Jerry Sloan is a former basketball player and Utah Jazz head coach. Jerry Sloan made history by becoming the first coach to lead a team to 1,000 victories. He was a legendary player who was among the best defensive guards and toughest rebounders in NBA history.
Jerry was ‘The Original Bull,’ whose dogged defense and nightly hustle on the court embodied the club and epitomized the city of Chicago,” said Bulls board chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
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Early Life and Family
Jerry Sloan was born in Gobbler’s Knob, Illinois, on March 28, 1942.
Gerald Eugene Sloan was his real name at birth.
Sloan lost his father when he was only 4 years old, so his mother and nine other older siblings raised him.
Sloan’s childhood day was also difficult because he had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to work on the farm.
In addition, he used to walk nearly two miles to get to basketball practice at 7 a.m. from school.
Net Worth
Jerry Sloan had a net worth of $12 million with a $1.25 million salary.
He was only the league’s 23rd highest-paid coach after that.
In addition, he owned buildings and earned a respectable living from endorsements.
His Utah home was only just listed for 2020.
Facts of Jerry Sloan
| Full Name | Gerald Eugene Sloan |
| Date of Birth | March 28, 1942 |
| Birth Place | McLeansboro, Illinois |
| Nick Name | The Original Bull |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education |
|
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Father’s Name | N/A |
| Mother’s Name | N/A |
| Siblings | Ten older siblings |
| Date of Death | May 22, 2020 |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | Basketball player, Head Coach of Utah Jazz |
| Position | Small forward/Shooting guard |
| Affiliations | Utah Jazz |
| Active Years | 1965-2020 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife |
|
| Kids | Brian Sloan, Holly Sloan Parish, Kathy Sloan Wood |
| Net Worth | $12 million |
| Merch | Basketball Signed Cards, Trading Card, Rookie Card |
| Last Update | June 2022 |
Estate
On the Riverbend Golf Course, Sloan’s Riverton Estate is a 9,860-square-foot residence with an 18-car garage and a unique pool.
There are waterfalls there as well as views of the Wasatch Front to the east. The real estate firm Berkshire Hathaway was selling the estate for $2.9 million.
In 2007, Sloan moved into the home. He remained there until his passing, and four months after that, the house was put up for sale.
Early Career
Sloan was always left to fend for himself, like a lost child. But in the end, his tenacity paid off.
He eventually rose to the position of standout player for the Evansville Purple Aces in college basketball (1962-1965).
In 1963 and 1965, he was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) Player of the Year. He was also chosen for the first team of the ICC three times during that time.
Not to add that the Baltimore Bullets selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 1964 NBA Draft.
He persisted in attending his institution, though, and helped the Purple Aces win their second of back-to-back Division II national championships.
Professional Career
Jerry was renowned for his unflappable defense prior to the Michael Jordan era. As a result, he earned the moniker “The Original Bull” when they won their first and only division.
Sloan was initially selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the fourth round of the 1965 NBA Draft.
After that, the Chicago Bulls, an expansion team in the NBA, picked him. Following a string of knee problems, Sloan left the game in 1976.
Despite standing at 6 feet 5 inches tall, he averaged an impressive 7.4 rebounds per game, including 9.1 rebounds in one season.
In 1970–71, he scored 18 points on average whereas in the three other seasons, he scored 15 points.
The Chicago Bulls retired his number 4 jersey in 1978, making it the first jersey to be retired in team history, according to the sources.
Coaching Career
Sloan worked for Evansville when he retired in 1976, but he quit after only five days.
He was hired by the Bulls as a scout two years later, and after one season, the position was changed to assistant coach.
He was given a promotion to head coach in 1979, however, he only held the position for less than three months. His career began with a layoff due to his 94 wins and 121 losses; as a result, he was sacked.
Jazz Utah
Jerry was initially hired by the Utah Jazz as a scout.
Jerry did so for a single season before taking over as coach of the Evansville Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association in 1984.
He took over as the Jazz’s head coach in December 1988, beginning a successful run of 16 straight campaigns.
Along with other players including Jeff Hornacek, Antoine Carr, Tom Chambers, Mark Eaton, and Jeff Malone, he had the opportunity to teach future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton.
Sloan has guided the jazz squad to 50 outstanding victories over ten seasons and six division titles.
In the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, they fell short twice to Sloan’s old squad, the Michael Jordan-led Bulls.
The 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons for the Utah Jazz were underwhelming. The 2006–2007 season saw an improvement, nevertheless.
Sloan was among the coaches with ten or more seasons and 50 or more victories by the end of this time.
Jazz was expected to be the worst club in the NBA with the retirement of longtime player Malone.
Sloan led the junior squad sans Stockton and Malone to a surprise 42-40 record despite being underrated. The 2004 NBA Coach of the Year Award was then cast in his favor.
2006
Sloan defeated the Dallas Mavericks 101-79 on December 11. As a result, he became the fifth NBA coach to achieve the milestone of 1,000 career victories.
Again, Sloan was nominated for the Coach of the Year award by numerous sportswriters, but Sam Mitchell, the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, ultimately won.
2007
With a victory over the Golden State Warriors on May 15 (100-87), Jazz, under Sloan’s direction, advanced to the Western Conference finals.
But they fall to the San Antonio Spurs 4-1.
In a Friday night game on November 7, Jazz defeated Oklahoma City Thunder 104–97. He thereby became the first coach in NBA history to lead a franchise to 1,000 victories.
2008 to 2009
In the same class as his former longtime point guard John Stockton, Sloan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April.
Sloan was just as ferocious as a coach as he was with his games.
For instance, he received a seven-game penalty for pushing referee Courtney Kirkland in Sacramento ten years after receiving a suspension for pushing referee Bob Delaney in April 1993.
Leaving the position as Jazz head coach
Sloan and his aide Phil Johnson abruptly left their positions in February 2011.
Prior to it, on February 7, Sloan had disclosed the expansion of his contract for the 2011–12 campaign. Sloan, though, disclosed his altercation with the players and announced his departure.
On February 9, Sloan’s final contest in charge ended in a 91-86 loss against the Bulls. Tyrone Corbin thus took his position.
Under Utah Jazz, there were a lot of vague rumors. For instance, Deron Williams was moved to New Jersey, a state that had begun to harbor mistrust of the Utah Jazz as a franchise.
Second, Sloan did not feel supported by Kevin O’Connor and Greg Miller, according to Karl Malone, a former trainer who worked under Sloan’s guidance for 18 years.
Return to jazz
Sloan’s return to Utah Jazz as an adviser and scouting consultant was initially announced on June 19, 2013, by the organization.
Following that, on January 31, 2014, the Jazz celebrated Sloan by hoisting a banner with the number “1223”—a representation of Sloan’s victories with the Jazz from 1988 to 2011—in his honor.
“This banner will serve as a reminder of the enduring legacy of Sloan, one of the greatest coaches in NBA history and forever a member of the Jazz family,” then-Jazz team president Randy Rigby said.
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Relationship Status
Bobbye, his high school girlfriend, and Jerry Sloan got married. When the two learned that Bobbye had breast cancer in 1997, it shocked Jerry to his core but also brought the two of them even closer.
She lost her battle with pancreatic cancer in 2004 after a well-documented six-year fight with breast cancer.
They have three children and were wed for 41 years (Brian Sloan, Holly Sloan Parish, Kathy Sloan Wood).
Jerry wed Tammy Jessop in Salt Lake City in 2006. Sloan thus had a stepson named Rhett.
Sloan made his Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia diagnoses public in April 2016.
The Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Basketball Coaches Association was presented to Sloan on June 8 at halftime of that night’s NBA Finals Game 3 in Cleveland.
Jerry didn’t have it easy in real life, but he did well for himself.
Jerry, 78, passed away in the early hours of May 22 in his Salt Lake City residence due to complications from Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia.
Death
Jerry Sloan had a love for antiques since he was constantly collecting old dolls and furniture.
He always wore hats made by John Deere. Sloan had wild drinking and smoking habits, both of which he ultimately gave up.
