Johnny Red Kerr (1932 - 2009)

March 13, 2009

It’s been a bad year for the Bulls and Chicago sports fans.

On February 26th, Norm Van Lier was found dead in his house (as yet undetermined cause of death), then the Bulls’ team visits the White House to see barry, and then Johnny Kerr dies from prostate cancer.

Bulls’ GM John Paxon and Johnny Red Kerr in happier days.

Johnny ‘Red” Kerr passed just 16 days after he was honored at the United Center on Feb 10th. Mayor Daley proclaimed it Johnny Red Kerr Appreciation Day. At halftime (against the Pistons) Johnny’s bronze statue was revealed and he was awarded Basketball Hall of Fame’s John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Jerry Colangelo.

It was a moving ceremony I wished I hadn’t seen because Big Red was not himself and his voice was a whisper of what he once was. He tried - but couldn’t stand. His spirit was still there, though. Micheal Jordan and Scottie Pippen spoke and were quite moved. MJ had a special relationship with Red - Red proud that he had seen Michael play every game in his Bulls’ career.

Three days later, on Feb 13 the Red was named one of the 16 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - along with other Bulls Michael Jordan and Jerry Sloan. He was not given the honor while he was alive to cherish it - same thing the MLB Veterans Committee is doing to Ronnie. It’s wrong.

Halftime Ceremony honoring Johnny on February 10th.

Part 1

Diegoris23

Part 2

Part 3

Scottie Pippen & MJ - made sure to”baby powder” him for the last time & barry obama

John Paxson presenting Johnny’s statue

Part 4

Johnny’s son speaks for him and then Johnny speaks.

MJ

mouthpiecesports

Scottie Pippen

mouthpiecesports

Nice article about Kerr by KC JOHNSON.

On Dec. 23, 2000, Red was gracious enough to grant his first interview after the passing of his wife of 46 years, Betsy, two months earlier. We sat in Red’s hotel room in Townsend, Mich., and talked through laughs and tears for close to two hours. Wet facial tissues half-filled a wastebasket.

And then Red brightened.

“I would call her every day for the last 20 years and I would say, ‘Did anybody tell you that they loved you today?’ And she would say no,” Red said that day in December 2000. “And I would say, ‘Well, I do.’

“And then sometimes she’d say, ‘Yes, the kids told me.’ And I’d say, ‘Well, I love you too.’ Every morning I wake up and look out the window and say it still.”

Tom Dore (his broadcasting partner of 17 years) said Johnny made him promise to put “I told you my feet were killing me” on his gravestone.

Plenty of other articles and photos in the Trib.

Uniform patch for Red and Stormin’ Norman Van Lier

Johnny “Red” Kerry

July 17, 1932 - February 26, 2009