On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team hired their second coach, Alvin “Doggie” Fred Julian, in 1948. Julian joined the team after coaching Holy Cross and future Celtic legend Bob Cousy at the collegiate level.
His tenure with the Celtics was a brief one. Recording a 47-81 record with the team over two seasons, the collegiate champion coach was soon let go by Boston, at the end of his second season as head coach for the franchise. Julian is one of only three coaches hired directly from the NCAA ranks in the history of the storied franchise to date.
The others are Rick Pitino (previously with Kentucky) and Brad Stevens (previously with Butler).
On this date in 1982, Celtics owner Harry Mangurian met with the owners of Suffolk Downs about building a new facility on Boston’s North Shore as a ploy to get their rent at Boston Garden — then as now (though in a different iteration) owned by the Boston Bruins.
Ultimately, the threat of the Bruins to move to New Hampshire themselves would send the two teams sharing the garden down another path, but for a short while, nearly saw the facilities move to Revere, Massachusetts.
Ex-Celtic forward David Thirdkill was born today in St. Louis Missouri in 1960.
Thirdkill’s NBA career ended in Boston, but he did it winning a ring with the team in 1986 while averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game with the Celtics over two seasons.
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