Jerry Sloan

Jerry Sloan wrote the book on loyalty in coaching. In an era when coaches and players frequently entertain lucrative offers from other organizations and programs, Sloan quietly built a winner in Utah. He arrived in Salt Lake in 1983, and after flirting with and actually nabbing the head job with the CBA’s Evansville Thunder, Sloan ultimately stayed with the Jazz finally taking over in 1988. More than 20 years later, Sloan owns the longest coaching tenure with the same team in professional sports. One of the game’s most successful coaches at any level, Sloan is the only NBA coach to record 1,000 wins with the same franchise. He is one of only three coaches in NBA history to win at least 50 games in 10 or more seasons and for good measure he led the Jazz to 15 consecutive playoff appearances from 1988 to 2003. His winning record may only be surpassed by his class and dignity in life.