John Graham "Red" Kerr (July 17, 1932 – February 26, 2009) was an American
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 (appr ...
player,
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
, and
color commentator
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 phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
. He played in the
NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the
Syracuse Nationals. He later held several coaching and administrative positions before embarking on a thirty-three-year career as a television color commentator for 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
.
Playing career
High school
Although Johnny Kerr's first passion was
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, an eight-inch growth spurt during his
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
year at
Tilden Technical High School
Edward Tilden Career Community Academy High School (formerly known as Tilden Technical High School) is a public 4–year high school bordered between the Canaryville and Fuller Park neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United Sta ...
, and some friendly persuasion from basketball Head Coach
Bill Postl
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Pla ...
and school principal Robert Lakemacher, Kerr turned his attention to basketball. The 6' 9" center soon led his school's basketball team to the 1950
Chicago Public League
The Chicago Public High School Athletic Association, commonly known as the Chicago Public League (CPL), is the interscholastic competition arm of the Chicago Public Schools. The governance of the CPL is set through the Department of Sports Admini ...
Championship. Kerr graduated mid-year from Tilden (January 1950) and was all set to attend
Bradley in the fall, however, after a visit from Illini freshman
Irv Bemoras
Irving "Irv" Bemoras (November 18, 1930 – November 1, 2007) was an American basketball player.Trevor Jensen. "Irving Bemoras: 1930–2007". ''Chicago Tribune''. 3 November 2007.
He played collegiately for the University of Illinois at Urbana– ...
, touting the benefits of playing for
Harry Combes
Harry Combes (March 3, 1915 – November 13, 1977), a native of Monticello, Illinois, served as head men's basketball coach at University of Illinois between 1947 and 1967.
Biography
Combes played high school basketball for Monticello High Scho ...
and the
Fighting Illini
The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports.
The University operates a number of athletic facil ...
, Kerr made a visit to
Champaign and quickly changed his mind.
College
After committing to Illinois in the fall of 1950, Kerr played on the freshman team for the 1950-51 season. As he played on the freshman team, the
1950-51 Fighting Illini varsity team
In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams.
Varsity in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...
would not only win the
Big Ten Championship, they would also play in the
NCAA tournament, placing third. Unfortunately for Kerr, the following season would see the two leading scorers, team
MVP and captain
Don Sunderlage
Don J. Sunderlage (December 20, 1929 – July 15, 1961) was an American basketball player.
A 6'1" guard from Roselle, Illinois, Sunderlage played collegiately at the University of Illinois, earning the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball award in ...
(471 points) and
Ted Beach (295 points), graduate.
Even with the loss of 766 points, the Illini picked up where they had left off making Kerr's sophomore season a huge success. He was named the starting center for the
1951-52 Fighting Illini and would lead the team to a Big Ten Conference Championship with a 12-2 conference record and a 22-4 record overall and advanced to the
NCAA tournament. Illinois would defeat
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
and
Duquesne to earn a berth in the Final Four (only sixteen teams played in the tournament back then), but would lose to
St. Johns, 61–59. They would defeat
Santa Clara in the third place game. This was Illinois’ third Big Ten Championship and 20-game winning team within a four-year span and completed the season with a final
AP ranking of No. 2 in the nation. Kerr would score a team-high 357 points in 26 games for an average of 13.7 points per game.
Kerr joined three other starters from the previous season on the
1952-53 Illini team, however, the team would not enjoy the same amount of success. The team would lose four conference games during the Big Ten season and finish at 18-4 overall with a conference record of 14-4, which would give them a second-place finish to
National Champion Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
. Kerr, on the other hand, would find his successes to be just as fruitful as the previous campaign. Kerr would score a team-high 386 points in 22 games for an average of 17.5 points per game while the team would finish the season with a final
AP ranking of No. 11 in the nation.
Kerr's senior season was personally the best of his three varsity seasons, however, 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.
Professional basketball
In 1954, the
Syracuse Nationals selected Johnny Kerr with the sixth overall pick of the
NBA draft. During his first season (1954–55), Kerr averaged 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds and helped the Nationals capture their first
NBA Championship
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...
. He became a three-time
All-Star (1956, 1959, 1963) with the Nationals, despite playing in the shadow of future
Hall-of–Famer Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. ...
.
In 1963, the Nationals relocated to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
and became known as the
76ers. Two years later, Kerr was traded to the
Baltimore Bullets for
Wali Jones. After averaging 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Bullets during the 1965–66 season, Kerr was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the
1966 NBA Expansion Draft. However, Kerr voluntarily retired so that he could become the coach of his hometown's new basketball team. He ended his career on November 4, 1965, with a 108–107 loss to New York, with respectable totals of 12,480 points and 10,092 rebounds, along with the NBA record for most consecutive games played (844) until 1983 when he was surpassed by
Randy Smith.
Coaching career
Kerr is credited with bringing
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 ...
to the Chicago Bulls. The team went 33-48 in 1966–1967 and 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
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who le ...
. He is also the only coach to receive this award after his team finished with a losing record. The Bulls went 29-53 the following season, rallying from a 1-15 start to earn another playoff berth. However, feuds with team owner
Dick Klein forced Kerr to leave the Bulls during the summer of 1968 and sign with the
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
, another expansion team in need of its first coach. Unfortunately, the Suns finished with a 16-66 record in 1968–69, and after starting the 1969–70 season with a 15-23 record, Kerr was forced to resign.
Broadcasting career
Despite resigning as coach, Kerr stayed with the Suns franchise for the remainder of the 1969–70 season, working as a broadcaster with
Hot Rod Hundley. He spent the next two seasons as a business manager with the
ABA's
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976.
The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, ...
, then returned to the Chicago Bulls to work in their front office. In 1975, the Bulls'
play-by-play
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
announcer,
Jim Durham
Jim Durham (February 12, 1947 – November 4, 2012) was an American sportscaster. Durham was born in Chicago, IL, and graduated from Donovan High School in Donovan, IL, and later attended Illinois State University in Normal, IL.
Career
Durham s ...
, 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 oversaw the Bulls' six championships in the 1990s and
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
's entire career with the team. He was known for making the call on "
The Shot
The Shot was a basketball play that occurred during a 1989 playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It took place on May 7, 1989 at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, ...
", 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
Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent ...
in front of Kerr. 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 during the first half of the 2008–09 season, but struggles with
prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...
gradually limited his involvement. 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
United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is name ...
. At the ceremony, Kerr also received the
Naismith Memorial 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 ...
's
John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by
Jerry Colangelo
Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Arizo ...
. February 10, 2009, was declared Johnny Red Kerr Appreciation Day in the city of Chicago by Mayor
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term ...
.
Death
Kerr died of prostate cancer on February 26, 2009, only hours after the death of fellow Bulls legend
Norm Van Lier.
Honors
* 1952 – 2nd Team All-
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
* 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 – Team Most Valuable Player
* 1954 –
Big Ten Player of the Year
* 1954 – Earned the
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''s
Silver Basketball award
* 1967 – Earned
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who le ...
* 1973 – Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player.
* 2004 – Elected to the "
Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team".
* 2007 – Named one of the
100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament.
* 2008 – Honored as one of the 33
honored jerseys which hang in the
State Farm Center
The State Farm Center is a large dome-shaped 15,544-seat indoor arena located in Champaign, Illinois, owned and operated by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The arena hosts games for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, ...
to show regard for being the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.
* 2018 – Inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame
Career statistics
College
Sports-Reference.com
/ref>
NBA
Regular season
Playoffs
All-Star Games
Head coaching record
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, 81, , 33, , 48, , .407, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western Conference, , 3, , 0, , 3, , .000
, style="text-align:center;", NBA Coach of the Year
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, 82, , 29, , 53, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western Conference, , 5, , 1, , 4, , .200
, style="text-align:center;", Resigns from Bulls
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 16, , 66, , .195, , style="text-align:center;", 7th in Western Conference, , -, , -, , -, , -
, style="text-align:center;", Suns inaugural season
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix
, style="text-align:left;",
, 38, , 15, , 23, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Western Conference, , -, , -, , -, , -
, style="text-align:center;", Fired after 38 games
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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
Deaths from cancer in Illinois
Centers (basketball)
Chicago Bulls announcers
Chicago Bulls expansion draft picks
Chicago Bulls head coaches
Deaths from prostate cancer
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players
National Basketball Association All-Stars
Philadelphia 76ers players
Phoenix Suns head coaches
Power forwards (basketball)
Syracuse Nationals draft picks
Syracuse Nationals players
Virginia Squires executives