Tag: wyndol gray

On this day: 2nd-lowest score in Boston’s history; Larry Bird, Antoine Walker triple-double

On this date, the Boston Celtics scored their second-lowest point total in team history and saw Larry Bird and Antoine Walker triple-double.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, in the very first NBA season of the storied franchise’s existence in 1946, the Celtics scored their second-lowest point total in franchise history in their 17th game of existence in the Basketball Association of America (BAA – a precursor league to the NBA). The ignominious honor came on the road in a 62-44 loss to the New York Knicks, the Celtics’ 14th loss of a very rough inaugural campaign for the franchise.

Mercifully for the Boston fans of that era, it was not an auspicious beginning for the team that would later win an NBA-record 17 titles.

Wing Wyndol Gray led all of Boston’s players with 13 points, hitting one of his two free-throw attempts.

On this day: Cs’ 1st home game; Walton born; Radja, Earl, Rivas, Hemric, Loscutoff debut; Englund passes

On this day in Celtics history, the team played their first home game in franchise history.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the newly-formed professional basketball franchise the Boston Celtics played their first home game in 1946 in the Basketball Association of America (BAA – a precursor league to the NBA) in team history.

The game was an inauspicious loss, 57-55 to the now-defunct Chicago Stags (not to be confused with the later franchise of that city, the Bulls), which saw two of the Celtics break double figures. One of the pair was guard Johnny Simmons, who scored 13 points on 6 field goals and a free throw, though we don’t know how efficiently since that and many aspects of the game were yet to be recorded in those early years of the sport.

Forward Wyndol Gray scored 12 points as well, and future star of television and film Chuck Connors added 8 points in the loss.

On this day: Celtics first game ever in 1946, MANY players, coach John Russell debut; Hal Crisler passes

On this day in Celtics history, the storied franchise played its first game.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise played the first game of its storied history in 1946 as it kicked off play in the brand-new Basketball Association of America, which became the National Basketball Association in 1949).

That first contest was not an auspicious one. The Celtics dropped their inaugural game to the (now defunct) Providence Steamrollers, 59-53. Boston fell to 0-1 to start the 1946-47 BAA season on a sour note that offered no hints of the many wins to come. It was of course the Celtics’ debut for the entire team, but in that era, sparse counting stat records were kept — or even conceived of.

With that in mind, let’s review the details we do have.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 4

Today’s installment focuses on the 30 players who wore No. 4 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 or interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in 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 30 players who wore No. 4 over the years as of September 2023.

On this day: Bird gets 33, McHale 29 to defeat MJ’s Bulls; Tom Kelly, Wyndol Gray pass

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale combined for 62 points to beat Michael Jordan’s Bulls, and Tom Kelly and Wyndol Gray passed.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former founding member of the Celtics Wyndol Woodrow Gray passed away in 1994. Born just a few days less than 72 years earlier on March 30 in 1922, Gray played his college ball at Bowling Green State University between 1942 and 1945 with his time there interrupted by a tour in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War.

He helped carry Bowling Green to the final of the 1945 National Invitation Tournament and was named a consensus first-team All-American there as a result. He’d continue his education at Harvard University, which he helped lead to their first NCAA appearance in school history.

His collegiate career in the rear-view mirror, the Harvard product went on to play in the newly-formed Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league to the NBA) for the Celtics.

On this day: Celtics first game ever in 1946, MANY players, coach John Russell debut; Hal Crisler passes

On this day in Celtics history, the storied franchise played its first game.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise played the first game of its storied history in 1946 as it kicked off play in the brand-new Basketball Association of America, which became the National Basketball Association in 1949).

That first contest was not an auspicious one. The Celtics dropped their inaugural game to the (now defunct) Providence Steamrollers, 59-53. Boston fell to 0-1 to start the 1946-47 BAA season on a sour note that offered no hints of the many wins to come.

It was of course the Celtics’ debut for the entire team, but in that era, sparse counting stat records were kept — or even conceived of. With that in mind, let’s review the details we do have.