Caught up with the opening two hours of #TheLastDance. I can share two Central Illinois memories of MJ’s early years as a Bull. I first saw him play in person at the game advertised here. #Thread
A few weeks before launching his second season in the NBA, Jordan visited Bloomington-Normal to play in a Special Olympics benefit.
6,000 people packed into Illinois State University’s Horton Fieldhouse for the event that also raised money for the future Redbird Arena. As a youngster, my ticket was $3.
Can you imagine being a staffer at the local radio station and suiting up as Jordan’s teammate?!? The squad was coached by Stan Albeck — at the time a recent hire to coach the Bulls.
Albeck lasted one season, the year of MJ’s broken foot. In the 1985 charity game, Jordan scored 71 points against a team made up of former college players living in Bloomington-Normal.
Four years later, I was a sports writer for the student newspaper at Eastern Illinois University. Fellow reporter @allagattolla and I drove to Champaign-Urbana to cover a Phil Jackson media event.
The Bulls promoted an upcoming preseason game at the University of Illinois by sending Jackson (hired that summer) and Jerry Krause to meet the press.
Hot topics: The controversy of Krause dumping Doug Collins as coach, and new Bulls Stacey King (selected sixth in the 1st round!) and B.J. Armstrong (the No. 18 pick overall).
As Eastern students, Al and I played up the angle of former EIU star Jay Taylor (1967-1998) being a rookie on the New Jersey Nets — the Bulls’ opponent in the preseason game.
Krause and Jackson seemed to get along great, and I’m pleasantly surprised to see I made the photo of Phil. I’m probably to blame for that “Taylor, Jordan to chill Champaign” headline.
Anyway, I’m waiting for #TheLastDance to mention “Crumbs” as the players’ nickname for Krause. They didn’t call him that because he offered small salaries. It was because his shirts carried the evidence of every snack.
Finally, I hope the coolest Bull, Horace Grant, gets some love in this series!
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