Tom Heinsohn

Mr. Celtic: player, coach, broadcaster, and Hall of Famer for six decades with the Boston Celtics.

Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster. He played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, and also coached the team from 1969 to 1978. He spent over 30 years as the color commentator for the Celtics' local broadcasts alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman.

He is regarded as one of the most iconic Celtics figures in the franchise's history, known during his lifetime for his charisma and loyalty to the team and its traditions. From this, he earned the nickname "Mr. Celtic". Heinsohn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions as a player. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for his success as a head coach.

He also helped form the NBA Players Association. Heinsohn was the only person to have the distinction of being involved in an official team capacity in each of the Celtics' first 17 championships, as well as each of their first 21 NBA Finals appearances.

Quick Facts

Born: 26 August 1934
Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: 9 November 2020
Place of death: Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
High school: Saint Michael's (Union City, New Jersey)
College: Holy Cross (1953–1956)
Draft pick: territorial pick
Drafted by: Boston Celtics

Lore & Background

Of German descent, Thomas William Heinsohn was born on August 26, 1934, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Heinsohn moved while in elementary school to Union City, New Jersey, where he was a standout at St. Michael's High School. He accepted a scholarship to Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. As a freshman Heinsohn led the team in scoring averaging 17.6 points per game.

As a sophomore in 1953-1954, Heinsohn scored 444 points – the most-ever by a Holy Cross first-year varsity player at the time. Heinsohn concluded the year by scoring 45 points in three games during the National Invitation Tournament, earning All-NIT honors as Holy Cross claimed the championship. During the 1954-1955 season, Heinsohn led the Crusaders in scoring and rebounding while earning first team All-America honors. During his final year with the team in 1955-1956 he once again received first team All-America honors for the second time, setting what was then a school single-season scoring record with 740 points.

Heinsohn left as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,789 points, an average of 22.1 points per game. During his senior year, Heinsohn scored a school-record 51 points in a game against Boston College, and averaged 27.4 points per game and 21.1 rebounds per game for the season.

Reader's Guide

Heinsohn was chosen as the Boston Celtics' regional draft pick in 1956. In his first season, he played in the NBA All-Star Game and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He finished his rookie season by winning his first championship ring, scoring 37 points and grabbing 23 rebounds in the double-overtime 7th game of the NBA Finals. Standing at 6-7, his two primary moves on offense were a line drive jump shot and a running hook.

He was part of a Celtics squad that won eight NBA titles in nine years, including seven in a row between 1959 and 1965, leading the team in scoring from 1960 to 1962 averaging 20+ PPG each of those seasons. Heinsohn retired after nine seasons due to a foot injury. During his playing career, he was named to six All-Star teams. His number 15 was retired by the Celtics in 1966.

Off the court, he played an important leadership role in the NBA Players Association, serving as its second president from 1958-1966, following founding president Bob Cousy. He became the Celtics' head coach beginning in the 1969–70 season. He led the team to a league-best 68–14 record during the 1972–73 season and was named Coach of the Year. The Celtics won championships in 1974 and 1976 under his coaching.

He accumulated a career coaching record of 427–263. On February 14, 2015, it was announced that Heinsohn would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for a second time as a coaching inductee. He is one of five members of the class of 2015 who were directly elected and is just one of four people to be inducted as both a player and coach. His broadcasting career began in 1966, calling play-by-play for WKBG's Celtics broadcasts.

From 1990 to 1999, he was the Celtics' road play-by-play man on WFXT, WSBK and WABU. In 1981, he joined Mike Gorman as color commentator on PRISM New England. He continued to announce Celtics games up till the 2019 season. In 2016, Heinsohn alongside his broadcasting partner Mike Gorman were inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

Heinsohn was the NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season, ahead of teammate Bill Russell.
He scored his 10,000th career point on the day his teammate Bob Cousy retired.
Heinsohn was instrumental in the NBA's acceptance of a pension plan for players after a threatened strike at the 1964 All-Star game.