Johnny "Red" Kerr, the former Chicago Bulls coach who spent more than three decades as a broadcaster for the team, died Thursday, Feb. 29th. He was 76.
I couldn't even count the amount of games that I watched that "Red" announced. I definitely will not forget what this voice sounded like any time soon.
His death comes after the Bulls unveiled a statue of Kerr at the United Center during an emotional ceremony earlier in February that included taped messages from President Barack Obama and commissioner David Stern and speeches from Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. Thankfully "Red" was able to experience this well-deserved tribute to him before he passed away.
As if it couldn't get any worse for the Bulls family, Norm Van Lier was found dead in his apartment on the same day. Norm was a star guard for the Bulls in the 70's, but is known by many my age as an analyst on Comcast Sports Net. He was always cracking jokes and had an optimistic attitude during his analysis. I got to meet Norm once at a Northern Illinois University basketball game. He talked to my father and I for close to ten minutes about the most random stuff you could think of. I don't think we even talked about basketball with him.
I guess it just shows that even in death, Bulls stick together.
Photo: Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
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