On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary coach and general manager Red Auerbach announced iconic Boston big man Bill Russell would replace him as head coach.
Earlier in the season, Auerbach revealed the 1965-66 NBA season would be his last as head coach, and after losing Game 1 of the 1966 NBA Finals, the Celtics luminary revealed Russell would succeed him. The Louisiana native would become the first Black head coach of any major professional sports team in North America — never mind just basketball — and Boston went on to win the 1966 NBA championship.
Auerbach stayed on as the team’s general manager until late in the 1980s and remained involved in team affairs until he passed away in 2006.
It is the date the Celtics drafted shooting guard legend Sam Jones in the 1957 NBA draft. Selected eighth, Jones had played his college ball at North Carolina Central and went on to a storied career with Boston.
The North Carolinian won 10 titles with the Celtics, trailing only Bill Russell in total number of rings, and was elected to five All-Star Games between 1962 and 1968.
Happy birthday in heaven Andy Duncan. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/bhMiJ1NWQw
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) April 17, 2021
It is the birthday of early Boston big man Andy Duncan, who played 14 games for the Celtics in the 1950-51 NBA season.
Born in 1922, the former William and Mary player averaged 2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.6 in his short stint with Boston.
It is also the birthday of former Celtics center Theo Ratliff, who was born on this day in 1973 in Demopolis, Alabama.
Ratliff was traded to Boston in the summer of 2006 by the Portland Trail Blazers along with Sebastian Telfair and draft assets for Dan Dickau, Randy Foye, and Raef LaFrentz.
Ratliff played two games for the Celtics due to back problems before being dealt with Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Telfair, and draft considerations to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.
He averaged 2.5 points, 3.5 boards, and 1.5 blocks per contest over that very brief run with Boston.
It is the birthday of small forward Ed Searcy, another Celtics short-timer who played four games for Boston in 1975.
Searcy, who was born in 1952 in New York City, averaged 1.5 points and 0.3 assists in that stint and in the most technical sense possible, won a championship with the team — though he was long gone by the time the playoffs began.
Finally, Searcy, Ratliff, and Duncan share their birthday with ex-Celtics shooting guard Matt Ryan. In something of an odd pattern, Ryan was another Boston short-timer, appearing in just one regular season game for the Celtics.
The White Plains, New York native was born on this day in 1997 and played his college ball at Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and Chattanooga before joining Boston as an unsigned free agent to fill a two way slot.
Ryan logged 3 points in his sole game with the Celtics.
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