Former Chicago Bulls Center Tom Boerwinkle Died

Tom Boerwinkle, who played 10 seasons for the Chicago Bulls, passed away on Tuesday. Per the Daily Herald: “If anyone grabbed 37 rebounds in a single NBA game these days, that player would be hailed as a legend. Tom Boerwinkle did it for the Bulls on Jan. 8, 1970 against Phoenix, but playing in the era of great centers, that mark — still a franchise record — was largely overlooked. More recently, Boerwinkle was a frequent visitor to the United Center, always friendly, always supporting his former team. No one spent more time with the Bulls (10 seasons) without playing for another team. Boerwinkle died Tuesday at 67 following a long illness, though you wouldn’t have known he was sick by watching him. He spent some time working on the Bulls broadcast team and radio announcer Neil Funk knew him better than anyone. ‘He was successful, yet no one worked harder at it,’ Funk told Bulls.com. ‘He bought a failing oil company and made it a success. He was the kind of guy, we’d get back from a road trip and he’d be going to his office. Yet, you’d never hear him ever talk about long hours. So successful, but so low key about it.’ Boerwinkle was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1968 draft out of Tennessee. He currently ranks second on the team’s all-time rebound list, fifth in games played and eighth in assists.”