Chicago Bulls: 15 toughest players in franchise history
Norm Van Lier. 4. player. 24. . PG/SG. (1971-78)
We now come to the man they called “Stormin’ Norman” long before General Norman Schwarzkopf. We have previously mentioned the toughness that symbolized the Bulls teams of the 1970s and Norm Van Lier was the toughest son of a gun on those teams.
He set the tone for those teams to be a mentally and physically tough squad who would take the floor each night to represent the blue-collared folks of Chicago. Playing with maximum effort would come to be a hallmark of those teams, as they refused to be outworked by anyone.
He may have been diminutive in size by today’s standards (6-foot-1, 173 pounds), but any shortcomings in height and weight were more than compensated for by his tenacity.
Think Bruce Bowen or Patrick Beverley in terms of unyielding energy and aggressive style of play. He was also an unrelenting defender and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times and NBA All-Defensive Second Team five times.
His attitude endeared him to the city and quickly made him a fan favorite on a team full of likable players and personalities.
Perhaps the reason he was so beloved is exemplified in this quote from Jim Corno, president of Comcast SportsNet Chicago in a story from Boston.com just after his death in 2009:
"“He wore the Bulls on his sleeve. When the Bulls played well, Norm was good and happy enough. When they didn’t play well, he felt it.”"
Unfortunately, the Bulls community lost “Stormin’ Norman” far too soon at the age of 61, but fans will always remember him for his many contributions to the franchise.