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Legendary Celtics coach Auerbach dead at age 89
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Sam Smith
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The cigar has gone out. But the flame of Red Auerbach, who brightened and illuminated the NBA for 57 years, will never be extinguished.
Auerbach, the greatest non-playing figure in professional basketball annals and likely the most successful coach and team executive in NBA history, died yesterday at 89.
An NBA official said Auerbach died of a heart attack near his home in Washington. His death was announced by the Boston Celtics.
Tributes poured in from the sports world for the feisty, competitive Hall of Fame coach and general manager, who went 938-479 primarily coaching the Celtics and building championship teams for four decades. He was the winningest coach in NBA history until Lenny Wilkens overtook him in the 1994-95 season.
"Red Auerbach was the consummate teacher, leader, and a true pioneer of the sport of basketball," commissioner David Stern said. "The NBA wouldn’t be what it is today without him."
Known as much for his familiar cigar, Auerbach was a solid, fundamental coach and brilliant talent evaluator. But he was also an innovator and visionary who popularized the sixth-man role, played the first all-black starting team in major pro sports and hired the first black coach in longtime star Bill Russell.
Cocky and confident and rarely afraid to voice his opinion, Auerbach still was the Celtics’ president at the time of his death.
With players such as Bob Cousy and Russell, Auerbach drove his Celtics to dynasties seldom imagined in professional sports and likely never to be repeated. He guided the Celtics to 16 championships in all as coach and GM.
He coached the Celtics to nine NBA titles in 10 years — including eight straight from 1959 through 1966. Then he turned the team over to Russell, who won two more as player-coach with Auerbach’s players. Through shrewd deals and foresight he became the architect of Celtics teams that won five more championships in the 1970s and 1980s with players such as Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Dave Cowens.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
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