Johnny Kerr

Did You Know?

• Kerr's father was born in Scotland and was a top soccer player; he died of pneumonia when Kerr was three years old.
• Kerr and his wife Betsy adopted her sister's three children after the sister died within months of her husband.
• Kerr's oldest child, John Jr. (Jay), died of meningitis at age three.

College career

Kerr initially planned to attend Bradley after graduating high school in January 1950, but a visit from Illinois freshman Irv Bemoras led him to commit to the Fighting Illini. He made his varsity debut as a sophomore in the 1951–52 season, helping Illinois capture the Big Ten championship with a 12–2 conference record (22–4 overall) and reach the NCAA Final Four. The Illini defeated Dayton and Duquesne before losing to St. John's in the semifinals, then beat Santa Clara in the third-place game; Kerr scored 26 points in that contest and was named to the 1952 NCAA All-Tournament team.

He led the team with a 13.7-point average and Illinois finished No. 2 in the final AP poll. The 1952–53 team finished second in the Big Ten to national champion Indiana, with Kerr averaging a team-high 17.5 points. In his senior year, Kerr grew to 6-foot-9 and became a full-time center. The 1953–54 Illini placed third in the Big Ten with a 10–4 record (17–5 overall) and lost to Indiana in the conference championship game.

Kerr led the Big Ten in scoring with a 25.3-point average and set a single-season team record with 556 points. Over three varsity seasons, he scored 1,299 points, averaging 18.6 per game.

Professional career

The Syracuse Nationals selected Kerr with the sixth overall pick of the 1954 NBA draft. After a limited role early in his rookie season, he earned increased playing time and averaged 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in the regular season. In the playoffs, Kerr started alongside Dolph Schayes, Red Rocha, Paul Seymour, and George King. He scored 27 points with 14 rebounds in a 110–100 victory over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division finals, and the Nationals won the series in four games.

Syracuse then defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games to capture the NBA championship, with Kerr averaging 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in the finals. Kerr became a three-time All-Star (1956, 1959, 1963) and averaged double-doubles in scoring and rebounding from 1956–57 through 1963–64. His career-high scoring average was 17.8 points per game in 1958–59, and his career-high rebounding average was 14.7 per game in 1961–62. Over 76 playoff games, Kerr averaged 12.3 points and 10.6 rebounds.

He played in 917 consecutive games from 1954 to 1965, including 844 regular-season games, a record that stood for 17 years.

Coaching career

After being hired as head coach of the expansion Chicago Bulls, Kerr convinced owner Dick Klein to claim Jerry Sloan in the expansion draft and lobbied for the acquisition of Guy Rodgers in a trade. The trade led the NBA to change rules preventing expansion teams from making trades for one year. Before the season, St. Louis Hawks player-coach Richie Guerin predicted the Bulls would win fewer than 20 games. The Bulls won their first game 104–97 over the Hawks, with Rodgers scoring 36 points.

Kerr emphasized team defense and the fast break, letting Rodgers run the offense. Rodgers set an NBA record with 908 assists that season, averaging 11.2 assists and 18 points. Rodgers and Don Kojis introduced the backdoor baseline lob slam dunk (the alley-oop), though its origins are disputed. The Bulls finished 33–48, fourth in the Western Division, and qualified for the playoffs—the first expansion team in major professional team sports to do so.

They lost to the Hawks in the Western Division Semifinals. Kerr was named NBA Coach of the Year, the only person to receive the award with a sub-.500 record through the 2024–25 season.

Broadcasting, front office career

Kerr spent the 1970–71 and 1971–72 seasons as administrative vice president of the Virginia Squires in the ABA, then became general manager in 1972. Kerr returned to the Chicago Bulls as business manager from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, play-by-play announcer Jim Durham suggested Kerr provide commentary, and Kerr remained a color commentator through the 2007–08 season. He was part of the Bulls' six championships in the 1990s and Michael Jordan's entire career with the team.

Kerr became known for his call on Jordan's series-winning basket in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference playoffs, shouting, "The Bulls win it! We win it! ... Whooo! Jordan and Kerr had a pre-game ritual where Jordan would clap talcum powder in front of Kerr.

Kerr made occasional halftime appearances in the first half of the 2008–09 season as his prostate cancer worsened. The Bulls honored him at a February 10, 2009 halftime ceremony, unveiling a sculpture at the United Center. President Barack Obama spoke in his honor, and Mayor Richard M. Daley declared February 10, 2009, Johnny Red Kerr Appreciation Day in Chicago.