Jerry Krause, Architect of Chicago Bulls 1990s Dynasty, Dies

CHICAGO, IL - Jerry Krause, the NBA general manager who built a Chicago Bulls team that would win six championships and dominate the sport in the 1990s, has died. He was 77.

Krause died on Tuesday, according to multiple early afternoon reports from professional basketball reporters.

Known as "The Sleuth," Krause was a Chicago native who spent decades in basketball as a professional scout and general manager, where he gained notoriety with the Bulls.

He was hired in 1985 by owner Jerry Reinsdorf and spent the next 14 years with the team. Along the way he drafted Horace Grant, traded for the likes of Scottie Pippen and Bill Cartwright and brought in Dennis Rodman to help the team achieve a second three-peat in the 1990s.

Krause was the general manager for all six of the Bulls' championship teams, winning titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. While he built a majority of that team, Krause did not draft Michael Jordan. That was done in 1984 by his predecessor, Rod Thorn.

Three trades that helped define the Bulls' success — Pippen for Olden Polynice, Cartwright for Charles Oakley and Rodman for Will Perdue — helped Krause earn the rare distinction of a GM being honored with a banner in the rafters at the United Center. He's currently a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame.

When Krause fired Bulls' head coach Doug Collins after a winning season and Eastern Conference finals appearance in 1989, many in the game could not explain the move. But Phil Jackson, the man Krause hired to replace him, led the team to all six titles.

An obituary from Chicago Jewish Funerals said Krause often referred to himself as "the luckiest man having a loving family and being able spend his time doing what he loved.”

Bulls fans and those closely connected to Chicago mourned Krause's death throughout the day on Tuesday.

"Jerry Krause was a homegrown legend who built a dynasty recognized around the world," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "He will forever be remembered as the architect of one of the most dynamic eras in Chicago sports history, who made the Bulls synonymous with Chicago and brought basketball to the world stage."

Krause was a graduate of Taft High School in Chicago and later served as a scout for the Baltimore Bullets, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers before he was with the Bulls.

He also worked for Reinsdorf as a baseball scout for the Chicago White Sox for a few years.

Krause leaves behind his wife, Thelma and children Stacy (Scott) Cooper and David (Michelle) Schiff. A private family service will be held.

Jerry Krause, GM of the Bulls for their six title teams, passed away this afternoon at age 77, a member of the family told the Tribune. RIP
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 21, 2017

(Photo by Bill Kostroun | Associated Press): Chicago Bulls executive vice-president Jerry Krause listens as the Bulls were chosen to pick fourth in the draft at the 2001 Draft Lottery Sunday, May 20, 2001, in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Bulls had a 25 percent chance to win the first pick but dropped to fourth as the Washington Wizards won the first pick.