Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Early life

Norman Van Lier was born on April 1, 1947, in

East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River at the intersection of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia about from both ...

to Helen and Norm Sr. Norm Sr. was the son of a Baptist preacher, and worked in a steel mill for decades (reported as 31 or 40 years). Van Lier was raised, along with three brothers and a sister, in

Midland, Pennsylvania Midland is a borough located along the Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...

. Van Lier had six brothers in all, three of whom died after birth including a son Norm Sr. named Elgin Baylor Van Lier I. Van Lier would look back fondly to his childhood playing tackle football with a taped coffee can for a ball due to their circumstances. He would later credit this upbringing in forming his famed work ethic later in life.Ben Joravsky.
Back in the Game
. ''Chicago Reader''. July 21, 1994. Retrieved on March 4, 2009

High school career

Van Lier was a member of the 1965 Midland High School Leopards, considered by many to be one of the greatest high school basketball teams in Pennsylvania history, and of all time, finishing 28–0 and easily winning the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) title. The Leopards won the statewide Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) championship game (90–61). Van Lier won All-State honors that year. The team only lost two regular season games in three years. One of Van Lier's teammates was future NBA and ABA player Simmie Hill, who would later be drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round, with Van Lier taken in the third round of the same draft by the Bulls. During weekends, Van Lier would hitchhike to the playgrounds in Harlem, once even playing with future NBA Hall of famer Billy Cunningham. Van Lier was also a co-captain of his football team, where he played both as a standout

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, and at

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He was recruited to play for several colleges (such as

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

), but none would have allowed him to play his desired position of quarterback, discouraging him from pursuing football. It is also reported that he did not choose football because his mother discouraged him from playing football. Van Lier stated that when an Alabama assistant coach came to visit him at his high school, the coach said "'I heard you are quite a quarterback. ... Boy if I had known you was colored I would never had come.'" He also played high school baseball, and had been on his high school and county all-star teams. Van Lier had received offers to play professional baseball as well, and turned down a $25,000 offer from the St. Louis Cardinals because his mother did not want him to play in the segregated south.

College career

Van Lier's modest 6 ft 1 in stature and his emphasis on defense kept him under the radar of stardom, and he was not recruited by major basketball powers. He attended Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, playing on the basketball team from 1966 to 1969. At St. Francis, Van Lier was a standout defensive guard who also scored 1,410 points during his collegiate career. Over three years, he averaged 18.8 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game. As a junior in 1967–68, he set a then school record for assists, and as a senior he averaged 21.0 points per game. He was a fierce competitor and excellent ball handler. In 1969, he graduated with a double major in history and special education. In 1999, Van Lier was inducted into the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame. The school retired his number 12 jersey. He was inducted into the Cambria County, Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. He was inducted into the Beaver County, Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.

Professional career

Cincinnati Royals (1969–1971)

The Chicago Bulls selected Van Lier in the third round of the

1969 NBA draft The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college ba ...

, but after training camp traded him to the Cincinnati Royals for backup center Walt Wesley. Van Lier led the NBA in assists in 1971. On January 5 of that year, Van Lier became the first player in NBA history to have a scoreless double-double with zero points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in a victory against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. A scoreless double-double did not happen for another 50 years, when on December 26, 2021, rookie Josh Giddey of the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

compiled 10 assists and 10 rebounds in the Thunder's 117–112 win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. At Cincinnati, Van Lier flourished under the tutelage of coach

Bob Cousy Robert Joseph Cousy ( , born August 9, 1928) is an American former professional basketball player. He played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals during the 1969–70 season. A 13-time NBA ...

, a hall of fame guard who had played for the great

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

teams (even dating Cousy's daughter for over a year). Cousy focused on the team playing as a unit, instead of as individuals, which fit Van Lier. Van Lier was renowned for his physical and relentless defense, his fearlessness and hard-nosed play. He once got in a brawl with future Chicago Bulls teammate and close friend

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

, a similar style player, during and after an exhibition game between the Royals and Bulls. Cousy called him a “‘coach’s dream’” and greatly motivated all his teammates by the example of his all out playing style. After Van Lier's death, NBA Commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

described him as a “'complete player, a wonderful passer, nda tenacious rebounder...."

Chicago Bulls (1971–1978)

The Bulls reacquired Van Lier during the 1971–72 season. Coach Cousy told Van Lier the Royals backcourt of Van Lier and Nate "Tiny" Archibald was too small, and asked Van Lier where he wanted to be traded. Van Lier told Cousy to trade him to the Bulls. Van Lier remained with the Bulls until 1978, appearing in three

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

games (

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

) over the course of six seasons. Now paired up with Jerry Sloan (1971–1976), they formed "the roughest back court combination in the NBA" on defense. Other "pundits" asserted the two formed the best defensive backcourt in NBA history. He played under volatile Bulls coach Dick Motta from 1971 through the 1975–1976 season. In game 6 of the 1973 playoffs between the Bulls and defending champion

, in a career highlight, he had 10 steals, and held the Lakers future hall of fame guard Gail Goodrich to 4 points. Nicknamed "Stormin' Norman" for his tenacity and aggression, Van Lier was one of the most popular Bulls players of the 1970s, being "worshipped all over Chicago". During his ten-year career, Van Lier was named to three NBA All-Defense First Teams and five NBA All-Defense Second Teams. He has the most selections to not be inducted into the

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974. Van Lier was waived by the Bulls in October 1978. On January 19, 1977, Van Lier broke the record for the longest successful field goal in NBA history at 84 feet; the record stood for 24 years until Baron Davis eclipsed it on November 17, 2001, from a distance of 89 feet.

Milwaukee Bucks (1978–1979)

After being waived in October 1978 by the Bulls, the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

picked him up. He only lasted two months, as Van Lier could no longer play at that level. However, Van Lier had become addicted to Quaaludes to deal with constant pain over the years, and Bucks coach

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

helped Van Lier get the treatment necessary to overcome that addiction. Van Lier retired in 1979 with career totals of 8,770 points and 5,217 assists.

Coaching career

In 1989, Van Lier was the assistant coach of the Worcester Counts in the World Basketball League. Van Lier was the head basketball coach for the Worcester Vocational Technical High School team during part of the 1989–90 season. His team reached the Massachusetts Division II championship game.

Media career

Van Lier served as a

color analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

on Bulls radio broadcasts from 1980 to 1982. From 1992 to 2009, he was a television pre-game and post-game analyst for Chicago Bulls games, originally for SportsChannel, and later Fox Sports Chicago and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, winning an Emmy for the 1995–1996 season. He frequently appeared on other Chicago television programs to discuss the Bulls, and co-hosted shows on sports talk radio, including "the Bull and the Bear" on WSCR-AM.Jim Frasier. . ''New Pittsburgh Courier''. July 3, 2008. Retrieved on February 27, 2009. He also did afternoon sports talk on

WMVP WMVP (1000 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, carrying a sports radio format. Owned by Good Karma Brands, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area as the market affiliate of ESPN Radio, the flagship st ...

. Van Lier also served as a special

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

on the Chicago

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

station 97.9 WLUP. In 2002 and 2004, he had supporting roles in the movies '' Barbershop'' and '' Barbershop 2: Back in Business''.

Public service

Van Lier was a member of Project Teamwork, a group formed by the Reebok Foundation working to improve racial and human rights sensitivity in school-age children.

Legacy

On June 21, 2008, Van Lier was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame. "Western Pennsylvania is football country, but my years are considered the golden era of basketball not only in the state but maybe the country," Van Lier said that night. "Uniontown, Midland, Schenley and Ambridge could play with anybody, anytime and in any era in the country."

Death

On February 25, 2009, Van Lier was unexpectedly absent from his scheduled television appearance on Comcast SportsNet following a Bulls game. He was found dead in his apartment in Chicago's Near West Side neighborhood on February 26, 2009. He had a pacemaker implanted five months earlier. Fellow Bulls broadcaster and former Bulls head coach

Johnny "Red" Kerr John Graham Kerr (July 17, 1932 – February 26, 2009), also known as Red Kerr, was an American basketball player, Coach (sport), coach, executive and sports commentator, broadcaster who devoted six decades to the sport at all levels. The affable ...

also died later that day.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

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, 10 , , , , 27.5 , , .311 , , , , .773 , , 5.8 , , 5.1 , , , , , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 69 , , , , 31.0 , , .456 , , , , .791 , , 4.3 , , 7.1 , , , , , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , , , 36.0 , , .445 , , , , .787 , , 5.5 , , 7.1 , , , , , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 76 , , , , 39.8 , , .366 , , , , .737 , , 5.4 , , 6.6 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , , , 37.8 , , .412 , , , , .778 , , 4.5 , , 7.8 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , , , 32.4 , , .419 , , , , .751 , , 3.6 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 38 , , , , 14.6 , , .390 , , , , .904 , , 1.1 , , 4.2 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 746 , , , , 35.1 , , .414 , , , , .780 , , 4.8 , , 7.0 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 11.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .286 , , , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 1.7

Playoffs

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1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

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, 4 , , , , 36.0 , , .415 , , , , .857 , , 6.3 , , 8.3 , , , , , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

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, 7 , , , , 36.9 , , .349 , , , , .733 , , 5.3 , , 5.1 , , , , , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 11 , , , , 42.4 , , .424 , , , , .830 , , 4.3 , , 6.8 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

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, 13 , , , , 42.1 , , .409 , , , , .747 , , 5.2 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 3 , , , , 44.7 , , .158 , , , , .833 , , 5.0 , , 9.7 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 38 , , , , 40.8 , , .389 , , , , .784 , , 5.0 , , 6.2 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 13.9

References

External links

Career Stats
at basketball-reference.com
Obituary
in the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

The Bullfighter – an upcoming documentary film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Lier, Norm 1947 births 2009 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Chicago Bulls announcers Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Cincinnati Royals players Continental Basketball Association coaches Milwaukee Bucks players NBA All-Stars Basketball players from Beaver County, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from East Liverpool, Ohio Point guards Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen