Arnold “Red” Auerbach (1917-2006)

In this culture we throw around platitudes as if they were nickels and dimes. Words like “legend” and “dynasty” in a sports context have lost much of their luster due to overuse. Over the weekend came news of Arnold “Red” Auerbach’s passing at the age of 89. Before the ESPNizaton of sport, million dollar sneaker contracts and agents, Red was a legend and the team he coached and managed for fifty years was a dynasty. Sixteen NBA championships in thirty years, top that. The only teams that are in the same league are the Yankees and Le Club de Hockey Canadien. There was a time when wearing that uniform meant something special.

Because of his feisty, competitive nature, Red made a lot of enemies and a legion of friends. He never was shy about boasting in the winner’s circle, either. Lighting the victory cigar before the final buzzer went off was an arrogant tactic that his rivals despised. Even in semi-retirement, Red remained the essence of the Celtics, and their storied tradition. I will admit to having lost interest in the Celtics some time ago, probably around the time that Johnny Most ceased to be the team’s radio voice. Johnny was an unabashed homer who could create a dramatic aura (“high above courtside, where the Boston Celtics are about to do basketball battle…”) even when the Celts were pummeling a doormat on the road. Red and Johnny were two of the characters who made the game an event, and growing from adolescence to adulthood, the Celtics were a nighttime radio mainstay on long, cold winter nights.

Red (and his omnipresent cigar) was as much a part of the old Garden as were those mythical “dead spots” on the Celtics’ parquet. The head games he played with opponents were legendary, cold showers in the (usually unheated) visitors’ locker room, the aforementioned court problems, the list goes on. He would intimidate opponents, horrify officials, vociferously protesting calls, and ran, ran, ran the Celtics foes off the court. The cigar was a big part of his act. Come playoff time in the spring, the Garden would become a sauna, loud and smelly. Red used every quirk at his disposal for any possible advantage. That’s why the Celtics were always so much fun. And what other coach/builder was responsible for maintaining a championship legacy with three distinct teams.

Team 1 (’56-’69)
Russell –C, Cousy-G, Sharman-G, Sam Jones-G, KC Jones-G, Heinsohn –F, Satch Sanders-F, Don Nelson-F, Bailey Howell-F, Frank Ramsey- (6th Man #1), John Havilcek (6th Man #2).

Team 2 (’74-’77)
John Havilcek –G/F, Jo Jo White – G, Dave Cowens- C, Paul Silas-F, Charlie Scott-F

Team 3 (’81-86):
Bird-F, McHale-F, Parish-C, Walton-C, Maxwell-F, Carr- G/F, Dennis Johnson-G, Archibald-G, Ainge-G

There have been wall-to-wall media tributes for Red in the past few days; and rightly so. Several local media outlets had extensive coverage, which would lead the casual observer to conclude that Red’s passing was not unexpected. Be that as it may, Red defined what it was “to be a Celtic”, which is to play hard, smart, know where you’re supposed to be at all times and never accept anything short of total victory on the court. Even today, a casual observer of the game can look at a guy and say, “yeah, he’s a Celtic.” Paul Pierce is a Celtic, Antoine (and his ass wiggle) was not.

The greatest player in the history of team sports, Bill Russell, was the ultimate Celtic: (and why there is no statue of him in front of the Garden defies logic) thirteen seasons in the Association (the last two as a player/coach), eleven titles. If you were a kid growing up in Boston through the Sixties, it was an accepted fact that the Celtics would win. It was no accident, either. Red had a tremendous gift of motivating players to perform at a high level for so long, that there is no basis of comparison in team sports. Maybe the only guy that comes close is Casey Stengel and his run managing the Yanks from ’49-60.

After he stepped aside from the bench, Red established himself as a builder of the first order. Some of the trades and draft choices he made were brilliant, if not outright thievery. You can look them up in the record books if you’re so inclined. The man knew his game and he knew how to treat people as individuals. Much like Paul Brown, Red spawned an entire generation of players that went on to highly successful careers as coaches in the pro and college ranks.

The last twenty years have not been especially kind to the Celtics, considering the untimely deaths of Reggie Lewis (he was a “Celtic”) and Len Bias, L’Affaire Pitino, and the transformation of the NBA from a team endeavor to a showcase for street ball individualists. These days, sports pundits use the awful phrase “face of the franchise”. For 55 years, Red was not only the Celtics’ face, but its true heart and soul. And now, he is gone. Will the “Celtics Mystique” fade into memory and will the Celtics be just another team? Perhaps the answer is left for another day, for today we honor the memory of a man who was truly a catalyst for positive cultural change. The only color that mattered to Red was Celtic Green. Considerations of “race” were irrelevant to Red. It was simply a matter of who was the best person for the job. He was hailed for drafting the NBA’s first black player, hiring its first black coach, and fielding the first all-black starting five. Later, he was reviled by certain authors for alleging that the Celtics purposely selected white players. A prevarication that requires no rebuttal, as one need only consider Red’s entire body of work. All Red cared about was winning. It is the manner in which he won that was noteworthy. He didn’t look at the color of a man’s skin, he only cared about what was in their heart. The fact that his vehicle for change was a ball and a hoop is the external manifestation. His greatest accomplishments lie in the spirit: working with people, demanding their very best effort and respecting their talents as individuals within a collective dynamic.

Farewell, Red, and thank you.