1966–67 Chicago Bulls season
| 1966–67 Chicago Bulls season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Johnny "Red" Kerr |
| General manager | Dick Klein |
| Owner(s) | Dick Klein |
| Arena | International Amphitheatre |
| Results | |
| Record | 33–48 (.407) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Division Semifinals (Lost to Hawks 0–3) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WGN-TV (Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd) |
| Radio | WGN (Lou Boudreau, Vince Lloyd) |
The 1966–67 Chicago Bulls season was the first season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Draft picks[]
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[]
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
InjuredRegular season[]
The brand-new Chicago Bulls franchise earned its first victory on October 15, 1966, with a 104–97 win over the St. Louis Hawks. The team's coach was Johnny "Red" Kerr, a former player with the Syracuse Nationals, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Baltimore Bullets. He is one of a select group of players to surpass the 10,000 mark in both rebounds and points, and he held the league record for consecutive games played with 844 until Randy Smith eclipsed his mark during the 1982–83 season.
Chicago's starting lineup on opening night included Len Chappell, Bob Boozer, Don Kojis, Jerry Sloan, and Guy Rodgers. In the team's victorious debut against St. Louis, Rodgers poured in a game-high 37 points. Three days later the Bulls ran their record to 2–0 by defeating the San Francisco Warriors, 119-116. Then, behind 34 points and 18 assists from Rodgers, Chicago upped its winning streak to three games with a 134–124 triumph over the defending Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Chicago finished with a 33–48 record, the best ever by an expansion team in its first year of play. The Bulls secured a playoff berth in the Western Division, but the Hawks eliminated them in the opening round. Kerr was named NBA Coach of the Year, and center Erwin Mueller made the NBA All-Rookie Team. Rodgers led the NBA in assists with 11.2 per game (including a club-record 24 against the New York Knicks on December 21) and also topped the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game. Rodgers and Sloan represented the new franchise in the 1967 NBA All-Star Game.
Season standings[]
| Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-San Francisco Warriors | 44 | 37 | .543 | – | 18–10 | 11–19 | 15–8 | 24–12 |
| x-St. Louis Hawks | 39 | 42 | .481 | 5 | 18–11 | 12–21 | 9–10 | 21–15 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 36 | 45 | .444 | 8 | 21–18 | 12–20 | 3–7 | 14–22 |
| x-Chicago Bulls | 33 | 48 | .407 | 11 | 17–19 | 9–17 | 7–12 | 17–19 |
| Detroit Pistons | 30 | 51 | .370 | 14 | 12–18 | 9–19 | 9–14 | 14–22 |
Record vs. opponents[]
| 1966–67 NBA records | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CHI | CIN | DET | LAL | NYK | PHI | SFW | STL |
| Baltimore | — | 1–8 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 2–7 | 2–7 | 1–8 | 2–7 | 4–5 |
| Boston | 8–1 | — | 8–1 | 8–1 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 9–0 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 5–4 |
| Chicago | 6–3 | 1–8 | — | 5–4 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 1–8 | 3–6 | 4–5 |
| Cincinnati | 6–3 | 1–8 | 4–5 | — | 7–2 | 3–6 | 6–3 | 1–8 | 5–4 | 6–3 |
| Detroit | 7–2 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 | 4–5 | 0–9 | 2–7 | 2–7 |
| Los Angeles | 7–2 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 6–3 | 4–5 | — | 4–5 | 1–8 | 3–6 | 4–5 |
| New York | 7–2 | 0–9 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 5–4 | — | 1–8 | 5–4 | 4–5 |
| Philadelphia | 8–1 | 4–5 | 8–1 | 8–1 | 9–0 | 8–1 | 8–1 | — | 7–2 | 8–1 |
| San Francisco | 7–2 | 3–6 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 |
| St. Louis | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 1–8 | 4–5 | — |
Playoffs[]
| 1967 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Division Semifinals: 0–3 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–2)
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| 1967 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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[]
- Chicago Bulls seasons
- 1966–67 NBA season
- 1966 in sports in Illinois
- 1967 in sports in Illinois