Just days after it was widely reported that the longest running coach in the NBA, make that the longest tenured coach in all of sports, was getting his contract extended for another year, today the news is totally opposite. Utah Jazz leader Jerry Sloan is resigning, with a press conference to come later today.
He is the only coach in NBA history with 1,000 wins for one team and fourth on the list of all-time most-winning NBA coaches. He has also coached one team longer than anyone in NBA history. The 2010-11 season was his 23rd season at the helm of the Jazz.
After Tom Kelly stepped down as manager of the Minnesota Twins in 2001, Sloan became the longest tenured head coach in American major league sports with their current franchise. The only manager in any top professional league that has headed their current team for longer is Alex Ferguson of the English football team Manchester United.
He played for the Chicago Bulls during the franchise’s formative years. He was the first player selected by the Bulls in the expansion draft, earning him the nickname “The Original Bull.” Sloan played in two All-Star Games during his NBA career, and was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team four times. He is currently fourth on the Bulls’ all-time scoring list.
For more with/about Sloan go here