A History of Professional Basketball in Chicago, Part 1: Introduction

Towards the end of my senior year of high school, my English teacher informed us that we would be doing a final research paper for him. A senior thesis, of sorts. I seized upon the opportunity to write about the Bulls, and this was the result. Now, because my bosses are on my back about continuing to post even though nothing’s actually happening in the NBA right now, I thought it might be a good time to break it out and pass it along to you. Here’s the introduction, examining how and why the Chicago Bulls came to be called the Chicago Bulls. Enjoy. I’ve often wondered why a basketball team in Chicago would be named the Bulls. I mean, it sounds fine, and it works well, but it seems kind of random. Well, as it turns out, the Bulls’ nickname comes from the mind of a child. In 1966, prior to the Bulls’ first season in existence, Owner Richard Klein was attempting to find a suitable name for his new franchise. He was struggling a bit with it, most notably with the idea of syllables. All ...