R.I.P. to The Original Bull, Jerry Sloan

On Friday, Hall of Famer, former Bull and Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan died at 78 years of age. Sloan’s death was related to complications from Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.

Sloan is most famous for his dominant run as the head coach of the John Stockton-Karl Malone Utah Jazz teams that roughed up the Western Conference in the ’90s. Those teams made the NBA Finals twice, losing to Michael Jordan’s Bulls both times — in grueling series — as detailed in The Last Dance. But long before he was the coach in Utah, the McLeansboro, Illinois native was a standout player at Evansville University. He was drafted №4 overall by the Baltimore Bullets in 1965 and then selected by the upstart Chicago Bulls in the expansion draft a year later.

Upon arriving in Chicago, Sloan helped the Bulls reached instant legitimacy with tough teams built around himself, Guy Rodgers, Bob Boozer, and later, Bob Love, Chet Walker, and Norm Van Lier. Sloan’s tough as nails attitude and excellent defense helped make him a fan favorite and earn him the nickname “The Original Bull”.

Sloan will be missed and his legacy will live on in the many, many lives he touched.