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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.
During Ferry's tenure as GM from 1973 to 1990, the Bullets won their only NBA Finals in 1978 and made it to three other Finals: the Bullets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971, the Golden State Warriors in 1975 and the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. Ferry also won the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1979 and 1982, and was one of only 11 league GMs to win the award in multiple seasons at the time of his death.
He was also one of four GMs in NBA history with at least 700 wins, 13 NBA playoffs, 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.
Ferry quit as the Bullets GM on June 12, 1990, on the heels of two subpar seasons, having come to a mutual agreement with Pollin that the franchise was in need of a change in administration. He then became a scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hawks (who relocated to Atlanta), and the Brooklyn Nets over the next quarter of a century. 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. In the 31 seasons from his retirement until his death, the since-renamed Wizards advanced to the playoffs just ten times.
Ferry was a practicing Catholic Church. 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.
Personal life
Ferry was married to Rita Brooks for over sixty years until his death. They met at Saint Louis University. Together, they had three children: Bob Jr., Danny Ferry, and Laura. Danny had a thirteen-year NBA playing career, 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.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
St. Louis 62 14.1 .426 .639 3.8 .6 5.9 Detroit 79* 21.0 .451 .741 6.3 1.6 11.3 Detroit 80* 24.0 .438 .678 6.3 1.8 13.9 Detroit 79 31.4 .433 .649 6.8 2.2 13.6 Detroit 74 20.6 .445 .667 5.8 1.3 10.6 Baltimore 77 16.6 .423 .613 4.6 .8 5.3 Baltimore 66 18.6 .411 .669 5.1 1.7 7.3 Baltimore 51 19.4 .419 .636 5.1 1.8 6.5 Baltimore 59 14.3 .412 .624 3.2 1.0 5.6 Baltimore 7 5.1 .357 .500 1.3 .6 1.9 Career 634 20.2 .433 .664 5.3 1.4 9.1
Playoffs
1960 St. Louis 11 5.1 .526 .571 1.4 .0 2.2 1961 Detroit 5 33.4 .405 .837 12.6 2.2 20.2 1962 Detroit 9 18.4 .457 .605 4.6 1.4 11.1 1963 Detroit 4 35.8 .444 .333 8.8 2.8 12.0 1965 Baltimore 10 6.7 .438 .222 1.9 .8 1.6 1966 Baltimore 3 27.3 .550 .692 8.3 1.0 10.3 Career 42 16.2 .451 .621 4.7 1.1 7.6
External links
Categories: 1937 Births, 2021 Deaths, 20th-century Roman Catholics, 21st-century Roman Catholics, All-american College Men's Basketball Players, American Men's Basketball Players, American Roman Catholics, Basketball Coaches From Missouri, Baltimore Bullets Players, Basketball Players From St. Louis, Catholics From Missouri, Centers, Detroit Pistons Players, Nba Executives, Saint Louis Billikens Men's Basketball Players, St. Louis Hawks Draft Picks, St. Louis Hawks Players
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