Last Updated on April 14, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Jerry Sloan was a legendary basketball player and coach, best known for his tenure as head coach of the Utah Jazz. Here’s detailed information about him:

Player Profile

Personal Information:

  • Full Name: Gerald Eugene Sloan
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: March 28, 1942
  • Place of Birth: McLeansboro, Illinois, USA
  • Date of Death: May 22, 2020 (aged 78)
  • Height: 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters)
  • Weight: 195 pounds (88 kilograms)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 6 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 14 (US)
  • Jersey Number(s): 4
  • Position: Shooting guard / Small forward

Educational and Athletic Background:

  • High School: McLeansboro High School, McLeansboro, Illinois
  • College:
    • Evansville College (now the University of Evansville)

Professional Career:

  • NBA Draft:
    • Selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1965 NBA Draft.
  • Teams Played For:
    • Baltimore Bullets (1965–1966)
    • Chicago Bulls (1966–1976)
  • Championship Rings: None as a player (though highly respected for his defensive play).

Coaching Career:

  • Assistant Coach for the Chicago Bulls (1978–1979).
  • Head Coach for the Chicago Bulls (1979–1982).
  • Head Coach for the Utah Jazz (1988–2011).
    • Took the Jazz to two consecutive NBA Finals (1997, 1998).

Legacy and Achievements:

  • Player Achievements:
    • 2× NBA All-Star (1967, 1969)
    • 4× NBA All-Defensive First Team
    • First player to have his jersey number retired by the Chicago Bulls (#4).
  • Coaching Achievements:
    • 1,221 career wins as a head coach (4th most in NBA history at the time of his retirement).
    • Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2009).

Personal Life:

  • Children: Sloan had three children.
  • Siblings: Jerry Sloan was the youngest of 10 children.

Jerry Sloan’s player archetype was that of a hard-nosed two-way wing, a rugged shooting guard/small forward whose game was built on relentless defense, physicality and no-frills offensive production. Defensively, he operated as a tone-setting stopper, hounding perimeter players, fighting through contact and setting a bruising standard that made him one of the league’s most respected defensive guards of his era. Offensively, Sloan was not a flashy creator, but he was an effective complementary scorer who attacked in straight lines, finished through traffic, rebounded his position and capitalised on effort plays rather than style points. Physically, he brought strong wing size at 6-foot-5 and roughly 195 pounds, pairing that frame with toughness, stamina and the kind of edge that let him play bigger than many guards. Altogether, his play style was defined by grit, discipline and competitive force, making him the sort of player who could anchor a team’s defensive identity while still giving dependable scoring and rebounding from the wing. (NBA)

Sources:

Chicago Bulls — The Original Mr. Bull
Chicago Bulls — Jerry Sloan, Mr. Chicago Bull
NBA — Year-by-year NBA All-Defensive Teams