Johnny Kerr

John Graham Kerr (July 17, 1932 – 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.

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

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.

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 head coach Harry Combes and the Fighting Illini, he made a visit to Champaign and quickly changed his mind. 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.

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 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)

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.

Coaching career

Chicago Bulls (1966–1968)

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. 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 that saw them finish fourth in the five-team Western Division that saw them qualify for a playoff spot, the first (and so far only time) that an expansion NBA team has done so 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)

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

Kerr spent the 1970–71 and 1971-72 campaigns as Virginia Squires business manager in the rival ABA 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, and Kerr remained as a color commentator until the end of the 2007–08 season.

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. 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."

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. 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.

Final days

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.

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
* 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.
* 2004 – Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team.
* 2007 – 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament.
* 2008 – Illini men's basketball honored jersey.
* 2018 – Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame

Career statistics

College

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

All-Star Games

Head coaching record

, -
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
, style="text-align:left;",
, 81, , 33, , 48, , .407, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western, , 3, , 0, , 3, , .000
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Division semifinals
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 29, , 53, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western, , 5, , 1, , 4, , .200
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Division semifinals
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 16, , 66, , .195, , style="text-align:center;", 7th in Western, , -, , -, , -, , -
, style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix
, style="text-align:left;",
, 38, , 15, , 23, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western, , -, , -, , -, , -
, style="text-align:center;", Fired
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:left;", Total
, , , 283, , 93, , 190, , , , , , 8, , 1, , 7, , .125, ,

See also

* List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Red Kerr (as player)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Johnny
1932 births
2009 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players
Basketball coaches from Illinois
Basketball players from Chicago
Centers (basketball)
Chicago Bulls announcers
Chicago Bulls expansion draft picks
Chicago Bulls head coaches
Deaths from prostate cancer in Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players
NBA All-Stars
Philadelphia 76ers players
Phoenix Suns head coaches
Power forwards
Syracuse Nationals draft picks
Syracuse Nationals players
Virginia Squires executives