Tom Heinsohn

Tommy Heinsohn
	Heinsohn at the championship parade of the 2008 NBA Champions Boston Celtics
Personal information
Born	August 26, 1934 (age 90); Jersey City, New Jersey
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school	Saint Michael's High School (Union City, New Jersey)
College	Holy Cross (1953–1956)
NBA draft	1956: Territorial Pick
	Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career	1956–1965
Position	Forward / Center
Number	15
Career history
As player:
1956–1965	Boston Celtics
As coach:
1969–1978	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
	As player: 8× NBA champion (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965); 6× NBA All-Star (1957, 1961–1965); NBA Rookie of the Year (1957); 4× All-NBA Second Team (1961–1964); Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1956); No. 15 Retired by Boston Celtics; No. 24 Retired by Holy Cross; As coach: 2× NBA champion (1974, 1976); NBA Coach of the Year (1973);
Career statistics
Points	12,194 (18.6 ppg)
Rebounds	5,749 (8.8 rpg)
Assists	1,318 (2.0 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference
	Basketball Hall of Fame

Thomas William "Tommy" Heinsohn (born August 26, 1934) is a retired American professional basketball player. He has been associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster. He played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, and also coached the team from 1969 to 1978. He has been granted Hall of Fame Status for his success as both a player and a coach. He helped form the NBA players union. He is the only person to have the distinction of being involved in an official team capacity in each of the Celtics' 17 championships, as well as each of their 21 NBA Finals appearances. He is currently the color commentator on the Celtics' television broadcasts on CSN New England.

Biography

College career

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Heinsohn was a standout at St. Michael's High School in nearby Union City. He accepted a scholarship to Holy Cross and became the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,789 points, an average of 22.1 points per game. During his senior year, Heinsohn scored a school record 51 points in a game against Boston College.

Professional career

In 1956, Heinsohn was chosen as the Boston Celtics 'regional', or 'territorial', draft pick. In his first season, Heinsohn played in an NBA All-Star Game, was named the NBA Rookie of the Year over his teammate [(Bill Russell)], and won his first championship ring. He was part of a Celtics squad that won eight NBA titles in nine years, including eight in a row between 1959 and 1966. In NBA history, only teammates Russell and Sam Jones won more championship rings during their playing careers. During his playing career, Heinsohn was named to six All-Star teams. On the day his teammate and fellow Holy Cross Crusader Bob Cousy retired, Heinsohn scored his 10,000th career point. His number 15 was retired by the Celtics in 1965.

Off the court, Heinsohn played an important leadership role in the NBA Players Association. He was the association's second president (following founding president Bob Cousy), and was instrumental in the league's acceptance of free agency following a showdown at the All-Star game in 1964, in which the All-Star players, led by Heinsohn, threatened to strike.

Coaching career

Heinsohn became the Celtics' head coach beginning in the 1969–70 season. He led the team to a league best 68–14 record during the 1972–73 season and was named Coach of the Year, although Boston was upset in the playoffs. The next season Heinsohn and the Celtics won the championship, and they claimed another title in 1976. He accumulated a career coaching record of 427–263.

Broadcasting career

The Boston Celtics retired the number-15 jersey with Tom Heinsohn's name.

Heinsohn's broadcasting career began in 1966, calling play-by-play for WKBG's Celtics broadcasts. He spent three seasons in this role before becoming coach in 1969. From 1990–1999, Heinsohn was the Celtics' road play-by-play man on WFXT, WSBK and WABU.

In 1981, Heinsohn joined Mike Gorman as color commentator in the Celtics' TV broadcasts; they have since become one of the longest-tenured tandems in sports broadcasting history. Occasionally, Bob Cousy makes appearances with the tandem of Gorman and Heinsohn. For a time in the 1980s, he was in the same capacity during CBS's playoff coverage of the NBA (with Dick Stockton), calling four Finals from 1984 to 1987, three of which involved the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers. He also teamed with Brent Musburger and James Brown during his time with CBS.

On Celtic broadcasts, Heinsohn likes to point out players who display extra hustle to help the team by giving them "Tommy Points." One player in each game has exceptional play and hustle highlighted for the "Tommy Award". During broadcasts he is known for his sense of humor and indignantly questioning game officials when calls against the Celtics appear to be made in error.

Away from the court, Heinsohn enjoys painting and playing golf; he once headed a life insurance company.

Recently, Heinsohn has worked fewer road games due to age and health issues. Donny Marshall, the Celtics' studio analyst, fills in for Heinsohn during his absences. Heinsohn takes Marshall's place in the studio when Marshall is on the road with Mike Gorman.

Achievements

1957 Rookie of the Year
Six-time NBA All-Star
1973 Coach of the Year
Named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1986
Recipient of the 1995 Jack McMahon Award by the National Basketball Coaches Association
Recipient of the 2009 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by the NBA Coaches Association

External links

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