Karen Stack Umlauf is a former executive and assistant coach of the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls.

Karen Stack Umlauf
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High schoolOak Forest (Oak Forest, Illinois)
College
Coaching career2018–present
Career history
As coach:
20182020Chicago Bulls (assistant)

Stack Umlauf was a standout basketball player for the Northwestern Wildcats in the early 1980s.[1] After a year of playing basketball overseas, she joined the Bulls in 1985, starting with a role of selling tickets.[2] Over the next decades, she rose to become director of basketball operations for 20 years and later senior director of basketball administration.[3]

In 2017, she lobbied Bulls head of basketball operations John Paxson to let her coach. She was first assigned to the summer league.[4] In so doing, she became the Bulls' first female assistant coach, combining that role with the role of director of team operations.[5]

On October 12, 2020, the organization announced Stack Umlauf would not return to the coaching staff under newly hired head coach Billy Donovan.[6]

Personal life

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Stack Umlauf is the sister of Jim Stack, a former scout and assistant general manager for the Bulls and later general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves.[4] She is also the aunt of NBA player Frank Kaminsky.[7]

References

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  1. ^ O'Donnell, Jim (1996-12-29). "Wait and see: Karen Stack was one of the greatest women basketball players in Northwestern University history". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  2. ^ Kenney, Madeline (2019-11-02). "Karen Stack Umlauf shares unusual path to becoming Bulls' first female assistant coach". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  3. ^ Bremen High School District 228 (2012-09-21). "Oak Forest Hs Welcomes Two New Members to the Hall of Fame". Patch. Retrieved 2020-03-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Johnson, K.C. (2018-07-04). "Bulls Make Karen Stack Umlauf Their First Female Coach with Promotion to Summer-League Associate". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  5. ^ Mawicke, Megan (2019-03-11). "Bulls' First Female Coach Stacks Up Just Fine In The NBA". CBS. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  6. ^ Johnson, K.C. (12 October 2020). "Donovan begins staff overhaul, lets go of multiple assistants". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  7. ^ Johnson, K.C. (2019-02-02). "Lisle's Frank Kaminsky enjoys the family affair of Bulls-Hornets". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-06.