Jerry Sloan, the Utah Jazz’s Hall of Fame coach and beloved Beehive State icon, dies at 78
Jerry Sloan was seemingly a man of contradictions. On the one hand, a legendary NBA coach known for his intense, no-nonsense demeanor and a fierce competitive streak, to say nothing of his frequent foul-mouthed rage toward referees; on the other, though, a simple, humble farmer with an affinity for antique stores, yard sales, and vintage tractors, decked out in overalls and a grimy John Deere ball cap, and secretly possessed of a sweet and tender side.
And yet, those who knew him best say there was never really any contradiction at all, that with Sloan, you always knew what you were going to get.
Jerry Sloan, who guided the Utah Jazz for 23 seasons and became the fourth-winningest coach in NBA history in the process, died Friday.
He was 78.
Sloan’s fiery, aggressive on-court persona saw him go from little McLeansboro (Ill.) High School all the way to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In between, he was a two-time All-Star as an NBA player, and guided the Jazz to consecutive NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, and 15 consecutive playoff appearances between 1989 and 2003 as a coach.
And along the way, he touched the lives of innumerable people — teammates, players he coached, colleagues, opponents — and left a permanent mark.
“The tough guy who was always the first to come to your rescue, the first out on the court when anything went wrong, to have your back, the guy you didn't want to mess with. And so it's difficult because [he was] so instrumental in your development, not just as a player, but as a man,” said longtime Jazz forward Thurl Bailey. “It was the little things sometimes: 'Tuck your shirt in, son, respect the game. Be on time. Be a leader. Don't take any crap on the court from anybody. Protect your teammates.' It's tough. It's tough. But Jerry would obviously want you to buck up and go do your job, and do the best you can, and have an effect on people's lives in a positive way. I love that man. I always have, always will.”
Other former colleagues echoed those sentiments.
“He was one of those iconic coaches who was a wonderful example of consistency, mental and physical toughness, demanding but fair, suffered no fools, took no prisoners,” Spurs coach and executive Gregg Popovich said. “And we did our best to try to emulate all that, because it was pretty impressive and pretty successful. He was a wonderful coach, and an even better human being.”
“There aren’t many people in the profession that I respect more than Jerry Sloan,” added former Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. “To have that kind of sustained success in a league as competitive as the NBA is incredible.”
The late league commissioner David Stern
once called Sloan “one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NBA.”
And indeed, only three NBA coaches have amassed more regular-season wins than his 1,221 — Don Nelson (1,335), Lenny Wilkens (1,332), and Popovich (1,272). Sloan was also just one of two coaches ever to win at least 1,000 games with the same team.
On Jan. 31, 2014, the Jazz raised a banner with the number 1,223 — signifying the total number of regular-season and playoff victories Sloan earned with the Jazz — to the arena rafters.
After coaching the Chicago Bulls for 2½ seasons, Sloan came to Utah as an assistant in 1984, when then-head coach Frank Layden hired him. Sloan would replace Layden on Dec. 9, 1988, and go on to coach the team until 2011.
“I had a great deal of respect for him. He had great retention. He had a lot of what I thought Johnny Wooden had. Johnny Wooden, people don’t realize this: He never scouted opponents; he said, ‘They got to worry about us. I don’t have to worry about them.’ And Jerry felt the same way. Jerry said, no matter who we played, ‘This is how we play. We play tough defense, we go over the top, we beat guys to the spot, we got our hands up, we’re moving our feet.’ He was like Vince Lombardi on defense. And he thought that that was the constant. And he added that to our team,” Layden told The Tribune. “I said this when I retired and Jerry was taking over: ‘Jerry will take this team to another level. I’ve taken them as far as I can go. I don’t think I can do anything else. But Jerry’s gonna take it to the next level.’ And, of course, that’s what he did.”
Over the next 23 years, he guided the Jazz to a record of 1,127-682. With Hall of Fame players Karl Malone and John Stockton leading the way, Utah reached the Western Conference finals five times between 1992 and 1998. In ’97 and ’98, the Jazz finally advanced to the NBA Finals, though they lost in six games both times to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Sloan suddenly resigned from the team and quit coaching on Feb. 10, 2011, after a 91-86 loss to the Bulls. During the game, he had the last in a long series of run-ins with All-Star point guard Deron Williams. Sloan would eventually return to the Jazz as a senior adviser in 2013.
“Jerry Sloan will always be synonymous with the Utah Jazz. He will forever be a part of the Utah Jazz organization and we join his family, friends and fans in mourning his loss,” the Jazz said in a statement. “We are so thankful for what he accomplished here in Utah and the decades of dedication, loyalty and tenacity he brought to our franchise.”
Current Jazz coach Quin Snyder added: “I was honored by the opportunity to follow in Coach Sloan’s giant footsteps, and subsequently humbled by the task of trying to uphold the standards and the success that are synonymous with his legacy. The clear identity that he established for Jazz Basketball — unselfishness, toughness and the essential importance of Team — has always left a palpable responsibility to strive for.”
Current Orlando Magic assistant Tyrone Corbin has a unique perspective on Sloan, having played for him, coached alongside him, and ultimately having succeeded him as head coach after Sloan’s resignation.
“He’s a man that I have tremendous respect for as a human being. One of the most loyal, humble, hardworking, straight-up guys that you can ever meet. And he’s always been that way,” Corbin told The Tribune. “… For him to ask me, and actually give me an opportunity to be on his coaching staff and to learn and be around him more and to learn more about him as a person, that was just a tremendous honor. And what a guy. Just what a guy.”
Sloan was never voted the NBA’s Coach of the Year despite his success — a fact that seemed to bother others more than him.
“I just think there’s a lot more to basketball than individual awards,” he said.
