This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's sudden resignation Thursday stunned the NBA.

Nobody saw it coming.

Nobody could believe that the career of the longest-tenured coach in professional sports was over. And going with him: one of the last links to the NBA's old school.

"I was too shocked to have a reaction," Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "It caught us all off-guard, caught me off-guard. It's kind of a sad day, to me, for the league. He's been such a stable guy in the league. He's been there, like this rock. And all of a sudden the rock is gone. It's like your franchise moved or something. It's strange."

Not everyone was surprised. Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton has continued to talk regularly to his old coach. He knew something was afoot. He also knew that longtime Jazz assistant Phil Johnson would ride out of town with Sloan when the time came.

"Sometimes it's just time. … At some point, you just get a little tired," Stockton said.

"He's a foxhole guy and those people are rare. So is Phil. They've been a package deal for a long time. The Jazz are losing two incredible people in one swoop, but I know they will rebound."

For almost 23 seasons, Sloan epitomized bedrock fundamentals and reminded us of a time when coaches were in charge. Sloan coached great players — Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton for starters — but it is what he represented that left NBA officials, coaches and former players with a sense of loss.

"Few people have epitomized all the positives of team sports more than Jerry Sloan," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement. "A basketball lifer, Jerry was as relentless in his will to win on the sidelines for the Utah Jazz as he was as an All-Star guard for the Chicago Bulls.

"In over two decades as a coach, he taught his players that nothing was more important than the team," he added. "His most impressive qualities were his leadership and his extraordinary ability to encourage his players to subjugate their individual games for the benefit of the whole. Two trips to The Finals and over 1,200 regular-season victories more than validate his philosophy."

What many admired most about Sloan was that he always did it his way. Sloan was tough and gruff much of the time, but soft and understanding when he needed to be. He coached exactly the way he played for the Chicago Bulls in the 1960s and '70s — with sandpaper grit and sharp elbows.

"He was someone that you always had admiration and respect for," Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He was stubborn, but you have to be as a coach. He had a system and the system was effective. It's not easy to have a good team in Utah. It's not the biggest draw in the country as far as free agents go. But they were able to have a great home record. They played the kind of basketball that was admirable."

Jackson saw his glimpse of the future when Sloan was in college, playing at Evansville. Three times, he saw Sloan's Aces go up against Walt Frazier and Southern Illinois. Three times he witnessed Sloan's tenacity, and how hard he played.

"He was the same kind of player you saw as a coach on the bench," Jackson said. "He kind of led the Bulls to their rise and fall in the '70s. Jerry was a solidifier and a captain. He was great as a player. He was even better as a coach."

That's why, for many around the NBA, Thursday turned out to be a sad day.

"I'm shocked," former Jazz coach Frank Layden said. "I didn't see this coming. I knew that the team had its ups and downs. But I haven't seen anything that would provoke this. If he would've resigned effective at the end of the season, that would've been more understandable. My emotions are shaken by this."

Sloan's resignation also likely marks the end of an era.

I don't think it will ever happen again," Karl said of Sloan's nearly 23-year coaching tenure. "I don't think it will happen with any sport that I know of. I think [Bobby] Cox, and [Sloan], one other guy — Jeff Fisher? — I don't think that will ever happen again. I'd be shocked."

tjones@sltrib.comtwitter: @tonyaggieville