35 YEARS & COUNTING FOR STACK UMLAUF
AFTER MORE THAN THREE DECADES WITH BULLS, STACK UMLAUF IN 2ND SEASON AS ASSISTANT COACH
She joined Bulls’ ticket sales in 1984. Now she’s in her second season as one of nine female assistants in NBA.
Two years ago, longtime Bulls senior director of basketball operations Karen Stack Umlauf was one of a select few chosen to speak at a private memorial service for late Bulls general manager Jerry Krause. As she was listening to what others had to say about her former boss and mentor, Stack Umlauf couldn’t help but wonder: ‘‘What would my legacy be?’’
It’s not every day someone from the marketing department gets tapped for a front-office position and, more than three decades later, for an assistant-coaching job in the NBA. But that’s exactly what happened to Stack Umlauf, who, at 56, became the Bulls’ first female assistant coach last season.
Stack Umlauf, a former Northwestern basketball standout, joined the Bulls in 1984 after playing one season of pro basketball overseas. At the time, she was selling ticket packages.
But that all changed when Krause became the Bulls’ GM in 1985.
Stack Umlauf quickly became Krause’s trusted right-hand woman.
‘‘I was there for him with whatever he needed,’’ said Stack Umlauf, who was Krause’s executive assistant. ‘‘He would call me any hour of the day, and I would try to help. I was a real problem-solver. Whatever project he would give me, anything he needed me to do, I would just do it for him.’’
Though Stack Umlauf was indispensable to Krause, he was willing to let her go when she had an opportunity to become the GM of the Bulls’ WNBA team in 1996.
‘‘[Krause] was very excited for me to maybe have that opportunity to put a team together, like he had done, because he felt like I saw firsthand how you build teams,’’ Stack Umlauf said. ‘‘I was sitting in every draft with him, and I kind of tried to absorb as much as I could.’’
Obviously, that didn’t happen. The plan was nixed because the Bulls didn’t view a WNBA team as a smart business decision at the time.
Stack Umlauf stayed loyal to the Bulls. And she’s forever grateful for the opportunity to be one of nine female assistants in the NBA this season.
‘‘It’s not lost on me,’’ Stack Umlauf said. ‘‘Some of the male season-ticket holders, they’ll come up and say, ‘I’m with my daughter, and she wanted to say hello to you.’ It just means a lot to them to see, ‘Hey, you can do this, too. This is very real.’ ’’
Last season, Stack Umlauf had one hand in the coaching world and another in operations. This season, she floats around as the utility player of the Bulls’ coaching staff.
‘‘She brings a stability, she brings an intelligence, she brings a huge basketball acumen, IQ,’’ coach Jim Boylen said. ‘‘She has great energy.
‘‘She helps me with a lot of things. During the game, she does the sub patterns and also does our in-the-game stuff, the opponent’s in-the-game stuff. She’s a valuable piece of our staff.’’
This season marks Stack Umlauf’s 35th with the franchise. Looking back, she has some fond memories.
One of the highlights of her career came on the night of June 12, 1991. Stack Umlauf was sitting in the stands at the Forum with every expectation that the Lakers were going to send the NBA Finals back to Chicago. Instead, the Bulls won Game 5 to clinch the first of their six NBA titles.
By the time Stack Umlauf got to the locker room, the place already was filled with a thick cloud of cigar smoke and champagne drenched the floor. It was a scene of pure joy, with parents patting their sons’ backs and Michael Jordan shedding a few tears while embracing the gold championship trophy. Krause came over and gave Stack Umlauf a tight bear hug.
Looking back at those videos, Stack Umlauf can’t help but smile. She said she occasionally points herself out in the footage, a young, blond-haired woman standing in the corner, taking in the scene.
‘‘That was just surreal,’’ Stack Umlauf said. ‘‘And at that time, going around those guys was like going around with a rock-star group. They were so popular with Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen and everybody . . . . We soaked in the moment for as long as we could and then a spontaneous party after.’’
Still, Stack Umlauf isn’t one to dwell on the past. She rather would focus on the present. As for what the future holds?
‘‘All I have to worry about is trying to be the best assistant coach,’’ she said.
The rest will play itself out. ✶
‘‘Some of the male seasonticket holders, they’ll come up and say, ‘I’m with my daughter, and she wanted to say hello to you.’ it just means a lot to them to see, ‘Hey, you can do this, too. This is very real.’ ’’
KAREN Stack Umlauf (above), one of nine female assistant coaches in the NBA