Celtics Coach Red Auerbach Retires
On this day in 1966, Red Auerbach retired as head coach of the Boston Celtics after leading the team to 11 championships in 16 years. The Brooklyn native was a genius at acquiring talented players who made good teams great. He brought Bill Russell, Jo Jo White, Dave Cowans, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale to Boston. His style mixed simple set plays with the fast break, and his tactic of "the sixth man" — a star player coming off the bench at key moments — dramatically changed the way the game was played. He further revolutionized professional basketball by being the first NBA coach to draft an African American and the first to put five African American players on the court at the same time.
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