John Erickson, former Bucks GM and Big Eight assistant commissioner, dies at 92
John Erickson, who served as executive director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletics and later as director of basketball operations and assistant commissioner for the Big Eight conference in Kansas City, died Wednesday. He was 92.
Erickson also was the first general manager in Milwaukee Bucks history and won a coin flip in 1969 for the first pick in the NBA Draft that season, which allowed the team to select UCLA center Lew Alcindor. Two years later, the Bucks won their only NBA championship.
Erickson stepped down from that position to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin as a Republican in 1970 but lost to incumbent Senator William Proxmire in the general election.
He was Wisconsin’s head coach from 1959-67 and compiled a 110-114 record, finishing second in the Big Ten once. His 1962 team upset top-ranked Ohio State. Erickson started his college head coaching career at Lake Forest in Illinois.
While serving as the FCA’s exeuctive director, Erickson spearheaded the construction of its national headquarters across from the Truman Sports Complex. It was dedicated in 1979.
A family burial was held at Johnson County Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Overland Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The John and Polly Erickson scholarship fund at The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 4:57 PM with the headline "John Erickson, former Bucks GM and Big Eight assistant commissioner, dies at 92."