ARONLD J. "RED" AUERBACH


Born;
September 20, 1917
Brooklyn, New York

Died;
October 28, 2006

Enshrined;
April 13, 1969
As a coach.



Led Washington to two division titles (1947, 1949)

Coached the Boston Celtics to eight straight NBA championships (1959-66) and nine overall

First coach in history to win 1,000 games (1,037-548)

Led Boston to 10 Eastern Division titles in 16 years (1956-66)

NBA Coach of the Year (1965)

Named greatest coach in the history of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (1980)

Coached 11 Hall of Famers

Named NBA Executive of the Year (1980)

NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time team coach (1970)

Coached in the NBA East-West All-Star Game 11 consecutive years (1957-67) and compiled a 7-4 record

Authored the widely circulated basketball book Basketball for the Player, the Fan and the Coach





Red Auerbach is the architect and mastermind behind one of the most dominant franchises in professional sports history, the Boston Celtics. The cigar-chomping Auerbach wasn't a passive bench coach, but an aggressive, demanding and often volatile mentor who coached 11 Hall of Famers and led Boston to 10 Eastern Division titles in 16 years. Auerbach's passionate style reaped large rewards.

From 1959 to 1966, the Celtics won eight straight NBA championships, a streak unmatched in sports history. His 938-479 (.662) career coaching record currently ranks fifth all-time in NBA history. Auerbach led Boston to 99 playoff victories, third all-time behind Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. Auerbach showcased his coaching prowess in 11 straight All-Star games. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1965, and in 1970, was selected as the NBA's 25th Anniversary All-Time Team coach. In 1980, the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (PBWAA) named Auerbach the greatest coach in the history of the NBA.

Auerbach began his coaching career in 1946 in the BAA with the Washington Capitals and led them to the 1947 and 1949 division titles. In 1950, Auerbach became head coach of the Boston Celtics. After coaching, Auerbach joined the Celtics front office full-time and in 1980 was named NBA Executive of the Year.






QUOTES

"An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise."

"Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up."

"He who believes in nobody knows that he himself is not to be trusted."

"Just do what you do best."

"The best way to forget ones self is to look at the world with attention and love."

"The commercial class has always mistrusted verbal brilliancy and wit, deeming such qualities, perhaps with some justice, frivolous and unprofitable."

"The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology."

"To a father, when a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, the past dies."








Number retired January 4, 1985


The number signifies the fact that Auerbach is second only to Walter Brown as the most significant person in the history of the Boston Celtics organization.