Norm Van Lier

Norm Van Lier

No. 23, 2, 4
Point guard
Personal information
Date of birth	April 1, 1947(1947-04-01)
Place of birth	East Liverpool, Ohio
Nationality	American
Date of death	February 26, 2009(2009-02-26) (aged 61)
Place of death	Chicago, Illinois
High school	Midland (Midland, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	173 lb (78 kg)
Career information
College	Saint Francis
NBA Draft	1969 / Round: 3 / Pick: 34th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	1969–1979
League	NBA
Career history
1969–1971	Cincinnati Royals
1971–1978	Chicago Bulls
1978–1979	Milwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
3× NBA All-Star (1974, 1976–1977) All-NBA Second Team (1974) 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1976–1977) 5× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1971–1973, 1975, 1978)
Career NBA 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

Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was an NBA basketball player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls.

Biography

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].

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^{[citation needed]}, finishing 28-0 and easily winning the Pennsylvania State Championship. One of Van Lier's teammates was future NBA player Simmie Hill.^[2] 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]}

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.”^[3]

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 of Pennsylvania, where he eventually emerged as a standout point guard. He graduated from Saint Francis University in 1969.^[4]

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. The Bulls then 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 was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974. Van Lier was waived by the Bulls in October 1978.^[5] After playing briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks, 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 broke the record on November 17, 2001 (89 feet).^{[citation needed]}

Post-NBA career

In 1989, Van Lier 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.^[3]

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.^[6]

Van Lier also served as a special disc jockey on the Chicago rock music station 97.9 WLUP.^[7] In 2002 and 2004, he had supporting roles in the movies Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business.^[8]

On February 25, 2009, Van Lier was unexpectedly absent from his scheduled television appearance on Comcast SportsNet following a Bulls game. On February 26, 2009 he was found unresponsive in his apartment on Chicago's Near West Side.^[9][10] Fellow Bulls broadcaster and former Bulls head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr 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

See also

• List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ben Joravsky. "Back in the Game". Chicago Reader. July 21, 1994. Retrieved on March 4, 2009
2. ^ White, Mike (August 27, 2006). "WPIAL 100 years: These are the athletes who have helped define it". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06239/716766-49.stm. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Jim Frasier. "Midland’s Norm Van Lier inducted into WPIAL Hall of Fame". New Pittsburgh Courier. July 3, 2008. Retrieved on February 27, 2009.
4. ^ 2005 Saint Francis University Alumni Directory p. 319.
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ Van Lier Goes Back To Basics
7. ^ Feder, Robert (June 10, 2005). "Familiar voice helps WXRT cut to the Chase". Chicago Sun-Times: p. 73. 
8. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1235533/
9. ^ http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/02/former-bulls-star-norm-van-lier-dead-at-67.html
10. ^ Former Bulls player, broadcaster Van Lier dead at 61

External links

• Career Stats at basketball-reference.com
• Obituary in the Chicago Tribune
• The Bullfighter - an upcoming documentary film

Persondata
Name	Van Lier, Norm
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 1, 1947
Place of birth	East Liverpool, OH
Date of death	February 26, 2009
Place of death	Chicago, Illinois