Johnny Kerr

Johnny Kerr

Kerr coaching the Bulls in 1966
Personal information
Born	(1932-07-17)July 17, 1932 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	February 26, 2009(2009-02-26) (aged 76) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school	Tilden (Chicago, Illinois)
College	Illinois (1951–1954)
NBA draft	1954: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career	1954–1966
Position	Center
Number	10, 43
Career history
As player:
1954–1965	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers
1965–1966	Baltimore Bullets
As coach:
1966–1968	Chicago Bulls
1968–1970	Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
As player: NBA champion (1955) 3× NBA All-Star (1956, 1959, 1963) Third-team All-American – AP, UPI, Look (1954) As coach: NBA Coach of the Year (1967) Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor
Career statistics
Points	12,480 (13.8 ppg)
Rebounds	10,092 (11.2 rpg)
Assists	2,004 (2.2 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

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 more than seven 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.

Kerr was the first of the NBA iron men in the early years of the league. From 1954-1965, he played in 917 consecutive games, including 844 in the regular season, a record that stood for 18 years. Overall, 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). At his peak, 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 as the first head coach in Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns history. 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

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

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 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 played on the 1950–51 Fighting Illini varsity team as a freshman. Not only would the team win the Big Ten championship, but it also earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, placing third.

Despite the losses of team captain and Most Valuable Player Don Sunderlage and Ted Beach, the Illini's leading scorers, Kerr and his teammates picked up where they left off the previous season. The sophomore led the Illini to 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 the Dayton and Duquesne. The Illini lost to St. Johns, 61–59, then they downed Santa Clara in the third-place game. Kerr led the team with a 13.7-points average in 26 games, while the team finished the season with a final Associated Press ranking of No. 2 in the nation. It marked the Illini's third conference championship and 20-win season in a span of four years.

Kerr joined three other starters from the previous season on the 1952–53 Illini team, but the team would not enjoy similar success. It lost four games during the Big Ten season and finished 18–4 overall (14–4 in conference), which was good for a second-place finish to National Champion Indiana. Kerr continued to be a model of consistency 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.

While Kerr's senior season was the best of his three varsity seasons, the team would be the least successful during the same time frame. The 1953–54 Illini would finish third in the Big Ten with a 10–4 record and an overall record of 17–5 and they would also finish the season with a final AP ranking of No. 19 in the nation. As for Kerr, for the third year in a row, he would lead the team in scoring by shattering Illinois’ single-season scoring record by tallying 556 points in just 22 games for a 25.3 points per game average. Over his three varsity seasons, Kerr scored 1,299 points giving him an overall average of 18.6 points per game. He was elected to the University of Illinois All-Century Team in 2004.^[5]

Professional career

Syracuse Nationals-Philadelphia 76ers (1954–1965)

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 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, a role in which he got the brunt of the time at the center position. In his postseason debut, the rookie had game-highs of 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.

Kerr was a three-time All-Star (1956, 1959, 1963) with the Nationals, despite playing in the shadow of future Hall-of–Famer Dolph Schayes for much of his career.

Baltimore Bullets (1965–1966)

On September 22, 1965, Kerr was traded 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, the last of his career, after which he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1966 NBA Expansion Draft. Kerr voluntarily retired so that he could become the coach of his hometown Bulls team. He ended his career with totals of 12,480 points and 10,092 rebounds along with the NBA record for most consecutive games played (844), which stood until 1983, when it was surpassed by Randy Smith.^[6]

Coaching career

Chicago Bulls (1966–1968)

Kerr is credited with bringing star guard and former Bullets teammate Jerry Sloan to the Chicago Bulls in a trade.^[7] In the face of predictions that they were doomed to a last-place finish, the so-called Baby Bulls were the surprise of the league. They exceeded expectations with a 33–48 record to became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in its inaugural season. For this accomplishment, Kerr was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year Award, still the only coach to receive the award with a sub-.500 team.

The Bulls struggled the following season, which they started with 15 losses in their first 16 games. Kerr's team regrouped to earn a playoff berth with a 29–53 record before it was eliminated in five games by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. However, an on-going feud with team owner Dick Klein led to his dismissal after the season.

Phoenix Suns (1968–1970)

Kerr wasn't unemployed for very long. Two months later, Phoenix Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo signed Kerr be the first head coach for another expansion club. Like Kerr, Colangelo was an Illinois product who played his college ball there.

After the Suns lost a coin flip that would have landed them former UCLA superstar center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at the first pick of the NBA draft, however, Kerr was left with a woefully inexperienced group that could not 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 Suns made progress early the 1969–70 season with a 15–23 record, the coach was forced to resign from his position.

Broadcasting, front office career

Kerr remained with the Suns organization for the remainder of the 1969–70 season, serving as a color commentator alongside Hot Rod Hundley on radio. He spent the next two seasons as a business manager with the ABA's Virginia Squires,^[8] then returned to the Chicago Bulls to work in their 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 was known for making the call on "The Shot", Jordan's series-winning basket in Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 Eastern Conference Playoffs. Over the years, Kerr and Jordan developed a pre-game ritual in which Jordan would head to the broadcasting area and playfully clap talcum powder in front of Kerr.^[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 during the first half of the 2008–09 season, but struggles with prostate cancer gradually limited his involvement.^[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, Kerr 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]

Death

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

Honors

• 1952 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
• 1952 – NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team
• 1952 – Honorable Mention All-American
• 1953 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
• 1953 – Honorable Mention All-American
• 1953 – 1st Team All-Big Ten
• 1954 – 2nd Team All-American
• 1954 – Illini Most Valuable Player ^[17]
• 1954 – Big Ten Player of the Year
• 1954 – Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball Award
• 1967 – NBA Coach of the Year Award
• 1973 – Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player.^[18][19]
• 2004 – Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team.
• 2007 – 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament.^[20]
• 2008 – Illini men's basketball honored jersey.
• 2018 – Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame^[21]

Career statistics

College

^[22]

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

All-Star Games

Head coaching record

See also

• List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

References

External links

• BasketballReference.com: Red Kerr (as player)
• BasketballReference.com: Red Kerr (as coach)

This page was last edited on 15 April 2024, at 06:50