By Brian Kopycinski
Norm Van Lier was truly one of a kind, a fierce competitor and a legend both on and off the court. A native of Midland, Pennsylvania, Van Lier rose from humble beginnings to enjoy a decade-long NBA career, most notably with the Chicago Bulls.
At Midland High School, Van Lier distinguished himself across three sports. He played quarterback and safety in football, shortstop in baseball, and emerged as a standout on the basketball court. His talent even drew interest from the St. Louis Cardinals, who offered him a professional contract out of high school, an opportunity he declined. In 1965, Van Lier was a key contributor on the legendary Midland Leopards basketball team that finished 28–0 and captured the PIAA state championship. Playing alongside Simmie Hill, the Leopards defeated Steelton-Highspire 90–61 in the title game.
After high school, Van Lier attended a tryout practice at the University of Cincinnati before enrolling at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, much closer to home. Over three seasons with the Frankies, he helped lead the program to a 55–20 record. Van Lier scored 1,410 career points, averaging 18.8 per game, and finished his college career as the program’s third-leading scorer at the time. During the 1967–68 season, he also set a school record with 290 assists. He earned first-team All-East honors twice and was named an honorable mention All-American on two occasions. Van Lier even received a tryout opportunity with the Cincinnati Bengals as a defensive back, but ultimately stayed committed to basketball. In 1969, he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the third round (34th overall) of the NBA Draft, though he was soon traded to the Cincinnati Royals.
A scrappy, physical guard, Van Lier quickly made his mark in Cincinnati, playing alongside Oscar Robertson and under player-coach Bob Cousy. By his sophomore season, he led the NBA in assists. While with the Royals, Van Lier made history by becoming the first player ever to record a scoreless double-double. On January 5, 1971, against the Los Angeles Lakers, he finished with 0 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in a Royals victory. During the 1971–72 season, Van Lier was traded back to Chicago, where he became a cornerstone of the Bulls’ strong teams of the early 1970s under head coach Dick Motta, alongside Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, and Chet Walker.
The backcourt duo of Norm Van Lier and Jerry Sloan was relentless and widely regarded as one of the toughest defensive pairings in the league. Van Lier often credited Sloan with helping shape his work ethic and approach to the game. In Van Lier’s first four seasons with Chicago, the Bulls won 50 or more games three times. One of his most memorable performances came in Game 6 of the 1973 Western Conference Semifinals, when he put on a defensive masterclass against Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich. Van Lier held Goodrich to just four points and recorded a then-record 10 steals, helping Chicago force a Game 7. Chicago ultimately fell to Los Angeles, but Van Lier’s impact was evident.
In 1974, Van Lier became the first player from Beaver County to earn NBA All-Star honors. Over his career, he was selected to three All-Star Games and earned eight All-Defensive Team honors. He averaged 11.8 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Van Lier spent his final NBA season in 1978–79 with the Milwaukee Bucks before retiring at age 31. Notably, he and Michael Cooper are the two players with the most All-Defensive Team selections who have yet to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Following his playing career, Van Lier transitioned seamlessly into broadcasting, spending more than 20 years as a television and radio color analyst for the Bulls. His passion, honesty, and deep knowledge of the game further endeared him to Chicago audiences and solidified his place in Bulls history. Norm Van Lier passed away on February 26, 2009, at the age of 61. In 2025, he was posthumously inducted into the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor. He is also a member of the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame (1984) and the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame (1999).
“Stormin’ Norman” remains one of the greatest athletes to ever come from this region. Underrated in Bulls history and overlooked among the game’s all-time defensive greats, Norm Van Lier’s legacy as both a player and broadcaster deserves serious future consideration for the Basketball Hall of Fame.