34 Facts About Jerry Sloan

1.

Gerald Eugene Sloan was an American professional basketball player and coach.

2.

Jerry Sloan played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent as head coach of the Utah Jazz.

3.

Jerry Sloan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

4.

Jerry Sloan spent his rookie season with the Bullets before playing the remainder of his career with the Chicago Bulls, retiring due to injuries in 1976.

5.

Jerry Sloan was the fifth coach to reach 1,000 NBA victories and is one of two coaches in NBA history to record 1,000 wins with one club.

6.

Jerry Sloan coached the Jazz to 15 consecutive playoff appearances from 1989 to 2003.

7.

Jerry Sloan is one of only four coaches in NBA history with 15-plus consecutive seasons that have a winning record.

8.

Jerry Sloan led Utah to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, but lost to Chicago both times.

9.

Jerry Sloan resigned mid-season from the Jazz in 2011 before returning in 2013 as an adviser and scouting consultant.

10.

Jerry Sloan graduated an all-state player from McLeansboro High School in 1960.

11.

Jerry Sloan played college basketball for the Evansville Purple Aces from 1962 to 1965, where he was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference Player of the Year in 1963 and 1965 and a three-time first-team All-ICC selection.

12.

Jerry Sloan was chosen as the 19th overall pick in the 1964 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets but he remained in college and led the Purple Aces to their second in two consecutive Division II national titles.

13.

Jerry Sloan was selected fourth in the 1965 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets.

14.

Jerry Sloan became known as "the Original Bull", known for his tenacious defense, leading them to the playoffs in their first season, and to their first and only division title before the Michael Jordan era; after a series of knee injuries, he retired in 1976.

15.

Jerry Sloan was a career 72 percent free throw shooter.

16.

Two years later, Jerry Sloan was hired by the Bulls as a scout.

17.

In 1979, Jerry Sloan was promoted to the position of head coach.

18.

Jerry Sloan held the position for less than three seasons, winning 94 games and losing 121.

19.

Jerry Sloan led the team to the playoffs in his second year, but was fired after a poor start during the following campaign.

20.

Jerry Sloan then became coach of the Evansville Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association for the 1984 season but never coached a game instead accepting an assistant coach position with the Jazz.

21.

Jerry Sloan enjoyed a successful run of 16 consecutive seasons of taking his team to the playoffs, during which time he coached future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton, along with other players including Jeff Hornacek, Antoine Carr, Tom Chambers, Mark Eaton, and Jeff Malone.

22.

Jerry Sloan led the Jazz to six division championships and 10 seasons with greater than 50 wins.

23.

Jerry Sloan took the Jazz to the NBA Finals twice, losing in 1997 and 1998, both times to his old team, the Chicago Bulls, led at the time by Michael Jordan.

24.

Jerry Sloan became the first coach in NBA history with 1,000 wins for one team.

25.

Jerry Sloan was suspended one game for pushing referee Bob Delaney in April 1993.

26.

Jerry Sloan chose class of 2006 Hall of Famer Charles Barkley to introduce him during his induction ceremony.

27.

Jerry Sloan downplayed reports that conflicts with players prompted his departure.

28.

Jerry Sloan was stubborn, you have to be as a coach.

29.

On June 19,2013, the Utah Jazz announced that Jerry Sloan was returning as an adviser and scouting consultant.

30.

On January 31,2014, the Jazz honored Jerry Sloan by raising a banner featuring the number "1223", which represents Jerry Sloan's total number of combined regular season and playoff wins with the Jazz from 1988 to 2011.

31.

In 2006, Jerry Sloan married Tammy Jessop, in Salt Lake City.

32.

Jerry Sloan had a stepson, Rhett, as a result of this marriage.

33.

Jerry Sloan was known to wear John Deere hats, and collected antique furniture and dolls.

34.

Jerry Sloan died on May 22,2020, at age 78, from complications of the diseases.