Bob Ferry

Robert Dean Ferry (May 31, 1937 – October 27, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, assistant coach, and general manager (GM) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and Baltimore Bullets from 1959 to 1969. He then served as GM of the Bullets from 1973 to 1990, overseeing the franchise's only NBA championship in 1978. He played college basketball for Saint Louis.

Early life Ferry was born in St. Louis on May 31, 1937, and was the oldest of four children. His father, Willard, worked at Fisher Body; his mother, Elsie, was a housewife who was also employed by Pet, Inc. He attended Cleveland High School, He graduated with a degree in General Studies that same year, At the end of his rookie season, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ed Conlin. Ferry went on to lead the NBA in games played in 1960–61 (79) and 1961–62 (80), while finishing eleventh in field goal percentage (.451) in the former season. After four seasons with the Pistons, he was traded to the Baltimore Bullets along with Bailey Howell, Les Hunter, Wali Jones, and Don Ohl in an eight-player blockbuster deal on June 18, 1964, that included future Hall of Famer Rod Thorn. Ferry ultimately played ten seasons in the NBA with the Hawks, Pistons, and Bullets, scoring 5,780 points to go along with 906 assists and 3,343 rebounds. His son, Danny, joked that owner Abe Pollin made Ferry GM because of the latter's success selling numerous advertisements for the Bullets' game programs, which gave management the impression that Ferry "must know a lot about business".

He was also one of four GMs in NBA history with at least 700 wins, 13 playoff appearances, and one championship, the others being R. C. Buford, Jerry West, and Jerry Krause. Ferry was responsible for hiring K. C. Jones (1973) and Unseld (1988), becoming the second GM in the NBA (after Red Auerbach) to hire two African-American head coaches on a permanent basis. He also had a brief stint on The NBA on NBC as an "Insider" alongside Peter Vescey in the early 1990s. He participated in a senior basketball league until he was in his 70s, and also took up tennis and golf. and later was general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. Bob Jr. played for Dematha Catholic High School and Harvard University. Laura is a professor at Georgetown University and marketing executive in the DC Metro area.

Ferry was a practicing Catholic. His family initially resided in Bowie, Maryland, before relocating to Annapolis. He died on October 27, 2021, at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. He suffered from melanoma and a heart condition, and was hospitalized for 12 days prior to his death at the age of 84.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season

Playoffs