BASKETBALL • 1952-54

Johnny “Red” Kerr earned Big Ten Silver Basketball honors in 1954 and First-Team All-Big Ten recognition that season after averaging 25.3 points per game, which remains the second-best scoring average in school history. He finished his Illini career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,299 points, and earned second-team All-Big Ten recognition as a sophomore and junior. Kerr was also the team’s MVP and captain in 1954. The big redhead was named to the 1952 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team. Kerr played for Syracuse in the NBA from 1955-63, for Philadelphia in 1964 and 1965 and at Baltimore in 1966. He finished his career with 12,480 points and 10,092 rebounds, along with an NBA record for most consecutive games played (844) until surpassed in 1983. Following his playing career, Kerr served as head coach three-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns before enjoying a long broadcasting career with the Suns and Bulls. He was named to the Illinois All-Century Basketball Team in 2005. Kerr died in 2009 at the age of 76.