Norm Van Lier
Encyclopedia
Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was an NBA basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

.

Biography

Norman Van Lier was born in East Liverpool, Ohio
East Liverpool, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,010.3 people per square mile . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 1,320.8 per square mile...

 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
Midland, Pennsylvania
Midland is a borough located along the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 3,137.-Geography:Midland is located at ....

. 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.

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. One of Van Lier's teammates was future NBA player Simmie Hill
Simmie Hill
Simmie Hill, Jr. is a retired American basketball player. At 6'7", he played the forward position....

. During weekends, Van Lier would hitchhike to the playgrounds in Harlem, once even playing with Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...

.

Van Lier was also a co-captain of his football team, where he played both quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 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.

On June 21, 2008, he 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,” said Van Lier that night. “Uniontown, Midland, Schenley and Ambridge could play with anybody, anytime and in any era in the country.”

College and NBA career

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
Saint Francis University
Saint Francis University is a four-year, coeducational Catholic liberal arts university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular...

 of Pennsylvania, where he eventually emerged as a standout point guard. He graduated from Saint Francis University
Saint Francis University
Saint Francis University is a four-year, coeducational Catholic liberal arts university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular...

 in 1969.

The Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

 selected Van Lier in the third round of the 1969 NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...

, but immediately traded him to the Cincinnati Royals
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

, with whom he led the NBA in assists in 1971. The Bulls then reacquired Van Lier during the 1971–72 season
1971–72 NBA season
The 1971–72 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals....

, and he remained with the Bulls until 1978, appearing in three All-Star games (1974
1974 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 24: at the Seattle Center Coliseum, Jan. 15, 1974.MVP: Bob LanierCoaches: East: Tom Heinsohn, West: Larry Costello.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 66-47*Third Quarter— West, 101-85...

, 1976
1976 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 26: at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, February 3, 1976.MVP: Dave BingCoaches: East: Tom Heinsohn, West: Al Attles.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 50-45*Third Quarter— East, 83-30...

, 1977
1977 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 27: at MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 13, 1977.MVP: Julius ErvingCoaches: East: Gene Shue, West: Larry Brown.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— East, 68-58*Third Quarter— West, 97-89...

) 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. During his ten year career, Van Lier was named to three NBA All-Defense First Teams and five NBA All-Defense Second Teams. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974. Van Lier was waived by the Bulls in October 1978. After playing briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

, he retired in 1979 with career totals of 8,770 points and 5,217 assists.

Van Lier held the record for the longest field goal in NBA history (84 feet) for 24 years until Baron Davis
Baron Davis
Baron Walter Louis Davis is an American professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Drafted as the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Davis was a star at Crossroads School and UCLA....

 broke the record on November 17, 2001 (89 feet).

Post-NBA career

In 1989, Van Lier was the assistant coach of the Worcester Counts in the World Basketball League
World Basketball League
World Basketball League was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1988 season. One of the major differences between it and other leagues was that it...

. 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.

Van Lier was the head basketball coach for the Worcester Vocational Technical High School team during part of the 1989-1990 season. His team reached the Massachusetts Division II championship game.

Van Lier also served as a special disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

 on the Chicago rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 station 97.9 WLUP. In 2002 and 2004, he had supporting roles in the movies Barbershop
Barbershop (film)
Barbershop is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Tim Story, produced by State Street Pictures and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on September 13, 2002. Starring Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Anthony Anderson, the movie revolves around social life in a barbershop on the South Side of...

and Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Barbershop 2: Black in Business is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, produced by State Street Pictures and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on February 6, 2004...

.

On February 25, 2009, Van Lier was unexpectedly absent from his scheduled television appearance on Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....

 following a Bulls game. On February 26, 2009 he was found unresponsive in his apartment on Chicago's Near West Side. Fellow Bulls broadcaster and former Bulls head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr
Johnny Kerr
John G. “Red” Kerr was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals...

 also died later that day.

NBA stats

Season Team GP MPG RPG APG PPG
1969-70 Royals 81 35.7 5.0 6.2 9.5
1970-71 Royals 82 40.5 7.1 10.1 16.0
1971-72 Royals/Bulls 79 30.6 4.5 6.9 11.5
1972-73 Bulls 80 36.0 5.5 7.1 13.9
1973-74 Bulls 80 35.8 4.7 6.9 14.3
1974-75 Bulls 70 37.0 4.7 5.8 15.0
1975-76 Bulls 76 39.8 5.4 6.6 12.6
1976-77 Bulls 82 37.8 4.5 7.8 10.2
1977-78 Bulls 78 32.4 3.6 6.8 7.3
1978-79 Bucks 38 14.6 1.1 4.2 2.8
Career N/A 746 35.1 4.8 7.0 11.8

External links

  • Career Stats at basketball-reference.com
  • Obituary in the Chicago Tribune
    Chicago Tribune
    The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

  • The Bullfighter - an upcoming documentary film
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK