The architect of the Bulls’ 1990s dynasty, former general manager Jerry Krause, has passed away at the age of 77, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Krause, a longtime scout for the White Sox, became the general manager of the Bulls in 1985, one year after the team drafted Michael Jordan. In 1987, he executed the franchise-changing draft-night trade of Olden Polynice for Scottie Pippen, while also drafting Horace Grant that same year to cement what would become the core of the Bulls’ first three-peat.
He remained in place as the Bulls’ general manager until he retired in 2003, retooling in the mid-1990s with the trade for Dennis Rodman and overseeing a full rebuild in the immediate post-Jordan era.