Chicago Bulls lose two legends in one day

The Chicago Bulls lost two legends yesterday. Norm Van Lier, "Storman' Norman," died at his home at the age of 61. For the last few years, he had been a commentator for the Comcast Sports Network.

Van Lier was a fierce competitor in his playing days as a point guard on those great early 1970s Bulls teams. Unlike Michael Jordan's Bulls, those teams consisted of castoffs and overachievers; Van Lier was just a third round pick in the 1970 NBA draft.

"The Dutchman" was in fact African American, who felt the sting of racism. I remember listening to his radio show when Van Lier recalled that the then-all white University of Alabama basketball team was making inquiries about his playing for the Crimson Tide. Until they found out he has black.

Johnny "Red" Kerr was a creature of Chicago. He was a star basketball player at Tilden High School on Chicago's South Side, then at the Unversity of Illinois, and after a long NBA playing career, Kerr became the Bulls first coach. He later was a Bulls color analyst.

Pro basketball had failed several times before Kerrs' Bulls tipped off in 1966. But the expansion team made the playoffs in their first season.

Van Lier was 61, Kerr, 76.

Rest in peace.

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