Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext) | '{{Infobox Celebrity
| name = Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach
| image = RedAuerbach.jpg
| caption = Auerbach speaking after being honored with the Lone Sailor Award on October 25, 2006
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1917|9|20|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2006|10|28|1917|9|20}}
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
|
| occupation = [[Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame NBA coach]]
| salary =
| networth =
| spouse = Dorothy Lewis
| children = Nancy Auerbach Collins, Randy Auerbach
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach''' (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was a [[basketball]] coach of the [[Washington Capitols]], the [[Tri-Cities Blackhawks]], and the [[Boston Celtics]]. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death. As a coach, he won 938 games (a record at his retirement)<ref name="pride">{{cite web |last=May |first=Peter |title=Auerbach, pride of the Celtics, dies |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/10/29/auerbach_pride_of_celtics_dies/ |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=Boston.com }}</ref> and nine [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) championships (surpassed only by [[Phil Jackson]]). As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29 years, making him one of the most successful team officials ever in the history of North American professional sports.<ref name="jockbio">{{cite web |title=Red Auerbach biography |url=http://www.jockbio.com/Classic/Red/Red_bio.html |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=JockBio.com }}</ref>
Auerbach is remembered as a pioneer of modern basketball, redefining basketball as a game dominated by team play and tough defense rather than individual feats and high scoring and introducing the [[fast break]] as a potent offensive weapon.<ref name="jockbio" /> He groomed many players who went on to be inducted into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]. Additionally, Auerbach was vital in breaking down color barriers in the NBA. He made history by drafting the first [[African-American]] NBA player, [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]] in 1950, and introduced the first fully black starting five in 1964.<ref name="color">{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Bob |title=Red was just full of color |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/10/30/red_was_just_full_of_color/ |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=Boston.com }}</ref> Famous for his polarizing nature, he was well-known for smoking a cigar when he thought a victory was assured, a habit that became, for many, "the ultimate symbol of victory" during his [[Boston]] tenure.<ref name="jockbio" />
In 1967, the [[NBA Coach of the Year]] award, which he had won in 1965, was named the "Red Auerbach Trophy," and Auerbach was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.<ref name="pride" /> In 1980, he was named the greatest coach in the history of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America,<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/sports/basketball/29auerbach.html?ex=1319774400&en=5a9ed5bdbc403098&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |title="Red Auerbach, Who Built Basketball Dynasty, Dies at 89" |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and was [[NBA Executive of the Year]] in 1981.<ref name="pride" /> In addition, Auerbach was voted one of the [[NBA 50 Greatest Players|NBA 10 Greatest Coaches in history]], was inducted into the [[National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]] and is honored with a retired number-2 jersey in the [[TD Garden]], the home of the Boston Celtics.
==Early years==
Arnold Jacob Auerbach was born as one of four children of Marie and Hyman Auerbach. Hyman was a [[Russian Jewish]] immigrant from [[Minsk]], Russia, and Marie Auerbach, née Thompson, was American-born. Auerbach Sr. had left Russia when he was 13,<ref name="team" /> and the couple owned a [[deli]] and later went into the dry-cleaning business. Little Arnold spent his whole childhood in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]] playing basketball. Given his flaming red hair and fiery temper, he was soon nicknamed "Red."<ref name="jockbio" />
In the midst of the [[Great Depression]], Auerbach Jr. played basketball at PS 122 and in the Eastern District High School, but with his relative diminutive height of 5–9 and his [[asthma]], he never was really successful. His only achievement was being named "Second Team All-Brooklyn" by the World-Telegram in his senior year.<ref name="jockbio" /> Upon graduating in 1935, Auerbach planned to go into basketball coaching. After several rejections due to relatively low academic scores, Auerbach was accepted into the basketball program of Bill Reinhart of [[George Washington University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref name="jockbio" /> Auerbach became a standout basketball player and graduated with a [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]] in 1941.<ref name="team" /> In those years, Auerbach began to understand the importance of the [[fast break]], appreciating how potent a quick attack with three charging attackers versus two back-pedalling defenders would be.<ref name="jockbio" />
==First coaching years (1941–50)==
In 1941, Auerbach began coaching basketball at the [[St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)|St. Albans School]] and [[Roosevelt High School]] in Washington, DC.<ref name="team" /> Two years later, he joined the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] for three years, coaching the Navy basketball team in [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]]. There, he caught the eye of Washington millionaire Mike Uline, who hired him to coach the [[Washington Capitols]] in the newly-founded [[Basketball Association of America]] (BAA), a predecessor of the NBA.<ref name="jockbio" />
In the [[1946-47 BAA season]], Auerbach led a fast break-oriented team built around early BAA star [[Bones McKinney]] and various ex-Navy players to a 49–11 win–loss record, including a standard-setting [[List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks|17-game winning streak]] that stood as the single-season league record until 1969. In the playoffs, however, they were defeated by the [[Chicago Stags]] in six games.<ref name="team">{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/auerbach_red.html |title=Auerbach's Celtics played as a team |last=Hilton |first=Lisette |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[ESPN|ESPN.com]]}}</ref>
The [[1947-48 BAA season|next year]] the Capitols went 28–20<ref name="team" /> but were eliminated from the playoffs in a one-game Western Division tie-breaker.<ref name="jockbio" /> In the [[1948-49 BAA season]], the Caps won their first 15 games (still a league-record start) and finished the season at 38–22.<ref name="team" /> The team reached the BAA Finals, but were beaten by the [[Minneapolis Lakers]], who were led by Hall-of-Fame [[center (basketball)|center]] [[George Mikan]]. In the next season, the BAA and the rival league [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] merged to become the NBA, and Auerbach felt he had to rebuild his squad. However, owner Uline declined his proposals, and Auerbach resigned.<ref name="jockbio" />
Auerbach was then approached by [[Ben Kerner]], owner of the [[Tri-Cities Blackhawks]]. After getting a green light to rebuild the team from scratch, Auerbach traded more than two dozen players in just six weeks, and the revamped Blackhawks improved, but ended the [[1949–50 NBA season]] with a losing record of 28–29. When Kerner traded Auerbach's favorite player [[John Mahnken]], an angry Auerbach resigned again.<ref name="jockbio" />
==Boston Celtics (1950–2006)==
===The early years (1950–56)===
[[Image:2003-12-05 - 11 - Boston at Christmas.jpg|thumb|A bronze statue of Auerbach sits at [[Quincy Market]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]]]
Prior to the [[1950–51 NBA season]], Auerbach was approached by [[Walter A. Brown|Walter Brown]], owner of the [[Boston Celtics]]. Brown was desperate to turn around his struggling and financially strapped franchise, which was reeling from a terrible 22–46 record.<ref name="team" /> So, the still young but already seasoned Auerbach was made coach. In the [[1950 NBA Draft]], Auerbach made some notable moves. First, he famously snubbed Hall-of-Fame New England [[point guard]] [[Bob Cousy]] in the [[1950 NBA Draft]], infuriating the Boston crowd. He argued that the flashy Cousy was too air-headed to make his team, taunting him as a "local [[yokel]]."<ref name="jockbio" /> Second, he drafted African-American [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]], the first black player to be drafted by an NBA club.<ref name="AfricanAmerican1st">{{cite web |url=http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1175/Chuck_Cooper_one_of_the_NBAs_first_Black__players |title=Chuck Cooper, one of the NBA's first Black players |accessdate=2007-08-21 |publisher=The African American Registry }}</ref> With that, Auerbach effectively broke down the [[color barrier]] in professional basketball.<ref name="color" />
In that year, the core of the Celtics consisted of Hall-of-Fame center [[Ed Macauley]], Auerbach's old favorite McKinney and an unlikely addition, Bob Cousy. Cousy had refused to report to the club which drafted him (ironically, Auerbach's old club, the Blackhawks), and because his next team (the Chicago Stags) folded, he ended up with the Celtics. With Auerbach's fast-break tactics, the Celtics achieved a 39–30 record, but lost in the [[1951 NBA Playoffs]] to the [[New York Knicks]]. However, the relationship between Auerbach and Cousy improved when the coach saw that the "[[Harry Houdini|Houdini]] of the Hardwood"--as the spectacular dribbler and flashy passer Cousy was lovingly called--became the first great [[playmaker]] of the NBA.<ref name="jockbio" />
In the following [[1951–52 NBA season]], Auerbach made a remarkable draft pick, namely future Hall-of-Fame guard [[Bill Sharman]]. With the high-scoring Macauley, elite passer Cousy and new prodigy Sharman, Auerbach had a core which provided high-octane fast-break basketball. Other notable players who joined the Celtics were forwards [[Frank Ramsey (basketball)|Frank Ramsey]] and [[Jim Loscutoff]]. In the next years until 1956, the Celtics would make the playoffs every year, but never won the title. In fact, the Celtics often choked in the playoffs, going a mere 10–17 in the postseason from 1951 through 1956.<ref name="team" /> As Cousy put it: "We would get tired in the end and could not get the ball."<ref name="shouler">{{cite web |last=Shouler |first=Ken |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/feature/featureVideo?page=auerbach
| title=The Consummate Coach |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[ESPN|ESPN.com]]}}</ref> As a result, Auerbach sought a defensive big man who could both get easy [[rebound (basketball)|rebounds]], initiate fast breaks, and close out games.<ref name="jockbio" />
===The dynasty (1956–67)===
Before the [[1956 NBA Draft]], Auerbach had already set his sights on defensive rebounding center [[Bill Russell]]. Via a draft-day trade that sent Macauley and rookie [[Cliff Hagan]] to the rival [[St. Louis Hawks]], he finally acquired a center in Russell, who would go on to become a Hall-of-Famer. In the same draft, Auerbach picked up [[forward (basketball)|forward]] [[Tom Heinsohn]] and [[guard (basketball)|guard]] [[K.C. Jones]], also two future Hall-of-Famers. Emphasizing team play rather than individual performances, and stressing that defense was more important than offense, Auerbach drilled his players to play tough defense and force opposing [[turnover (basketball)|turnovers]] for easy fast-break points. Forward [[Tom Sanders]] recalled that the teams were also regularly among the best-conditioned and toughest squads.<ref name="shouler" />
Anchored by defensive stalwart Russell, the tough Celtics forced their opponents to take low-percentage shots from farther distances; misses were then often grabbed by perennial rebounding champion Russell, who then either passed it on to elite fast-break distributor Cousy or made the outlet pass himself, providing their sprinting colleagues opportunities for an easy [[slam dunk]] or [[layup]].<ref name="jockbio" /> Auerbach also emphasized the need for role players like [[Frank Ramsey (basketball)|Frank Ramsey]] and [[John Havlicek]], who became one of the first legitimate [[sixth man|sixth men]] in NBA history,<ref name="shouler" /> a role later succeeded in by [[Don Nelson]]. Auerbach's recipe proved devastating to the opposition. From 1957 to 1966, the Celtics won nine of ten NBA championships. This included eight consecutive championships--which was the longest championship streak in North American sports--and beat the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] of Hall-of-Famers [[Elgin Baylor]] and [[Jerry West]] six times in the NBA Finals. Perhaps most notably, this also included denying perennial scoring and rebounding champion [[Wilt Chamberlain]] a title during Auerbach's coaching reign.<ref name="feinstein">{{cite web |last=Feinstein |first=Ron |title=Red Auerbach: True Stories and NBA Legends |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4137301 |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=npr.com }}</ref>
Flowing from Auerbach's emphasis on teamwork, what was also striking about his teams was that they never seemed to have a dominant scorer: in the [[1960–61 NBA season]], for instance, the Celtics had six players who scored between 15 and 21 points per game, but none made the Top 10 scoring list.<ref name="shouler" /> Auerbach also firmly believed in breaking down color barriers in the NBA. In 1964, he sent out the first-ever NBA starting five consisting of an African-American quintet, namely Russell, [[Willie Naulls]], Tom Sanders, Sam Jones, and K. C. Jones. Auerbach would go a step further in the [[1966–67 NBA season]], when he stepped down after winning nine titles in 11 years, and made Bill Russell player-coach. Auerbach also popularized smoking a victory cigar whenever he thought a game was already decided, a habit that became [[cult]]-like in popularity in the Boston area.<ref name="shouler" /> Furthermore, having acquired a reputation as a fierce competitor, he often got into verbal altercations with officials, receiving more fines and getting [[ejection (sports)|ejected]] more often than any other coach in NBA history.<ref name="shouler" />
All in all, Auerbach coached nine championship teams directly and mentored 4 players--Russell, Sharman, Heinsohn and K.C. Jones--who would go on to win an additional 7 NBA championships as coaches (two each for Russell, Heinsohn and Jones, all with the Celtics, and one for Sharman with the [[Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers]]). Nine players who played for Auerbach have been inducted into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]--Ramsey, Cousy, Sharman, Heinsohn, Russell, K. C. Jones, Havlicek, [[Sam Jones (basketball)|Sam Jones]] and [[Bailey Howell]]. Although Don Nelson played for Auerbach only during his last year as coach, his influence was profound: Nelson would later join Auerbach as one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in NBA history.<ref name="jockbio" /> Sharman would become one of only three people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Few, if any, coaches can match Auerbach's record of wins and successful mentorship of his players.
===General manager (1967–1984)===
Prior to the [[1966–67 NBA season]], Auerbach announced his retirement as a coach and named his successor, Bill Russell. Russell took over as a player-coach and so became the first [[African-American]] coach in the NBA.<ref name="jockbio" /> While his pupil led the Celtics to two further titles in 1968 and 1969, Auerbach rebuilt the aging Celtics with shrewd draft picks, among them future Hall-of-Famers [[Dave Cowens]], [[Jo Jo White]], [[Paul Westphal]], and [[Don Chaney]]. With his ex-player Tom Heinsohn coaching the Celtics and led by former sixth man John Havlicek, Auerbach's new recruits won the [[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic Division]] every year from 1972 to 1976, winning the NBA title in [[1974 NBA Finals|1974]] and [[1976 NBA Finals|1976]]. Further notable Auerbach signings were veteran center [[Paul Silas]] and ex-[[American Basketball Association|ABA]] star [[Charlie Scott]].<ref name="team" />
However, Auerbach could not prevent the Celtics from going into a slump at the end of the 1970s. When scoring champion Havlicek retired in 1978, the Celtics went 61–103 in two seasons.<ref name="team" /> But in 1979, Boston's fortunes changed when Auerbach set his eyes on talented college player [[Larry Bird]]. Despite knowing that Bird had a year of college eligibility remaining, he drafted Bird in the [[1978 NBA Draft]] and waited for a year until the future Hall-of-Fame forward Bird finally arrived. Auerbach immediately sensed that the brilliant, hardworking Bird would be the cornerstone of a new Celtics generation.<ref name="jockbio" />
In 1980, Auerbach achieved another great coup. He convinced the [[Golden State Warriors]] to trade him a #3 overall pick and future Hall-of-Fame center [[Robert Parish]] in exchange for the #1 pick in [[1980 NBA Draft|the draft]], namely [[Joe Barry Carroll]], who went on to have an unremarkable career. With the #3 pick, Auerbach selected the player he most wanted in the draft, [[Kevin McHale]], who would also join the Hall of Fame. The [[frontcourt]] of Parish-McHale-Bird became one of the greatest front lines in NBA history. Other valuable role players were [[M.L. Carr]], veteran point guards [[Nate Archibald]] and [[Gerald Henderson]], and later [[Dennis Johnson]] and [[Danny Ainge]]. Auerbach's hand-picked coach [[Bill Fitch]] led the revamped Celtics to the 1981 NBA title, and it was another Auerbach pupil, K.C. Jones, who continued with another title in 1984.<ref name="team" />
===President and vice chairman (1984–2006)===
In 1984, Auerbach quit general managing duties and became president and later vice-chairman of the Boston Celtics.<ref name="team" /> When the Celtics [[1986 NBA Finals|took the 1986 title]], it was Auerbach's 16th title, an unmatched feat in the NBA. However, in the next years, tragedy struck the Celtics. Sensing that the 1980s Celtics of Larry Bird needed fresh blood, Auerbach traded Henderson away for the second overall draft pick, and picked college prodigy [[Len Bias]] in the [[1986 NBA Draft]]. But just two days later, Bias died of a cocaine overdose. Several years later, Celtics player [[Reggie Lewis]] died suddenly in 1993, and the Celtics would not make another NBA Finals until after Auerbach's death.<ref name="team" />
In an interview, Auerbach confessed that he lost interest in big-time managing in the early 1990s, preferring to stay in the background and concentrating on his pastimes, [[racquetball]] and his beloved cigar-smoking. He would, however, stay on with the Celtics as president until 1997, as vice chairman until 2001, and then became president again, a position he held until his death,<ref name="shouler" /> although he grew visibly frail in his final years.<ref name="tribute">{{cite web |title=A Tribute to Red |url=http://www.nba.com/news/auerbach_tribute.html
| accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[NBA|NBA.com]] }}</ref>
==Private life==
Auerbach was one of four children of American-born Marie Auerbach and [[Russian Jewish]] immigrant Hyman Auerbach in Brooklyn. His brother Zang Auerbach, four years his junior, was a respected cartoonist and portraitist at the ''[[Washington Star]]''.<ref name="feinstein" /> He married Dorothy Lewis in the spring of 1941 and fathered two daughters, Nancy and Randy.<ref name="shouler" />
Auerbach was known for his love for cigar smoking. Because Red made his victory cigars a cult in the 1960s, one restaurant chain's menu read, "no cigar or pipe smoking, except for Red Auerbach".<ref name="shouler" /> In addition, Auerbach was well-known for his love of Chinese food. In an interview shortly before his death, he explained that since the 1950s, Chinese takeout was the most convenient nutrition: back then, NBA teams travelled on regular flights and had a tight time schedule, so filling up the stomach with heavier non-Chinese food meant wasting time and risking travel-sickness. Over the years, Auerbach became so fond of this food that he even became a part-owner of a Chinese restaurant in Boston.<ref name="feinstein" />
Despite his fierce nature, Auerbach was popular among his players. He recalled that on his 75th birthday party, 45 of his ex-players showed up;<ref name="shouler" /> and when he became 80, his perennial 1960s victim [[Wilt Chamberlain]] showed up, a gesture which Auerbach dearly appreciated.<ref name="feinstein" />
In an interview with [[ESPN]], Auerbach stated that his all-time team would consist of Bill Russell--who in the former's opinion was the ultimate player to start a franchise with--as well as [[Bob Pettit]], [[Elgin Baylor]], [[Oscar Robertson]] and [[Jerry West]], with [[John Havlicek]] as the [[sixth man]]. Regarding greatest basketballers of all time, Auerbach's candidates were Russell, [[Larry Bird]], [[Magic Johnson]], [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]], [[Michael Jordan]], and Robertson."<ref name="shouler" />
===Death===
On October 28, 2006, Auerbach died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]]. NBA commissioner [[David Stern]] said, "the void caused by his death will never be filled" and ex-players [[Bill Russell]], [[K.C. Jones]], [[John Havlicek]] and [[Larry Bird]], as well as contemporaries like [[Jerry West]], [[Pat Riley]], and [[Wayne Embry]] universally hailed Auerbach as one of the greatest personalities in NBA history.<ref name="tribute">{{cite web |last=nba.com |first= |title=A Tribute to Red |url=http://www.nba.com/news/auerbach_tribute.html
| date=2007-07-10 }}</ref> Auerbach was survived by his two daughters, Nancy and Randy. Auerbach was buried in [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]], [[Virginia]] at the King David Memorial Gardens / National Memorial Park on October 31, 2006. Attendees included basketball dignitaries Bill Russell, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, and David Stern.
During the [[2006–07 NBA season]], Auerbach appeared posthumously in a series of NBA commercials where he breaks down formations like "3 on 2 situations" and "rebounding," and as a testament to his importance in the Boston sports world, the [[Boston Red Sox]] honored Auerbach at their [[April 20|April 20th,]] 2007 game against the [[New York Yankees]] by wearing green uniforms and by hanging replicated Celtics championship banners on the "[[Green Monster]]" at [[Fenway Park]]. Boston won 7–6.
Prior to Boston's [[2007–08 NBA season|season opener]] against the [[Washington Wizards|Wizards]], his signature was officially placed on the parquet floor near center court, thereby naming the court as "Red Auerbach Parquet Floor." The ceremony was attended by his daughter Randy and some of the Celtics legends. The signature replaced the Red Auerbach memorial logo used during the [[2006–07 NBA Season|2007 season]].
[[Image:RedMemshamrock.png|thumb|right|150px|Red Auerbach Memorial worn by the Celtics for the [[2006–07 NBA season]].]]
==Legacy==
Among Auerbach's accomplishments during his 20-year professional coaching career were eleven Eastern Division titles (including nine in a row from 1957–1965), eleven appearances in the finals (including ten in a row from 1957–1966), and nine NBA championships. With a total of 16 NBA championship rings in a span of 29 years (1957–1986) as the Celtics coach, general manager, and team president, Auerbach is the most successful team official in NBA history.<ref name="jockbio" /> He is credited with creating several generations of championship Boston Celtics teams, most notably the first Celtics dynasty with [[Bill Russell]] which won an unprecedented eight titles in a row (1959–1966). As Celtics general manager, he created championship-winning teams around Hall-of-Famers [[Dave Cowens]] in the 1970s and [[Larry Bird]] in the 1980s.<ref name="jockbio" />
In addition to coaching, Auerbach was a highly effective mentor; several players coached by Auerbach would become successful coaches themselves. [[Bill Russell]] won two titles as Auerbach's successor, [[Tom Heinsohn]] won a pair of championships as a Celtics coach in the 1970s, [[K.C. Jones]] led the Celtics to two further titles in the 1980s, and [[Bill Sharman]] coached the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] to their first title in 1972. In addition, prototypical [[sixth man]] [[Don Nelson]] had a highly successful coaching career and joined his mentor Auerbach as one of [[NBA 50 Greatest Players|10 Greatest Coaches in NBA history]].
In Auerbach's honor, the Celtics have retired a number-2 jersey with the name "AUERBACH," memorializing his role as the second most important Celtic ever, behind founder [[Walter A. Brown|Walter Brown]], in whose honor the number-1 "BROWN" jersey is retired.
[[Image:Celtics2.png|thumb|left|95px|In 1985, the Boston Celtics retired the #2 jersey with Auerbach's name.]]
===Coaching pioneer===
From his early days, Auerbach was convinced that the [[fast break]], where a team used a quick outlet pass to fast guards who run downcourt and score before the opponent had re-established position, was a potent tactical weapon. This new strategy proved lethal for the opposition.<ref name="jockbio" /> Further, Auerbach moved emphasis away from individual accolades and instilled the teamwork element into his players.<ref name="team" /> He also invented the concept of the role player and of the [[sixth man]],<ref name="jockbio" /> stating: "Individual honors are nice, but no Celtic has ever gone out of his way to achieve them. We have never had the league's top scorer. In fact, we won seven league championships without placing even one among the league's top 10 scorers. Our pride was never rooted in statistics."<ref name="team" />
While Auerbach was not known for his tactical bandwidth, famously restricting his teams to just seven plays,<ref name="team" /> he was well-known for his psychological warfare, often provoking opposing players and officials with unabashed [[trash talk]]. For his fiery temper, he was ejected more often and received more fines than any other coach in NBA history.<ref name="shouler" /> Concerning his own team, Auerbach was softer. [[Earl Lloyd]], the first black player to play in the NBA, said: "Red Auerbach convinced his players that he loved them [...] so all they wanted to do was please him."<ref name="shouler" />
===No color barrier ===
Auerbach was known for choosing players for talent and motivation, with disregard for skin color or ethnicity. In 1950, he made NBA history by drafting the league's first [[African-American]] player, [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]]. He constantly added new black players to his squad, including [[Bill Russell]], [[Tom Sanders]], [[Sam Jones (basketball)|Sam Jones]], [[K.C. Jones]], and [[Willie Naulls]]. In 1964, these five players became the first African-American starting five in the NBA. When Auerbach gave up coaching to become the Celtics general manager in 1966, he appointed Bill Russell as his successor. Russell became not only the first black NBA coach, but the very first [[African-American]] coach of a professional sports organization.<ref name="color" /> Similarly, in the 1980s, as the Celtics GM, Auerbach fielded an earnest, hardworking team that was derided as being "too white."<ref>{{cite web |last=Adande |first=J.A. |title=The truth isn't always black and white for Celtics |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=Celtics-071219&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1 |accessdate=2009-04-12 |publisher=Espn.com }}</ref> While the 1980s Celts were, in actuality, neither predominantly white nor black, the NBA at the time was predominately black. White players like [[Larry Bird]], [[Kevin McHale]], [[Danny Ainge]], and [[Bill Walton]] played alongside [[Tiny Archibald]], [[Dennis Johnson]], [[Robert Parish]], and [[Cedric Maxwell]] to bring three more championships in the '80s under coaches Bill Fitch (white) and K.C. Jones (black).
===Arnold "Red" Auerbach Award ===
To honor Auerbach, the Celtics created the Arnold "Red" Auerbach award in 2006. It is an award given annually to the current Celtic player who "best exemplifies the spirit and meaning of what it is to be a Celtic. This award is named in honor of the legendary Coach, General Manager and President of the organization, Arnold 'Red' Auerbach."
Winners:
*2006 – [[Paul Pierce]]
*2007 – [[Al Jefferson]]
*2008 – [[Kevin Garnett]]
*2009 – [[Ray Allen]]
==Writing==
Auerbach was the author of seven books. His first, ''Basketball for the Player, the Fan and Coach,'' has been translated into seven languages and is the best-selling basketball book in print.<ref name="jockbio" /> His second book, co-authored with Paul Sann, was ''Winning the Hard Way.'' He also wrote a pair of books with [[Joe Fitzgerald]]: ''Red Auerbach: An Autobiography'' and ''Red Auerbach On and Off the Court.'' In October, 1991 ''M.B.A.: Management by Auerbach'' was co-authored with Ken Dooley. In 1994, ''Seeing Red'' was written with [[Dan Shaughnessy]]. In October 2004, his last book, ''Let Me Tell You A Story,'' was co-authored with sports journalist [[John Feinstein]].
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
== References ==
* Obituary (January 19, 2007), ''[[Jewish Chronicle]]'', p. 45
==External links==
*[http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-red-auerbach.html Basketball Hall of Fame profile]
*[http://www.databasebasketball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=AUERBRE01 Coaching Record]
*[http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/remembering-red-auerbach.html Info page from Boston Celtics official site]
{{start box}}
{{succession box | title=[[Washington Capitols]] Head Coach | before=''Initial coach'' | years=1946–1949 | after= [[Bob Feerick]]
}}
{{succession box | title=[[Atlanta Hawks|Tri-Cities Blackhawks]] Head Coach | before=[[Roger Potter]] | years=1949–1950 | after= [[Dave McMillan]]
}}
{{succession box | title=[[Boston Celtics]] [[List of Boston Celtics head coaches|head coach]] | before=[[Doggie Julian]] | years=1950–1966 | after= [[Bill Russell (basketball)|Bill Russell]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{Boston Celtics 1956-57 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1958-59 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1959-60 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1960-61 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1961-62 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1962-63 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1963-64 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1964-65 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1965-66 NBA champions}}
{{NBA10C}}
{{NBA Coaches of the Year}}
{{NBA Executive of the Year Award}}
{{Atlanta Hawks}}
{{Boston Celtics}}
{{1969 Basketball HOF}}
{{Basketball Hall of Fame coaches}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Auerbach, Red
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Auerbach, Arnold Jacob
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Hall of Fame basketball coach
|DATE OF BIRTH=September 20, 1917
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Brooklyn]], [[New York]], United States
|DATE OF DEATH=October 28, 2006
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Washington, D.C.]], United States
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Red}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association executives]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association general managers]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association team presidents]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics coaches]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics executives]]
[[Category:Washington Capitols coaches]]
[[Category:Tri-Cities Blackhawks coaches]]
[[Category:George Washington Colonials men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Jewish basketball players]]
[[Category:People from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction]]
[[bs:Red Auerbach]]
[[ca:Red Auerbach]]
[[de:Red Auerbach]]
[[es:Red Auerbach]]
[[fr:Red Auerbach]]
[[it:Red Auerbach]]
[[he:רד אאורבך]]
[[lt:Red Auerbach]]
[[nl:Red Auerbach]]
[[ja:レッド・アワーバック]]
[[pl:Red Auerbach]]
[[pt:Red Auerbach]]
[[ru:Ауэрбах, Ред]]
[[sr:Ред Ауербак]]
[[fi:Red Auerbach]]
[[zh:阿诺德·奥尔巴赫]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext) | '{{Infobox Celebrity
| name = Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach
| image = RedAuerbach.jpg
| caption = Auerbach speaking after being honored with the Lone Sailor Award on October 25, 2006
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1917|9|20|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2006|10|28|1917|9|20}}
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
|
| occupation = [[Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame NBA coach]]
| salary =
| networth =
| spouse = Dorothy Lewis
| children = Nancy Auerbach Collins, Randy Auerbach
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach''' (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was a [[basketball]] coach of the [[Washington Capitols]], the [[Tri-Cities Blackhawks]], and the [[Boston Celtics]]. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death. As a coach, he won 938 games (a record at his retirement)<ref name="pride">{{cite web |last=May |first=Peter |title=Auerbach, pride of the Celtics, dies |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/10/29/auerbach_pride_of_celtics_dies/ |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=Boston.com }}</ref> and nine [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) championships (surpassed only by [[Phil Jackson]]). As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29 years, making him one of the most successful team officials ever in the history of North American professional sports.<ref name="jockbio">{{cite web |title=Red Auerbach biography |url=http://www.jockbio.com/Classic/Red/Red_bio.html |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=JockBio.com }}</ref>
Auerbach is remembered as a pioneer of modern basketball, redefining basketball as a game dominated by team play and tough defense rather than individual feats and high scoring and introducing the [[fast break]] as a potent offensive weapon.<ref name="jockbio" /> He groomed many players who went on to be inducted into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]. Additionally, Auerbach was vital in breaking down color barriers in the NBA. He made history by drafting the first [[African-American]] NBA player, [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]] in 1950, and introduced the first fully black starting five in 1964.<ref name="color">{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Bob |title=Red was just full of color |url=http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/10/30/red_was_just_full_of_color/ |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=Boston.com }}</ref> Famous for his polarizing nature, he was well-known for smoking a cigar when he thought a victory was assured, a habit that became, for many, "the ultimate symbol of victory" during his [[Boston]] tenure.<ref name="jockbio" />
In 1967, the [[NBA Coach of the Year]] award, which he had won in 1965, was named the "Red Auerbach Trophy," and Auerbach was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.<ref name="pride" /> In 1980, he was named the greatest coach in the history of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America,<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/sports/basketball/29auerbach.html?ex=1319774400&en=5a9ed5bdbc403098&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |title="Red Auerbach, Who Built Basketball Dynasty, Dies at 89" |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and was [[NBA Executive of the Year]] in 1981.<ref name="pride" /> In addition, Auerbach was voted one of the [[NBA 50 Greatest Players|NBA 10 Greatest Coaches in history]], was inducted into the [[National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]] and is honored with a retired number-2 jersey in the [[TD Garden]], the home of the Boston Celtics.
==Early years==
Arnold Jacob Auerbach was born as one of four children of Marie and Hyman Auerbach. Hyman was a [[Russian Jewish]] immigrant from [[Minsk]], Russia, and Marie Auerbach, née Thompson, was American-born. Auerbach Sr. had left Russia when he was 13,<ref name="team" /> and the couple owned a [[deli]] and later went into the dry-cleaning business. Little Arnold spent his whole childhood in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]] playing basketball. Given his flaming red hair and fiery temper, he was soon nicknamed "Red."<ref name="jockbio" />
In the midst of the [[Great Depression]], Auerbach Jr. played basketball at PS 122 and in the Eastern District High School, but with his relative diminutive height of 5–9 and his [[asthma]], he never was really successful. His only achievement was being named "Second Team All-Brooklyn" by the World-Telegram in his senior year.<ref name="jockbio" /> Upon graduating in 1935, Auerbach planned to go into basketball coaching. After several rejections due to relatively low academic scores, Auerbach was accepted into the basketball program of Bill Reinhart of [[George Washington University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref name="jockbio" /> Auerbach became a standout basketball player and graduated with a [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]] in 1941.<ref name="team" /> In those years, Auerbach began to understand the importance of the [[fast break]], appreciating how potent a quick attack with three charging attackers versus two back-pedalling defenders would be.<ref name="jockbio" />
==First coaching years (1941–50)==
In 1941, Auerbach began coaching basketball at the [[St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)|St. Albans School]] and [[Roosevelt High School]] in Washington, DC.<ref name="team" /> Two years later, he joined the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] for three years, coaching the Navy basketball team in [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]]. There, he caught the eye of Washington millionaire Mike Uline, who hired him to coach the [[Washington Capitols]] in the newly-founded [[Basketball Association of America]] (BAA), a predecessor of the NBA.<ref name="jockbio" />
In the [[1946-47 BAA season]], Auerbach led a fast break-oriented team built around early BAA star [[Bones McKinney]] and various ex-Navy players to a 49–11 win–loss record, including a standard-setting [[List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks|17-game winning streak]] that stood as the single-season league record until 1969. In the playoffs, however, they were defeated by the [[Chicago Stags]] in six games.<ref name="team">{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/auerbach_red.html |title=Auerbach's Celtics played as a team |last=Hilton |first=Lisette |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[ESPN|ESPN.com]]}}</ref>
The [[1947-48 BAA season|next year]] the Capitols went 28–20<ref name="team" /> but were eliminated from the playoffs in a one-game Western Division tie-breaker.<ref name="jockbio" /> In the [[1948-49 BAA season]], the Caps won their first 15 games (still a league-record start) and finished the season at 38–22.<ref name="team" /> The team reached the BAA Finals, but were beaten by the [[Minneapolis Lakers]], who were led by Hall-of-Fame [[center (basketball)|center]] [[George Mikan]]. In the next season, the BAA and the rival league [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] merged to become the NBA, and Auerbach felt he had to rebuild his squad. However, owner Uline declined his proposals, and Auerbach resigned.<ref name="jockbio" />
Auerbach was then approached by [[Ben Kerner]], owner of the [[Tri-Cities Blackhawks]]. After getting a green light to rebuild the team from scratch, Auerbach traded more than two dozen players in just six weeks, and the revamped Blackhawks improved, but ended the [[1949–50 NBA season]] with a losing record of 28–29. When Kerner traded Auerbach's favorite player [[John Mahnken]], an angry Auerbach resigned again.<ref name="jockbio" />
==Boston Celtics (1950–2006)==
===The early years (1950–56)===
[[Image:2003-12-05 - 11 - Boston at Christmas.jpg|thumb|A bronze statue of Auerbach sits at [[Quincy Market]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]]]
Prior to the [[1950–51 NBA season]], Auerbach was approached by [[Walter A. Brown|Walter Brown]], owner of the [[Boston Celtics]]. Brown was desperate to turn around his struggling and financially strapped franchise, which was reeling from a terrible 22–46 record.<ref name="team" /> So, the still young but already seasoned Auerbach was made coach. In the [[1950 NBA Draft]], Auerbach made some notable moves. First, he famously snubbed Hall-of-Fame New England [[point guard]] [[Bob Cousy]] in the [[1950 NBA Draft]], infuriating the Boston crowd. He argued that the flashy Cousy was too air-headed to make his team, taunting him as a "local [[yokel]]."<ref name="jockbio" /> Second, he drafted African-American [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]], the first black player to be drafted by an NBA club.<ref name="AfricanAmerican1st">{{cite web |url=http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1175/Chuck_Cooper_one_of_the_NBAs_first_Black__players |title=Chuck Cooper, one of the NBA's first Black players |accessdate=2007-08-21 |publisher=The African American Registry }}</ref> With that, Auerbach effectively broke down the [[color barrier]] in professional basketball.<ref name="color" />
In that year, the core of the Celtics consisted of Hall-of-Fame center [[Ed Macauley]], Auerbach's old favorite McKinney and an unlikely addition, Bob Cousy. Cousy had refused to report to the club which drafted him (ironically, Auerbach's old club, the Blackhawks), and because his next team (the Chicago Stags) folded, he ended up with the Celtics. With Auerbach's fast-break tactics, the Celtics achieved a 39–30 record, but lost in the [[1951 NBA Playoffs]] to the [[New York Knicks]]. However, the relationship between Auerbach and Cousy improved when the coach saw that the "[[Harry Houdini|Houdini]] of the Hardwood"--as the spectacular dribbler and flashy passer Cousy was lovingly called--became the first great [[playmaker]] of the NBA.<ref name="jockbio" />
In the following [[1951–52 NBA season]], Auerbach made a remarkable draft pick, namely future Hall-of-Fame guard [[Bill Sharman]]. With the high-scoring Macauley, elite passer Cousy and new prodigy Sharman, Auerbach had a core which provided high-octane fast-break basketball. Other notable players who joined the Celtics were forwards [[Frank Ramsey (basketball)|Frank Ramsey]] and [[Jim Loscutoff]]. In the next years until 1956, the Celtics would make the playoffs every year, but never won the title. In fact, the Celtics often choked in the playoffs, going a mere 10–17 in the postseason from 1951 through 1956.<ref name="team" /> As Cousy put it: "We would get tired in the end and could not get the ball."<ref name="shouler">{{cite web |last=Shouler |first=Ken |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/feature/featureVideo?page=auerbach
| title=The Consummate Coach |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[ESPN|ESPN.com]]}}</ref> As a result, Auerbach sought a defensive big man who could both get easy [[rebound (basketball)|rebounds]], initiate fast breaks, and close out games.<ref name="jockbio" />
===The dynasty (1956–67)===
Before the [[1956 NBA Draft]], Auerbach had already set his sights on defensive rebounding center [[Bill Russell]]. Via a draft-day trade that sent Macauley and rookie [[Cliff Hagan]] to the rival [[St. Louis Hawks]], he finally acquired a center in Russell, who would go on to become a Hall-of-Famer. In the same draft, Auerbach picked up [[forward (basketball)|forward]] [[Tom Heinsohn]] and [[guard (basketball)|guard]] [[K.C. Jones]], also two future Hall-of-Famers. Emphasizing team play rather than individual performances, and stressing that defense was more important than offense, Auerbach drilled his players to play tough defense and force opposing [[turnover (basketball)|turnovers]] for easy fast-break points. Forward [[Tom Sanders]] recalled that the teams were also regularly among the best-conditioned and toughest squads.<ref name="shouler" />
Anchored by defensive stalwart Russell, the tough Celtics forced their opponents to take low-percentage shots from farther distances; misses were then often grabbed by perennial rebounding champion Russell, who then either passed it on to elite fast-break distributor Cousy or made the outlet pass himself, providing their sprinting colleagues opportunities for an easy [[slam dunk]] or [[layup]].<ref name="jockbio" /> Auerbach also emphasized the need for role players like [[Frank Ramsey (basketball)|Frank Ramsey]] and [[John Havlicek]], who became one of the first legitimate [[sixth man|sixth men]] in NBA history,<ref name="shouler" /> a role later succeeded in by [[Don Nelson]]. Auerbach's recipe proved devastating to the opposition. From 1957 to 1966, the Celtics won nine of ten NBA championships. This included eight consecutive championships--which was the longest championship streak in North American sports--and beat the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] of Hall-of-Famers [[Elgin Baylor]] and [[Jerry West]] six times in the NBA Finals. Perhaps most notably, this also included denying perennial scoring and rebounding champion [[Wilt Chamberlain]] a title during Auerbach's coaching reign.<ref name="feinstein">{{cite web |last=Feinstein |first=Ron |title=Red Auerbach: True Stories and NBA Legends |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4137301 |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=npr.com }}</ref>
Flowing from Auerbach's emphasis on teamwork, what was also striking about his teams was that they never seemed to have a dominant scorer: in the [[1960–61 NBA season]], for instance, the Celtics had six players who scored between 15 and 21 points per game, but none made the Top 10 scoring list.<ref name="shouler" /> Auerbach also firmly believed in breaking down color barriers in the NBA. In 1964, he sent out the first-ever NBA starting five consisting of an African-American quintet, namely Russell, [[Willie Naulls]], Tom Sanders, Sam Jones, and K. C. Jones. Auerbach would go a step further in the [[1966–67 NBA season]], when he stepped down after winning nine titles in 11 years, and made Bill Russell player-coach. Auerbach also popularized smoking a victory cigar whenever he thought a game was already decided, a habit that became [[cult]]-like in popularity in the Boston area.<ref name="shouler" /> Furthermore, having acquired a reputation as a fierce competitor, he often got into verbal altercations with officials, receiving more fines and getting [[ejection (sports)|ejected]] more often than any other coach in NBA history.<ref name="shouler" />
All in all, Auerbach coached nine championship teams directly and mentored 4 players--Russell, Sharman, Heinsohn and K.C. Jones--who would go on to win an additional 7 NBA championships as coaches (two each for Russell, Heinsohn and Jones, all with the Celtics, and one for Sharman with the [[Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers]]). Nine players who played for Auerbach have been inducted into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]--Ramsey, Cousy, Sharman, Heinsohn, Russell, K. C. Jones, Havlicek, [[Sam Jones (basketball)|Sam Jones]] and [[Bailey Howell]]. Although Don Nelson played for Auerbach only during his last year as coach, his influence was profound: Nelson would later join Auerbach as one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in NBA history.<ref name="jockbio" /> Sharman would become one of only three people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Few, if any, coaches can match Auerbach's record of wins and successful mentorship of his players.
===General manager (1967–1984)===
Prior to the [[1966–67 NBA season]], Auerbach announced his retirement as a coach and named his successor, Bill Russell. Russell took over as a player-coach and so became the first [[African-American]] coach in the NBA.<ref name="jockbio" /> While his pupil led the Celtics to two further titles in 1968 and 1969, Auerbach rebuilt the aging Celtics with shrewd draft picks, among them future Hall-of-Famers [[Dave Cowens]], [[Jo Jo White]], [[Paul Westphal]], and [[Don Chaney]]. With his ex-player Tom Heinsohn coaching the Celtics and led by former sixth man John Havlicek, Auerbach's new recruits won the [[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic Division]] every year from 1972 to 1976, winning the NBA title in [[1974 NBA Finals|1974]] and [[1976 NBA Finals|1976]]. Further notable Auerbach signings were veteran center [[Paul Silas]] and ex-[[American Basketball Association|ABA]] star [[Charlie Scott]].<ref name="team" />
However, Auerbach could not prevent the Celtics from going into a slump at the end of the 1970s. When scoring champion Havlicek retired in 1978, the Celtics went 61–103 in two seasons.<ref name="team" /> But in 1979, Boston's fortunes changed when Auerbach set his eyes on talented college player [[Larry Bird]]. Despite knowing that Bird had a year of college eligibility remaining, he drafted Bird in the [[1978 NBA Draft]] and waited for a year until the future Hall-of-Fame forward Bird finally arrived. Auerbach immediately sensed that the brilliant, hardworking Bird would be the cornerstone of a new Celtics generation.<ref name="jockbio" />
In 1980, Auerbach achieved another great coup. He convinced the [[Golden State Warriors]] to trade him a #3 overall pick and future Hall-of-Fame center [[Robert Parish]] in exchange for the #1 pick in [[1980 NBA Draft|the draft]], namely [[Joe Barry Carroll]], who went on to have an unremarkable career. With the #3 pick, Auerbach selected the player he most wanted in the draft, [[Kevin McHale]], who would also join the Hall of Fame. The [[frontcourt]] of Parish-McHale-Bird became one of the greatest front lines in NBA history. Other valuable role players were [[M.L. Carr]], veteran point guards [[Nate Archibald]] and [[Gerald Henderson]], and later [[Dennis Johnson]] and [[Danny Ainge]]. Auerbach's hand-picked coach [[Bill Fitch]] led the revamped Celtics to the 1981 NBA title, and it was another Auerbach pupil, K.C. Jones, who continued with another title in 1984.<ref name="team" />
===President and vice chairman (1984–2006)===
In 1984, Auerbach quit general managing duties and became president and later vice-chairman of the Boston Celtics.<ref name="team" /> When the Celtics [[1986 NBA Finals|took the 1986 title]], it was Auerbach's 16th title, an unmatched feat in the NBA. However, in the next years, tragedy struck the Celtics. Sensing that the 1980s Celtics of Larry Bird needed fresh blood, Auerbach traded Henderson away for the second overall draft pick, and picked college prodigy [[Len Bias]] in the [[1986 NBA Draft]]. But just two days later, Bias died of a cocaine overdose. Several years later, Celtics player [[Reggie Lewis]] died suddenly in 1993, and the Celtics would not make another NBA Finals until after Auerbach's death.<ref name="team" />
In an interview, Auerbach confessed that he lost interest in big-time managing in the early 1990s, preferring to stay in the background and concentrating on his pastimes, [[racquetball]] and his beloved cigar-smoking. He would, however, stay on with the Celtics as president until 1997, as vice chairman until 2001, and then became president again, a position he held until his death,<ref name="shouler" /> although he grew visibly frail in his final years.<ref name="tribute">{{cite web |title=A Tribute to Red |url=http://www.nba.com/news/auerbach_tribute.html
| accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=[[NBA|NBA.com]] }}</ref>
==Private life==
Auerbach was one of four children of American-born Marie Auerbach and [[Russian Jewish]] immigrant Hyman Auerbach in Brooklyn. His brother Zang Auerbach, four years his junior, was a respected cartoonist and portraitist at the ''[[Washington Star]]''.<ref name="feinstein" /> He married Dorothy Lewis in the spring of 1941 and fathered two daughters, Nancy and Randy.<ref name="shouler" />
Auerbach was known for his love for cigar smoking. Because Red made his victory cigars a cult in the 1960s, one restaurant chain's menu read, "no cigar or pipe smoking, except for Red Auerbach".<ref name="shouler" /> In addition, Auerbach was well-known for his love of Chinese food. In an interview shortly before his death, he explained that since the 1950s, Chinese takeout was the most convenient nutrition: back then, NBA teams travelled on regular flights and had a tight time schedule, so filling up the stomach with heavier non-Chinese food meant wasting time and risking travel-sickness. Over the years, Auerbach became so fond of this food that he even became a part-owner of a Chinese restaurant in Boston.<ref name="feinstein" />
Despite his fierce nature, Auerbach was popular among his players. He recalled that on his 75th birthday party, 45 of his ex-players showed up;<ref name="shouler" /> and when he became 80, his perennial 1960s victim [[Wilt Chamberlain]] showed up, a gesture which Auerbach dearly appreciated.<ref name="feinstein" />
In an interview with [[ESPN]], Auerbach stated that his all-time team would consist of Bill Russell--who in the former's opinion was the ultimate player to start a franchise with--as well as [[Bob Pettit]], [[Elgin Baylor]], [[Oscar Robertson]] and [[Jerry West]], with [[John Havlicek]] as the [[sixth man]]. Regarding greatest basketballers of all time, Auerbach's candidates were Russell, [[Larry Bird]], [[Magic Johnson]], [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]], [[Michael Jordan]], and Robertson."<ref name="shouler" />
===Death===
On October 28, 2006, Auerbach died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]]. NBA commissioner [[David Stern]] said, "the void caused by his death will never be filled" and ex-players [[Bill Russell]], [[K.C. Jones]], [[John Havlicek]] and [[Larry Bird]], as well as contemporaries like [[Jerry West]], [[Pat Riley]], and [[Wayne Embry]] universally hailed Auerbach as one of the greatest personalities in NBA history.<ref name="tribute">{{cite web |last=nba.com |first= |title=A Tribute to Red |url=http://www.nba.com/news/auerbach_tribute.html
| date=2007-07-10 }}</ref> Auerbach was survived by his two daughters, Nancy and Randy. Auerbach was buried in [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]], [[Virginia]] at the King David Memorial Gardens / National Memorial Park on October 31, 2006. Attendees included basketball dignitaries Bill Russell, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, and David Stern.
During the [[2006–07 NBA season]], Auerbach appeared posthumously in a series of NBA commercials where he breaks down formations like "3 on 2 situations" and "rebounding," and as a testament to his importance in the Boston sports world, the [[Boston Red Sox]] honored Auerbach at their [[April 20|April 20th,]] 2007 game against the [[New York Yankees]] by wearing green uniforms and by hanging replicated Celtics championship banners on the "[[Green Monster]]" at [[Fenway Park]]. Boston won 7–6.
Prior to Boston's [[2007–08 NBA season|season opener]] against the [[Washington Wizards|Wizards]], his signature was officially placed on the parquet floor near center court, thereby naming the court as "Red Auerbach Parquet Floor." The ceremony was attended by his daughter Randy and some of the Celtics legends. The signature replaced the Red Auerbach memorial logo used during the [[2006–07 NBA Season|2007 season]].
[[Image:RedMemshamrock.png|thumb|right|150px|Red Auerbach Memorial worn by the Celtics for the [[2006–07 NBA season]].]]
==Legacy==
Among Auerbach's accomplishments during his 20-year professional coaching career were eleven Eastern Division titles (including nine in a row from 1957–1965), eleven appearances in the finals (including ten in a row from 1957–1966), and nine NBA championships. With a total of 16 NBA championship rings in a span of 29 years (1957–1986) as the Celtics coach, general manager, and team president, Auerbach is the most successful team official in NBA history.<ref name="jockbio" /> He is credited with creating several generations of championship Boston Celtics teams, most notably the first Celtics dynasty with [[Bill Russell]] which won an unprecedented eight titles in a row (1959–1966). As Celtics general manager, he created championship-winning teams around Hall-of-Famers [[Dave Cowens]] in the 1970s and [[Larry Bird]] in the 1980s.<ref name="jockbio" />
In addition to coaching, Auerbach was a highly effective mentor; several players coached by Auerbach would become successful coaches themselves. [[Bill Russell]] won two titles as Auerbach's successor, [[Tom Heinsohn]] won a pair of championships as a Celtics coach in the 1970s, [[K.C. Jones]] led the Celtics to two further titles in the 1980s, and [[Bill Sharman]] coached the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] to their first title in 1972. In addition, prototypical [[sixth man]] [[Don Nelson]] had a highly successful coaching career and joined his mentor Auerbach as one of [[NBA 50 Greatest Players|10 Greatest Coaches in NBA history]].
In Auerbach's honor, the Celtics have retired a number-2 jersey with the name "AUERBACH," memorializing his role as the second most important Celtic ever, behind founder [[Walter A. Brown|Walter Brown]], in whose honor the number-1 "BROWN" jersey is retired.
[[Image:Celtics2.png|thumb|left|95px|In 1985, the Boston Celtics retired the #2 jersey with Auerbach's name.]]
===Coaching pioneer===
From his early days, Auerbach was convinced that the [[fast break]], where a team used a quick outlet pass to fast guards who run downcourt and score before the opponent had re-established position, was a potent tactical weapon. This new strategy proved lethal for the opposition.<ref name="jockbio" /> Further, Auerbach moved emphasis away from individual accolades and instilled the teamwork element into his players.<ref name="team" /> He also invented the concept of the role player and of the [[sixth man]],<ref name="jockbio" /> stating: "Individual honors are nice, but no Celtic has ever gone out of his way to achieve them. We have never had the league's top scorer. In fact, we won seven league championships without placing even one among the league's top 10 scorers. Our pride was never rooted in statistics."<ref name="team" />
While Auerbach was not known for his tactical bandwidth, famously restricting his teams to just seven plays,<ref name="team" /> he was well-known for his psychological warfare, often provoking opposing players and officials with unabashed [[trash talk]]. For his fiery temper, he was ejected more often and received more fines than any other coach in NBA history.<ref name="shouler" /> Concerning his own team, Auerbach was softer. [[Earl Lloyd]], the first black player to play in the NBA, said: "Red Auerbach convinced his players that he loved them [...] so all they wanted to do was please him."<ref name="shouler" />
===No color barrier ===
Auerbach was known for choosing players for talent and motivation, with disregard for skin color or ethnicity. In 1950, he made NBA history by drafting the league's first [[African-American]] player, [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]]. He constantly added new black players to his squad, including [[Bill Russell]], [[Tom Sanders]], [[Sam Jones (basketball)|Sam Jones]], [[K.C. Jones]], and [[Willie Naulls]]. In 1964, these five players became the first African-American starting five in the NBA. When Auerbach gave up coaching to become the Celtics general manager in 1966, he appointed Bill Russell as his successor. Russell became not the first black NBA coach. Similarly, in the 1980s, as the Celtics GM, Auerbach fielded an earnest, hardworking team that was derided as being "too white."<ref>{{cite web |last=Adande |first=J.A. |title=The truth isn't always black and white for Celtics |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=Celtics-071219&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1 |accessdate=2009-04-12 |publisher=Espn.com }}</ref> While the 1980s Celts were, in actuality, neither predominantly white nor black, the NBA at the time was predominately black. White players like [[Larry Bird]], [[Kevin McHale]], [[Danny Ainge]], and [[Bill Walton]] played alongside [[Tiny Archibald]], [[Dennis Johnson]], [[Robert Parish]], and [[Cedric Maxwell]] to bring three more championships in the '80s under coaches Bill Fitch (white) and K.C. Jones (black).
===Arnold "Red" Auerbach Award ===
To honor Auerbach, the Celtics created the Arnold "Red" Auerbach award in 2006. It is an award given annually to the current Celtic player who "best exemplifies the spirit and meaning of what it is to be a Celtic. This award is named in honor of the legendary Coach, General Manager and President of the organization, Arnold 'Red' Auerbach."
Winners:
*2006 – [[Paul Pierce]]
*2007 – [[Al Jefferson]]
*2008 – [[Kevin Garnett]]
*2009 – [[Ray Allen]]
==Writing==
Auerbach was the author of seven books. His first, ''Basketball for the Player, the Fan and Coach,'' has been translated into seven languages and is the best-selling basketball book in print.<ref name="jockbio" /> His second book, co-authored with Paul Sann, was ''Winning the Hard Way.'' He also wrote a pair of books with [[Joe Fitzgerald]]: ''Red Auerbach: An Autobiography'' and ''Red Auerbach On and Off the Court.'' In October, 1991 ''M.B.A.: Management by Auerbach'' was co-authored with Ken Dooley. In 1994, ''Seeing Red'' was written with [[Dan Shaughnessy]]. In October 2004, his last book, ''Let Me Tell You A Story,'' was co-authored with sports journalist [[John Feinstein]].
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
== References ==
* Obituary (January 19, 2007), ''[[Jewish Chronicle]]'', p. 45
==External links==
*[http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-red-auerbach.html Basketball Hall of Fame profile]
*[http://www.databasebasketball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=AUERBRE01 Coaching Record]
*[http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/remembering-red-auerbach.html Info page from Boston Celtics official site]
{{start box}}
{{succession box | title=[[Washington Capitols]] Head Coach | before=''Initial coach'' | years=1946–1949 | after= [[Bob Feerick]]
}}
{{succession box | title=[[Atlanta Hawks|Tri-Cities Blackhawks]] Head Coach | before=[[Roger Potter]] | years=1949–1950 | after= [[Dave McMillan]]
}}
{{succession box | title=[[Boston Celtics]] [[List of Boston Celtics head coaches|head coach]] | before=[[Doggie Julian]] | years=1950–1966 | after= [[Bill Russell (basketball)|Bill Russell]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{Boston Celtics 1956-57 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1958-59 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1959-60 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1960-61 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1961-62 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1962-63 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1963-64 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1964-65 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1965-66 NBA champions}}
{{NBA10C}}
{{NBA Coaches of the Year}}
{{NBA Executive of the Year Award}}
{{Atlanta Hawks}}
{{Boston Celtics}}
{{1969 Basketball HOF}}
{{Basketball Hall of Fame coaches}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Auerbach, Red
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Auerbach, Arnold Jacob
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Hall of Fame basketball coach
|DATE OF BIRTH=September 20, 1917
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Brooklyn]], [[New York]], United States
|DATE OF DEATH=October 28, 2006
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Washington, D.C.]], United States
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Red}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association executives]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association general managers]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association team presidents]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics coaches]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics executives]]
[[Category:Washington Capitols coaches]]
[[Category:Tri-Cities Blackhawks coaches]]
[[Category:George Washington Colonials men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Jewish basketball players]]
[[Category:People from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction]]
[[bs:Red Auerbach]]
[[ca:Red Auerbach]]
[[de:Red Auerbach]]
[[es:Red Auerbach]]
[[fr:Red Auerbach]]
[[it:Red Auerbach]]
[[he:רד אאורבך]]
[[lt:Red Auerbach]]
[[nl:Red Auerbach]]
[[ja:レッド・アワーバック]]
[[pl:Red Auerbach]]
[[pt:Red Auerbach]]
[[ru:Ауэрбах, Ред]]
[[sr:Ред Ауербак]]
[[fi:Red Auerbach]]
[[zh:阿诺德·奥尔巴赫]]' |
