20 Year NBA Head Coach of the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan is being inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame tonight alongside more worthy Michael Jordan, John Stockton and David Robinson.  Sloan’s career was defined by being just good enough to not get fired.  Amongst Sloan’s career achievements:

• 0 Time NBA Champion
• 0 Time NBA Coach of the Year
• 0 Time Olympian
• 1 out of every 4 years of his coaching career, his team won their division
• Most Consecutive Games Coached With The Same Team (The NBA Equivalent to the High School Perfect Attendance Award)
• Might be Jeff Hornacek’s Dad

Sloan’s induction to the Hall of Fame is a testament to being slightly above average.  Its a rare club of being good enough to get there and succeed, but never getting over the top.  Even Susan Lucci won an award after getting nominated 20 times.  Sloan (pictured below with his NBA Championship Trophies) began his career as a player with the Baltimore Bullets in 1965.

Jerry Sloan and all of his Awards

Jerry enjoyed an average career with the Bullets and Bulls in which he went to 2 All Star Games.  Per wikipedia:

A hard-nosed contract negotiator, Sloan earned a reputation of somewhat of a hustler while playing with the Bulls.

Please note that even wikipedia would only afford Sloan the title of “somewhat of a hustler”.  Maybe if he would have been an all out hustler, he could have won a championship or convinced someone to give him an award of some kind.

In his coaching career, Sloan brought that same mediocrity that she flashed during his playing days.  But he wasn’t without innovation.  While most preached dynamic team defense, Sloan worked the art of flopping.  It slowed down the game, made people despise the Jazz (and possibly the state of Utah, also), but it sort of won them some games.

Not enough to win a championship, but good enough to not get fired.

In case you are not familiar with the only art native to Utah, flopping, here is an examples:

Might be Jerry Sloan's kid.

These Oscar-worthy acting performances were said by some to bastardize the integrity of the sport.  Normally, you think professional athletes would worry about their reputation or ethics being questioned being in a system that was built upon dirty play and flopping.  But that is where the genius… well maybe genius is too strong.. the above average intelligence comes in.  The B- student filled his rosters with people who were set to be totally unlikable anyways.  From the guy who lied to his poor, elderly, blind owner (Carlos Boozer) to the guy who was “hunting for little Mexican girls“(Karl Malone), The Athletes of the Utah Jazz have been the envy of people who contort the rules to get slightly ahead all over the world.

In closing, welcome, Jerry Sloan to the place of champions.  The place of legends.  The place of the greats.

And you.

The Hall of Fame.

Here is a video tribute to the Utah Jazz: