On this day in Boston Celtics history, big man Gene Englund made his debut with the storied franchise way back in 1949 when the team was still in its infancy.
A product of the University of Wisconsin Badgers — who he led to an NCAA title in 1941 — Englund would play in the National Basketball League (NBL – not be confused with the Australian league of today) before it merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1949 to form the NBA. After stints with the defunct Oshkosh (Wisconsin) All-Stars and (also defunct) Brooklyn (New York) Indians in the NBL, Englund made his way to the NBA at the end of his pro career.
He played 24 games with the Celtics before being traded to the (then) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now Atlanta Hawks) for John Mahnken in 1950.