Jerry Sloan started his coaching career with the team he starred for, the Chicago Bulls. In his three seasons as the head coach of the Bulls he would have one season with a record better than .500. He was let go midway through the 1981-82 season. If he never coached again in the NBA, no one at the time would've been shocked. But, later in the 1980s he was given another chance and was hired as head coach of the Utah Jazz. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In twenty seasons as the head coach of the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan's team has finished with a record below .500 only one time. This occurred in the 2004-05 season when the team had a record of 26-46. While he has never won a championship with the Jazz, despite going to the NBA Finals twice in the back to back seasons of 1996-97 and 1997-98, Sloan remains one of the most well respected coaches in the game. His team always competes and is known for its methodical offense and tenacious defense. Sloan seeks out hard working players and shies away from the prima donnas that seem to populate the rosters of other successful teams. These traits have endeared the team to its fans, making for games in Salt Lake City to be hostile territory for the visiting teams.
To have a winning record in 19 out of 20 seasons in the NBA is both amazing and unheard of. No other coach can match up to this, partially because few other teams have the patience to stick with a coach for this long of a term. This patience has paid off for the Utah Jazz as it has allowed them to retain a guaranteed Hall-of-Fame caliber basketball coach for what will most likely be the bulk of his coaching career.
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