Jerry Krause, most famous for building the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls, but a baseball man as well, passed away today. He was 77.
Krause was scouting for the Chicago White Sox when Jerry Reinsdorf hired him to run the Bulls in 1985, Michael Jordan’s rookie year. Chicago would go on to win six titles on his watch due in large part to his assembling of a strong supporting cast around MJ.
After leaving his job with the Bulls he returned to baseball, scouting briefly for the New York Yankees and then moving on to spend five years with the New York Mets. After a second stop with the White Sox he was hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks as a special assistant in 2011. He also spent time with the Cleveland Indians, Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners during his baseball career.