It is also the birthday of former Celtics head coach Bill Fitch, who was born on this day in 1932 in Davenport, Iowa.
Fitch, a former United States Marine Corps drill instructor, coached at a number of schools in the college ranks before becoming head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970.
Bill Fitch led the @celtics to a 32-win improvement in 1979-80 over the prior season, and in 1981, he led Boston to its 14th NBA title. #19HoopClass pic.twitter.com/SRaZeoSsld
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 6, 2019
In 1979, he would resign from that position after a long rebuild and moderate playoff success to take over as head coach of the Celtics, replacing Dave Cowens in the role.
Fitch would have a big impression on incoming rookie Larry Bird, who credits Fitch for helping lay the foundation of his notoriously intense work ethic, and Boston would win 61 games in his first season with the team.
The franchise would go on to win a title in 1981 under Fitch, but declining wins and other issues would lead him to resign again in 1983.
He recorded a 242-86 regular season record with the Celtics, and a 26-19 playoff record, good for .738 and .578 winning percentages respectively.