Norm Van Lier
Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was an American professional basketball player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls.
Van Lier with the Chicago Bulls in 1971 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1947 East Liverpool, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2009 (aged 61) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 173 lb (78 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Midland (Midland, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Saint Francis (PA) (1966–1969) |
| NBA draft | 1969: 3rd round, 34th overall pick |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 1969–1979 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 23, 2, 4 |
| Coaching career | 1989–1990 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1969–1971 | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1971–1978 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1978–1979 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| As coach: | |
| 1989 | Worcester Counts (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 8,770 (11.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,596 (4.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 5,217 (7.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life edit
Norman Van Lier was born in East Liverpool, Ohio to Helen and Norm Sr., who worked in a steel mill for 31 years. He was raised, along with three brothers and a sister, in Midland, Pennsylvania. Van Lier had three other brothers who died after birth; he named one of them Elgin Baylor Van Lier I. Van Lier would look back fondly to his childhood playing tackle football with a taped coffee can for a ball due to their circumstances. He would later credit this upbringing in forming his famed work ethic later in life.[1]
High school career edit
Van Lier was a member of the 1965 Midland High School Leopards, considered by many to be one of the greatest high school basketball teams of all time, finishing 28-0 and easily winning the Pennsylvania State Championship.[2] One of Van Lier's teammates was future NBA player Simmie Hill.[3] During weekends, Van Lier would hitchhike to the playgrounds in Harlem, once even playing with Billy Cunningham.[1]
Van Lier was also a co-captain of his football team, where he played both quarterback and safety. He was recruited to play for several colleges, but none allowed him to play his desired position of quarterback. Van Lier had received offers to play professional baseball as well, after starring on his high school and county all-star teams.[citation needed]
College career edit
Van Lier's modest 6'1" stature and his emphasis on defense kept him under the radar of stardom, and he was not recruited by major basketball powers. He attended Saint Francis University of Pennsylvania, where he eventually emerged as a standout point guard. He graduated from Saint Francis University in 1969.[4]
Professional career edit
Cincinnati Royals (1969–1971) edit
The Chicago Bulls selected Van Lier in the third round of the 1969 NBA draft, but immediately traded him to the Cincinnati Royals, with whom he led the NBA in assists in 1971. On January 5 of that year, Van Lier became the first player in NBA history to have a scoreless double-double with zero points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. A scoreless double-double did not happen for another 50 years, when on December 26, 2021, rookie Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder compiled 10 assists and 10 rebounds in the Thunder's 117–112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[5]
Chicago Bulls (1971–1978) edit
The Bulls reacquired Van Lier during the 1971–72 season, and he remained with the Bulls until 1978, appearing in three All-Star games (1974, 1976, 1977) over the course of six seasons.
Nicknamed "Stormin' Norman" for his tenacity and aggression, Van Lier was one of the most popular Bulls players of the 1970s.[citation needed] During his ten-year career, Van Lier was named to three NBA All-Defense First Teams and five NBA All-Defense Second Teams. He has the most selections alongside Michael Cooper to not be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974. Van Lier was waived by the Bulls in October 1978.[6]
On January 19, 1977, Van Lier broke the record for the longest successful field goal in NBA history at 84 feet; the record stood for 24 years until Baron Davis eclipsed it on November 17, 2001, from a distance of 89 feet.
Milwaukee Bucks (1978–1979) edit
After playing briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks, Van Lier retired in 1979 with career totals of 8,770 points and 5,217 assists.
Coaching career edit
In 1989, Van Lier was the assistant coach of the Worcester Counts in the World Basketball League.
Van Lier was the head basketball coach for the Worcester Vocational Technical High School team during part of the 1989–90 season. His team reached the Massachusetts Division II championship game.[7]
Media career edit
Van Lier served as a color analyst on Bulls radio broadcasts from 1980 to 1982. In 1989 he was the assistant coach of the Worcester Counts in the World Basketball League. From 1992 to 2009, he was a television pre-game and post-game analyst for Chicago Bulls games. He frequently appeared on other Chicago television programs to discuss the Bulls, and at one point co-hosted a sports talk radio show.[8]
Van Lier also served as a special disc jockey on the Chicago rock music station 97.9 WLUP.[9] In 2002 and 2004, he had supporting roles in the movies Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business.[10]
Legacy edit
On June 21, 2008, Van Lier was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame. "Western Pennsylvania is football country, but my years are considered the golden era of basketball not only in the state but maybe the country," Van Lier said that night. "Uniontown, Midland, Schenley and Ambridge could play with anybody, anytime and in any era in the country."[8]
Death edit
On February 25, 2009, Van Lier was unexpectedly absent from his scheduled television appearance on Comcast SportsNet following a Bulls game. He was found dead in his apartment in Chicago's Near West Side neighborhood on February 26, 2009.[11] Fellow Bulls broadcaster and former Bulls head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr also died later that day.[12]
Career statistics edit
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
NBA edit
Regular season edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | Cincinnati | 81 | — | 35.7 | .403 | — | .741 | 5.0 | 6.2 | — | — | 9.5 |
| 1970–71 | Cincinnati | 82* | — | 40.5 | .420 | — | .816 | 7.1 | 10.1* | — | — | 16.0 |
| 1971–72 | Cincinnati | 10 | — | 27.5 | .311 | — | .773 | 5.8 | 5.1 | — | — | 7.3 |
| 1971–72 | Chicago | 69 | — | 31.0 | .456 | — | .791 | 4.3 | 7.1 | — | — | 12.1 |
| 1972–73 | Chicago | 80 | — | 36.0 | .445 | — | .787 | 5.5 | 7.1 | — | — | 13.9 |
| 1973–74 | Chicago | 80 | — | 35.8 | .406 | — | .778 | 4.7 | 6.9 | 2.0 | .1 | 14.3 |
| 1974–75 | Chicago | 70 | — | 37.0 | .420 | — | .792 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 2.0 | .2 | 15.0 |
| 1975–76 | Chicago | 76 | — | 39.8 | .366 | — | .737 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 2.0 | .3 | 12.6 |
| 1976–77 | Chicago | 82* | — | 37.8 | .412 | — | .778 | 4.5 | 7.8 | 1.6 | .2 | 10.2 |
| 1977–78 | Chicago | 78 | — | 32.4 | .419 | — | .751 | 3.6 | 6.8 | 1.8 | .1 | 7.3 |
| 1978–79 | Milwaukee | 38 | — | 14.6 | .390 | — | .904 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 1.1 | .1 | 2.8 |
| Career | 746 | — | 35.1 | .414 | — | .780 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 1.8 | .2 | 11.8 | |
| All-Star | 3 | 1 | 12.3 | .286 | — | .500 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .7 | .3 | 1.7 | |
Playoffs edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Chicago | 4 | — | 36.0 | .415 | — | .857 | 6.3 | 8.3 | — | — | 14.0 |
| 1973 | Chicago | 7 | — | 36.9 | .349 | — | .733 | 5.3 | 5.1 | — | — | 14.4 |
| 1974 | Chicago | 11 | — | 42.4 | .424 | — | .830 | 4.3 | 6.8 | 1.5 | .3 | 14.6 |
| 1975 | Chicago | 13 | — | 42.1 | .409 | — | .747 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 1.5 | .4 | 15.1 |
| 1977 | Chicago | 3 | — | 44.7 | .158 | — | .833 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 3.3 | .3 | 5.3 |
| Career | 38 | — | 40.8 | .389 | — | .784 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 1.7 | .3 | 13.9 | |
References edit
- ^ a b Ben Joravsky. "Back in the Game". Chicago Reader. July 21, 1994. Retrieved on March 4, 2009
- ^ Cubbal, Kayleen. "Midland Sports Hall of Fame inducts seven athletes, 1965 basketball team". The Times. For the Times. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ White, Mike (August 27, 2006). "WPIAL 100 years: These are the athletes who have helped define it". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ 2005 Saint Francis University Alumni Directory p. 319.
- ^ "Thunder's Josh Giddey posts scoreless double-double, becoming second NBA player in history to do so".
- ^ "Chicago Bulls All-Time Transactions".
- ^ Van Lier Goes Back To Basics
- ^ a b Jim Frasier. . Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). New Pittsburgh Courier. July 3, 2008. Retrieved on February 27, 2009. - ^ Feder, Robert (June 10, 2005). "Familiar voice helps WXRT cut to the Chase". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 73.
- ^ "Norm van Lier".
- ^ "Ex-Bulls great van Lier found dead in Chicago". February 26, 2009.
- ^ "Sad day for Bulls: Van Lier, Kerr die". STLtoday. February 27, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
External links edit
- Career Stats at basketball-reference.com
- Obituary in the Chicago Tribune
- Book, "Cincinnati's Basketball Royalty", by Gerry Schultz