On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary big man Tommy Heinsohn was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1934. Heinsohn was an All-American who played his college ball at the College of the Holy Cross and was taken with a territorial pick (these no longer exist, but were created to keep local talents in the region they went to college) in the 1957 NBA draft by the Celtics.
Heinsohn garnered Rookie of the Year honors in a draft class with teammate Bill Russell and won a title as well that season. He won seven more with Boston as a player while making six All-Star games and four All-NBA teams.
After transitioning to the other side of the clipboard with the Celtics, Heinsohn won two more titles as Boston’s head coach.
