Jerry Krause

Architect of the Bulls' six NBA championships.

Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003. His tenure with the Bulls included their six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998, led by superstar players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Krause received the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1988 and 1996. He was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

Quick Facts

Born: 6 April 1939
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died: 21 March 2017
High school: Taft (Chicago, Illinois)
College: Bradley
Highlights: As executive:; 6× NBA champion (1991–1993, 1996–1998); 2× NBA Executive of the Year (1987, end, 1995, end)

Lore & Background

Krause was born in 1939 to a Jewish family and grew up in Chicago. His parents operated a deli and then a shoe store. He played high school baseball as a catcher at Taft High School in Chicago and attended Bradley University. Krause began evaluating basketball and baseball talent as a high school student.

He worked as a copy boy in the sports department of the Chicago American during his teenage years. He was nicknamed 'J. G. Taylor Krause' after J. G. Taylor Spink, the editor of The Sporting News. He turned down a staff position at the Chicago American so he could become a scout. After college, he worked as a go-fer for Philip K. Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs.

He then worked as a scout and in public relations for the Baltimore Bullets. He advocated for the Bullets to draft Jerry Sloan and Earl Monroe, and urged the team to pick Phil Jackson in the 1967 NBA draft. Krause was a scout for the Chicago Bulls from their inaugural season in 1966 until 1971. He also scouted for the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers.

On June 1, 1976, he was hired as director of player personnel for the Bulls but resigned after three months. He worked as a baseball scout for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago White Sox. He scouted for the White Sox until 1984.

Reader's Guide

As Bulls GM from 1985, Krause hired Tex Winter as assistant coach and urged him to teach the triangle offense. He fired head coach Doug Collins after the 1988-1989 season and replaced him with Phil Jackson. He made strength coach Al Vermeil one of his first hires, and the Bulls became one of the first NBA teams to embrace weight training. He gave scouting and management opportunities to African-Americans and promoted Karen Stack Umlauf to director of basketball operations.

In the 1987 NBA draft, Krause drafted Horace Grant and traded for Scottie Pippen. In 1988, he traded Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright. The starting five of Jordan, Paxson, Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright reached five consecutive Eastern Conference finals from 1989 to 1993 and won three consecutive NBA championships from 1991 to 1993. Krause was named NBA Executive of the Year in 1988.

In 1989 and 1990, he added Stacey King, B. J. Armstrong, and Scott Williams. Krause clashed with Jordan, who allegedly referred to him as 'Crumbs.'

Did You Know?

Krause once called Phil Jackson, then coaching in the CBA, to ask for an analysis of league players.
He played a role in signing Ozzie Guillén and Kenny Williams as a White Sox scout.
Karen Stack Umlauf, originally hired as a secretary, became one of the few women deeply involved in basketball-centric duties.