We took a week off to regroup, but we are back! It’s time to continue our mega-popular Chicago non-hall of fame sports hero challenge!!! We give you two athletes that contributed to the Chicago sports landscape and put them in the proverbial cage to battle it out for blog votes. The winner moves on to the next day (Jeopardy! rules) to face a new Chicago non-hall of fame sports hero.  Today? We pick up where we left off with winner Norm Van Lier taking on…Billy Buck.

Norm Van Lier: His Bulls basketball career spanned over several decades (playing in 70s, broadcasting in 90’s/00s). Norm was a defensive marvel, named to three all-defensive teams. He also had a magnetic personality, one that made him a star before basketball in Chicago was king. According to Wikipedia: Van Lier held the record for the longest field goal in NBA history (84 feet) for 24 years until Baron Davis broke the record on November 17, 2001 (89 feet). Stormin’ Norman Van Lier also made a name for himself with his broadcast duties during the championship runs, as well as after.

Bill Buckner: Let’s forget about Buckner in Boston. He has his own fans there. But in Chicago, Buckner was a beast. He played during the down-years of the Cub in the early 80’s, but he was the star. He was a clutch hitter with a mustache to boot. I didn’t know this, but Buckner played his first game with the Dodgers in 1969! I had no idea he was in the league that long before coming to Chicago. He only struck out 453 times in his career and made the all-star team one time in 1981, while wearing Chicago pinstripes. Buckner may be a laughingstock in Boston, but he is remembered fondly on the North Side.