star and one-time league champion in the NBA (1954–66), primarily as a member of the Syracuse Nationals.

Johnny Kerr
Kerr coaching the Bulls in 1966
Personal information
Born(1932-07-17)July 17, 1932
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 26, 2009(2009-02-26) (aged 76)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolTilden (Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeIllinois (1951–1954)
NBA draft1954: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career1954–1966
PositionCenter
Number10, 43
Career history
As player:
1954–1965Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers
1965–1966Baltimore Bullets
As coach:
1966–1968Chicago Bulls
1968–1970Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Career statistics
Points12,480 (13.8 ppg)
Rebounds10,092 (11.2 rpg)
Assists2,004 (2.2 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Kerr was the first of the NBA iron men in the early years of the league. From 1954 to 1965, he played in 917 consecutive games, including 844 in the regular season, a record that stood for 17 years. He averaged 13.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 905 games over 12 seasons, all except one with the Nationals (later the Philadelphia 76ers). More consistent than spectacular, Kerr averaged in double figures in points and rebounds in seven consecutive seasons (1956–64), when he earned the reputation as one of the best big men in the league.

After retirement as a player, Kerr held several coaching and administrative positions, most notably coach of the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns in their first-ever seasons. In his debut on the bench, the 1966-67 Bulls defied long odds to earn a postseason berth, the first expansion team in major professional team sports to do so.

The Chicago native concluded his career as a Bulls television analyst for thirty-three years, during which he was one of the most recognizable personalities of the Bulls dynasty in the 1990s decade.

Early life

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Kerr was raised in the 67th and Racine neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. He was a frequent 16-inch softball player at Ogden Park with aspirations of a career in foundry, in which he became proficient as a Tilden Technical High School student.

Although Kerr's first passion was soccer, an eight-inch growth spurt during his senior year at Tilden Tech coupled with some friendly persuasion from its head basketball coach Bill Postl and school principal Robert Lakemacher turned his attention to basketball. The pivotman led the Blue Devils to the 1950 Chicago Public League championship in his only season with the team.[2][3]

College career

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Upon graduation from high school in mid-year (January 1950), Kerr was set to attend Bradley in the fall. However, after a visit from Illini freshman Irv Bemoras touting the benefits of playing for head coach Harry Combes and the Fighting Illini, he made a visit to Champaign and quickly changed his mind.[4] Always quick with a quip, Kerr became known for his self-deprecating humor. When asked about his introduction to Chaucer in college, Kerr said the two hadn't met yet, but he assumed they would at a fraternity party.

After committing to Illinois in the fall of 1950, Kerr made his varsity debut as a sophomore center-forward in the 1951–52 season. Despite the losses of team captain and Most Valuable Player Don Sunderlage and Ted Beach, the Illini's leading scorers, Kerr and his teammates captured the Big Ten Conference championship with a 12–2 conference record (22–4 overall) and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Final Four with victories over Dayton and Duquesne. The Illini lost to St. John's in the semifinals, 61–59, then they beat Santa Clara in the third-place game. Kerr led the team with a 13.7-points average in 26 games. It finished the season with a final Associated Press ranking of No. 2 in the nation.

Kerr joined three starters from the previous season on the 1952–53 Illini team, but the team would not enjoy similar success. It finished 18–4 overall (14–4 in conference), which was good for a second-place finish to national champion Indiana. Kerr continued to shine with a team-high average of 17.5 points in 22 games. The Illini ranked No. 11 in the country in the final AP poll.

By the time that Kerr entered his senior year, he had grown one inch to 6-foot-9 and become a full-time pivotman. While the finale was the best of his three varsity seasons individually, the team would be the least successful among them. The 1953–54 Illini finished third in the Big Ten with a 10–4 record (17–5 overall) and was ranked 19th in the country in the final AP poll. Kerr paced the team in scoring for the third straight season, shattering the single-season team record with 556 points in 22 games for a 25.3 points average. In three varsity seasons, Kerr scored 1,299 points, an average of 18.6 points per game. He was elected to the University of Illinois All-Century Team in 2004.[5]

Professional career

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Syracuse Nationals-Philadelphia 76ers (1954–1965)

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In 1954, the Syracuse Nationals selected Kerr at the sixth overall pick of the NBA draft. The 22-year-old played a bit role with the veteran-laden team in the early season. By the turn of the calendar year, he had earned enough trust from head coach Al Cervi to warrant an increased role. He went on to average 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in the regular season.

Come playoff time, Kerr was part of the core nucleus. In his postseason debut, the rookie dominated with 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 110–100 victory over the Boston Celtics that set the tone in the Eastern Division finals. The Nationals went on to beat the Celtics in four games and Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games in the NBA Finals to capture their first and only NBA championship in Syracuse.

Even though future Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes cast a shadow over his Nationals teammates, Kerr was a three-time All-Star selection (1956, 1959, 1963) who was equally adept in the high and low post. In addition to his workmanlike production as a rebounder, he was a skilled passer and master of the backdoor play, which he executed with guards Al Bianchi, Larry Costello and Hal Greer on a regular basis.

Baltimore Bullets (1965–1966)

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On September 22, 1965, Kerr was dealt to the Baltimore Bullets for guard Wally (later Wali) Jones. The veteran averaged 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds during the 1965–66 season, after which he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1966 NBA Expansion Draft. Instead, Kerr voluntarily retired as a player to become the head coach of his hometown team. He finished his career with totals of 12,480 points and 10,092 rebounds along with the NBA record for most consecutive games played (844). The mark stood until November, 1982, when San Diego Clippers guard Randy Smith surpassed it en route to a streak of 906 games.[6]

Coaching career

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Chicago Bulls (1966–1968)

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After Kerr was hired as head coach, one of his first acts was to convince owner Dick Klein to claim former Bullets teammate Jerry Sloan in the expansion draft.[7] He also lobbied for the acquisitions of veteran floor leader Guy Rodgers in a trade that sent guards Jim King and Jeff Mullins to the San Francisco Warriors before the start of the season. Nobody outside the organization gave the expansion club much of a chance, however, least of all St. Louis Hawks player-coach Richie Guerin, who on the eve of the regular-season opener said the Bulls would be fortunate to win 20 games in their debut season.

Yet Sloan and Rodgers proved to be instrumental in the immediate success of the so-called Baby Bulls, who quieted the naysayers with a 33–48 record and playoff berth, the first for an expansion team in league history. Kerr was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year Award, the only person to receive the award with a sub-.500 record.

The Bulls struggled the following season, which they started with 15 losses in their first 16 games. The team regrouped to earn a playoff berth with a 29–53 record, only to be eliminated in five games by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The inability to build off the momentum of the previous season coupled with philosophical differences with team ownership led to Kerr's dismissal after the season.

Phoenix Suns (1968–1970)

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Kerr wasn't unemployed very long. Two months later, Phoenix Suns general manager and longtime friend Jerry Colangelo signed Kerr be the first head coach for another expansion club. Like Kerr, Colangelo had attended Illinois and played college ball there.

After the Suns lost a coin flip that would have brought former UCLA superstar center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to Phoenix at the first pick of the NBA draft, Kerr was left with a woefully inexperienced group that failed to duplicate the success of his expansion Bulls team in Chicago. The Suns finished in last place with a 16–66 record in the Western Division. Even though the club made progress at the outset of the 1969–70 season with a 15–23 record, Kerr was asked for his resignation. He remained with the organization for the remainder of the season, serving as color commentator alongside Hot Rod Hundley on radio broadcasts.

Broadcasting, front office career

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Kerr spent the 1970–71 and 1971-72 campaigns as Virginia Squires business manager in the rival ABA[8] before he returned to the Chicago Bulls in the front office. In 1975, the Bulls play-by-play announcer Jim Durham suggested that Kerr provide commentary during games,[9] and Kerr remained as a color commentator until the end of the 2007–08 season.[10]

As a broadcaster, Kerr was part of the Bulls' six championships in the 1990s and Michael Jordan's entire career with the team. He became best known for his emphatic call on "The Shot", Jordan's series-winning basket in Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 Eastern Conference playoffs. "The Bulls win it! We win it! ... Whooo!" Kerr screamed into his microphone.

Over the years, Kerr and Jordan collaborated in a pre-game ritual in which the Bulls superstar would head to Kerr's seat at courtside immediately prior to tip-off and playfully clap talcum powder in front of him.[11] Jordan later said, "I don't know how it started. I think he had a nice suit on and I wanted to mess him up a little."[12]

Kerr made occasional appearances as a halftime commentator in the first half of the 2008–09 season, but as his struggles with prostate cancer continued, public appearances became less frequent.[13] The Bulls honored Kerr for his years of service at a February 10, 2009 halftime ceremony, where the team unveiled a sculpture of Kerr that would stand in the United Center. At the ceremony, he also received the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Jerry Colangelo. February 10, 2009, was declared Johnny Red Kerr Appreciation Day in the city of Chicago by Mayor Richard M. Daley.[14]

Final days

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Kerr died of prostate cancer at 76 years of age on February 26, 2009, only hours after ex-Bulls guard-broadcaster Norm Van Lier suffered a fatal heart attack.[15][16]

Honors

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Career statistics

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College

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Season Games Points PPG Field Goals Attempts Avg Free Throws Attempts Avg Big Ten
Record 		Overall
Record 		Highlight
1951–52 26 357 13.7 143 365 .392 71 124 .573 12–2 22–4 Honorable Mention All-American
1952–53 22 386 17.5 153 397 .385 80 123 .650 14–4 18–4 Honorable Mention All-American
1953–54 22 556 25.3 210 520 .404 136 213 .638 10–4 17–5 Big Ten Player of the Year
Totals 70 1229 18.6 506 1282 .395 287 460 .624 36–10 57–13

[22]

NBA

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1954–55† Syracuse 72 21.2 .419 .682 6.6 1.1 10.5
1955–56 Syracuse 72 29.4 .403 .655 8.4 1.2 13.3
1956–57 Syracuse 72 30.4 .403 .719 11.2 1.3 12.4
1957–58 Syracuse 72 33.1 .399 .664 13.4 1.2 15.2
1958–59 Syracuse 72 37.1 .441 .766 14.0 2.0 17.8
1959–60 Syracuse 75 31.6 .392 .752 12.2 2.2 14.7
1960–61 Syracuse 79 33.9 .397 .729 12.0 2.5 13.4
1961–62 Syracuse 80 34.6 .443 .735 14.7 3.0 16.3
1962–63 Syracuse 80 32.0 .474 .753 13.0 2.7 15.7
1963–64 Philadelphia 80 36.7 .429 .751 12.7 3.4 16.8
1964–65 Philadelphia 80 22.6 .370 .696 6.9 2.5 8.2
1965–66 Baltimore 71 24.9 .413 .768 8.3 3.2 11.0
Career 905 30.7 .418 .723 11.2 2.2 13.8

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1954–55† Syracuse 11 33.0 .391 .557 10.7 1.2 13.8
1955–56 Syracuse 8 26.6 .481 .455 8.5 1.3 11.1
1956–57 Syracuse 5 32.4 .431 .690 13.8 1.2 15.2
1957–58 Syracuse 3 38.7 .327 .778 20.3 1.0 16.7
1958–59 Syracuse 9 34.7 .352 .909 12.0 2.7 14.4
1959–60 Syracuse 3 34.7 .294 .917 8.3 3.0 13.7
1960–61 Syracuse 8 26.3 .341 .696 12.4 2.5 9.5
1961–62 Syracuse 5 38.6 .376 .750 16.0 2.0 17.6
1962–63 Syracuse 5 37.4 .433 .762 15.0 1.8 13.6
1963–64 Philadelphia 5 37.0 .482 .750 13.8 3.2 19.0
1964–65 Philadelphia 11 16.5 .358 .714 3.5 2.5 5.7
1965–66 Baltimore 3 16.3 .182 .500 5.7 1.3 1.7
Career 76 29.9 .386 .687 10.9 2.0 12.3

All-Star Games

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1955–56 Syracuse 1 16.0 .500 .000 8.0 0.0 4.0
1958–59 Syracuse 1 21.0 .214 .500 9.0 2.0 7.0
1962–63 Syracuse 1 11.0 .000 1.000 2.0 1.0 2.0

Head coaching record

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Chicago 1966–67 81 33 48 .407 4th in Western Conference 3 0 3 .000 NBA Coach of the Year
Chicago 1967–68 82 29 53 .354 4th in Western Conference 5 1 4 .200 Resigns from Bulls
Phoenix 1968–69 82 16 66 .195 7th in Western Conference - - - - Suns inaugural season
Phoenix 1969–70 38 15 23 .395 4th in Western Conference - - - - Fired after 38 games
Total 283 93 190 .329 8 1 7 .125

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brian Hanley. "Johnny Kerr". Chicago Sun-Times. May 14, 1990. 105.
  2. ^ SunTimesHighSchoolSports.com
  3. ^ BasketballMuseumOfIllinois.com
  4. ^ A Century of Orange and Blue: Celebrating 100 Years of Fighting Illini Basketball By Loren Tate, Jared Gelfond pgs.268–270 ISBN 1-58261-793-7
  5. ^ "FightingIllini.com" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  6. ^ JustSportsStats.com
  7. ^ [1] [dead link]
  8. ^ "NBA.com Broadcaster of the Week: Johnny Kerr, Chicago Bulls". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  9. ^ Jim O'Donnell. "What Chicago is all about Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine". Chicago Sun-Times. February 8, 2009. Retrieved on February 11, 2009
  10. ^ Ed Sherman. "Bulls shake up broadcast teams. Chicago Tribune. May 6, 2008. Retrieved on May 6, 2008.
  11. ^ Brett Ballantini. "A Love Supreme: Acknowledgement Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". SLAM Online. January 30, 2009. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.
  12. ^ John Jackson. "Jordan, others thrilled to honor Kerr Archived 2009-02-15 at the Wayback Machine". Chicago Sun-Times. February 11, 2009. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.
  13. ^ Peter Vescey. "Young star making his mark on the Lakers". New York Post. January 23, 2009. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.
  14. ^ Melissa Isaacson. "Johnny 'Red' Kerr honored by Bulls Archived 2009-02-12 at the Wayback Machine". Chicago Tribune. February 11, 2009. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.
  15. ^ "Bulls mourn the loss of Johnny "Red" Kerr". NBA. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  16. ^ "Sad day for Bulls: Van Lier, Kerr die". STLtoday. February 27, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  17. ^ "List of MVPs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  18. ^ "IBCA Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  19. ^ BasketballMuseumOfIllinois.com
  20. ^ 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament
  21. ^ Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame
  22. ^ "Red Kerr College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
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