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1966–67 Chicago Bulls season

NBA professional basketball team season (inaugural season)

(lost to Hawks 0–3) (Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd) (Lou Boudreau, Vince Lloyd)

The 1966–67 Chicago Bulls season was the first for the expansion franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after failed attempts by the Chicago Stags and Packers-turned-Zephyrs to bring pro basketball to the second-largest market in the country. Although not an artistic success -- the team routinely played to half capacity at the 9,000-seat International Amphitheater on the near South Side -- the debut proved to be historic just the same. Not only did the so-called Baby Bulls finish with a respectable 33–48 record, the best ever by an NBA expansion team at the time, but they also were the first in professional sports to secure a post-season berth on the first try.

Draft picks

Main article: 1966 NBA draft

Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players drafted by the franchise that played at least one NBA game.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	10	Dave Schellhase	G	United States	Purdue
2	20	Erwin Mueller	F/C	United States	San Francisco

Roster

Johnny "Red" Kerr
Al Bianchi

Regular season

While the expansion draft left them with a glut of untested or past-their-prime players from the more established teams around the league, head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr and assistant-former teammate Al Bianchi got the most out of the group. A Chicago native and former NBA player with the Syracuse Nationals, Philadelphia 76ers and Baltimore Bullets, Kerr had never coached at the pro level previously, but his local roots and likable personality made him a popular choice from a marketing standpoint if nothing else.

The Bulls earned their first victory on October 15, a 104–97 win over the St. Louis Hawks on the road that raised eyebrows around the league. Beforehand, Hawks player-coach Richie Guerin had predicted the expansion club would not win more than 20 games the entire season. The starting lineup on opening night included center Len Chappell, forwards Bob Boozer and Don Kojis and guards Jerry Sloan and Guy Rodgers, a three-time All-Star and most established player on the roster. Rodgers led the way with a game-high 37 points.

The Bulls extended their record to 2–0 in a 119-116 victory over the San Francisco Warriors at the Amphitheater. Behind 34 points and 18 assists by Rodgers, they extended the win streak to three games in a 134–124 triumph over the defending Western Division champions Los Angeles Lakers at home. A lack of inside presence and star power brought the team down to the Earth eventually, but not before it posted a respectable 33-48 record and secured a postseason berth.

Kerr was named Coach of the Year, while center Erwin Mueller earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Rodgers led the league in assists with 11.2 per game (including a club record 24 against the New York Knicks on December 21) and paced the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game. Rodgers and Sloan represented the team in the annual NBA All-Star Game.

Postseason

The first appearance for the Bulls in the playoffs was a brief one. The more talented and experienced St. Louis Hawks swept them in three games. Their only home date in the series (Game 3) was moved from the International Amphitheater to the Chicago Coliseum because of a schedule conflict.

Season standings

Game log

1966–67 game log
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1
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3
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5
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9
10
11
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13
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15
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48
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61
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63
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65
66
67
68
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71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81

Playoffs

0–3

Awards and records

Johnny "Red" Kerr, NBA Coach of the Year Award
Erwin Mueller, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team
Guy Rodgers, NBA All-Star Game
Jerry Sloan, NBA All-Star Game

References

http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chicago_Bulls_History-24393-42.html

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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