Red Auerbach won the NBA title in each of his final 8 seasons as an NBA head coach. He is the only coach to win an NBA title in his final season.
Auerbach coached the Celtics for 16 seasons. He made the playoffs in every season and won 9 NBA titles. Only Phil Jackson has won more NBA titles as a head coach (11). Auerbach coached 11 Hall of Famers in Boston, including Bill Russell.
Auerbach coached two other teams prior to taking over the Celtics. He coached the Washington Capitols for 3 seasons and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks for 1 season. The Capitols are now defunct and the Blackhawks have since morphed into the Atlanta Hawks.
Auerbach was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 1964-65 and Executive of the Year in 1979-80. He is 1 of 4 people to win both awards (Frank Layden, Pat Riley, Larry Bird).
In 1950, Auerbach drafted the first black player in NBA history (Chuck Cooper). In 1966, he hired the first black coach in NBA history (Bill Russell). Auerbach was the first coach to start 5 black players.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.
As a Minneapolis Laker fan who saw his first NBA game at the age of 5, Elgin Baylor’s rookie year, and hated the Celtics, there is no person who is more responsible for the glorious game that professional basketball is today around the world than Arnold “Red” Auerbach. Thanks, Pete. P.S. George Mikan should have made the final cut for your greatest Lakers. Why? He changed three rules: 1. widened the key from 6′ to 12′ ; 2. defensive goaltending; and, 3. after the debacle at Fort Wayne in 1954, the 24 second clock. Once again, Sheridan Hoops rules, pun intended.