Tag: john janisch

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 17

Today’s installment focuses on the 11 players who wore No. 17 over the years as of September 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball, their unretired jersey numbers pack some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the 11 players who wore No. 17 over the years as of September 2023.

On this day: ex-Boston big man Dickie Hemric born, wing John Janisch passes

On this day in 1933, former Boston Celtics big man Dickie Hemric was born in Jonesville, North Carolina, and wing John Janisch passed away in 1992.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics power forward Ned Dixon “Dick” Hemric was born in Jonesville, North Carolina, in 1933. The Jonesville native played his college ball with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, with whom he would be named an All-American in 1954 and 1955.

The 6-foot-6 forward set a scoring record (2,587 career points) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) that stood until 2009 and a rebounding record (1,802 career rebounds) that still stands. It was not even equaled by the mighty Tim Duncan during his tenure with the Demon Deacons many years later.

Evidently, he played well enough to persuade the Celtics to draft him with the 10th pick of the 1955 NBA draft.

On this day: Celtics Connie Simmons, Brady Walker, Jim Janisch, Jabari Parker born; Coty Clarke debuts

On this day, Celtics Connie Simmons, Brady Walker, and Jim Janisch came into this world, and Coty Clark made his Boston debut.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics center Cornelius “Connie” Leo Simmons was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1925.

Simmons did not play college ball, instead making the leap directly from New York City’s Flushing High School to the Celtics in Boston’s inaugural season of 1946-47. It would also be the very first season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league of the NBA), of which Boston was a founding member. Simmons would play parts of two seasons for the Celtics, having been traded midway through the 1947-48 season to the (now defunct) Baltimore Bullets.

The Newark native would average 9.4 points per game with Boston.

On this day: ex-Boston big man Dickie Hemric born, wing John Janisch passes

On this day in 1933, former Boston Celtics big man Dickie Hemric was born in Jonesville, North Carolina, and wing John Janisch passed away in 1992.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics power forward Ned Dixon “Dick” Hemric was born in Jonesville, North Carolina, in 1933. The Jonesville native played his college ball with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, with whom he would was named an All-American in 1954 and 1955.

The 6-foot-6 forward set a scoring record (2,587 career points) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) that stood until 2009 and a rebounding record (1,802 career rebounds) that still stands. It was not even equaled by the mighty Tim Duncan during his tenure with the Demon Deacons many years later.

Evidently, he played well enough to persuade the Celtics to draft him with the 10th pick of the 1955 NBA draft.