Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan Coaches in 20th Anniversary Game, a Modern-Era NBA Record

When Jerry Sloan took over for then-longtime head coach Frank Layden back on December 9, 1988 he had already been an assistant coach under Layden, who had been the only head coach the Jazz had ever employed since the franchise moved to Salt Lake City from New Orleans.

Even so, I doubt Sloan ever thought he would last 20 years, let alone five, since the lifespan of an NBA coach is far shorter than a dog's. But with constant and unwavering support from owner Larry Miller, Sloan has been able to put his own mark on the Jazz, from his bread-and-butter pick-and-roll to suffocating defense, the brand of which he played...and played well as a gritty, no-nonsense guard for the Chicago Bulls.

Since the farmer from Indiana entered the league from tiny Evansville, he led the Chicago Bulls to a division title before landing a head coaching job with his old team the Bulls. That didn't go as well as his Jazz stint and he was fired after going 94-121. His first job with the Jazz came in 1982 as a scout. He then spent one season with his hometown Evansville Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association before becoming a Jazz assistant under Layden. The rest, of course, is history.

It could be said that Sloan has essentially been with the Jazz since its inception and has outlasted 233 other coaches who have been shown the door in his time as a head coach, which makes his coaching tenure so remarkable. The fact he also has more than 1,000 wins as opposed to fewer than 800 losses has to be a testament to his coaching, although he's be the first to give all the credit to his players and coaching staff and not to himself.

Of course, to be honest he's had lots of help along the way, having been blessed with a supportive front office and some pretty talented players like Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl "The Mailman" Malone, both of whom led Sloan to his only NBA Finals appearance as a head coach. There have been other remarkable players as well, including former auto mechanic/turned 7-foot-4 shot-blocker extraordinaire Mark Eaton, shot wizard Darrell Griffith and Adrian Dantley, a forward who never met a shot he didn't like. The other ironic twist to Sloan is that several of his former players are now or have been NBA head coaches, including Marc Iavaroni (Memphis Grizzlies). His top assistant, Phil Johnson was a head coach with the old Kansas City Kings before Sloan took over and has been with Sloan since he started coaching. The only other person who has been with Sloan, in a matter of speaking, is the ever-boisterous and never-shy radio personality "Hot Rod" Hundley, the voice of the Jazz.

In an era of over-hyped, overpaid clipboard-wielding ex-whatevers, Sloan is the genuine article, commanding respect from a new generation of stars like Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, the next-generation Stockton-to-Malone as well as NBA coaches, players and executives. We may never see another one like him again.