Happy Birthday to a Celtics Legend: Tommy Heinsohn Turns 81 Today

Earlier today the Boston Celtics gave a shout-out to one of the franchise’s most beloved figures, Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn, who is celebrating his 81st birthday. Heinsohn has spent the majority of his life as a part of organization. He was drafted by the Celtics in 1956 and played his entire career with the team, winning eight championships and appearing in six All-Star games in just nine seasons.

The term legend gets thrown around a lot, but Heinsohn indeed fits the bill. He was a leader not only for the Celtics, but the league as a whole. He served as the NBA Players Association’s second president, succeeding his teammate Bob Cousy.

After retiring at age 30, Heinsohn became an announcer for the team for three seasons, but then moved on to coaching. He enjoyed tremendous success on the sidelines in Boston, winning over 400 games in nine seasons. Heinsohn was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 1973 and the Celtics won championships in ’74 and ’76, bringing his ring total to double digits. In February of this year Heinsohn was inducted into the Hall of Fame for a second time to honor his coaching career. He is one of only four people enshrined as a player and coach, joining fellow Celtic Bill Sharman, John Wooden, and Lenny Wilkens.

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Heinsohn retired from coaching in 1978 and returned to broadcasting in ’81. For decades he’s been the team’s color commentator and a relentless homer. My memories of watching Celtics games growing up all have his voice as the soundtrack, the customary outrage over referee’s calls against Boston that he deemed unjust, his awarding of ‘Tommy Points,’ which went to players who displayed exceptional hustle, and of course the ‘Tommy Award’ at the conclusion of each game for whoever racked up the most points.

Walter McCarty, a bench player who averaged just 5.2 points during his career, has been immortalized for fans of a certain age by Heinsohn’s unabashed affection for the guy. His cries of ‘I LOVE WALTAH!!!’ when McCarty nailed a corner three or threw down a dunk were irresistibly passionate. Heinsohn has scaled back his work to a certain degree. He does fewer road games than he used to, but he remains an integral part of the team for local fans tuning in on TV.

Come 2016, Heinsohn will celebrate the 60th anniversary of being drafted by Boston. He’s become the Celtics lifer, an essential part of the franchise the vast majority of its existence. His number 15 hangs in the rafters, and of course he’s got all those rings. The court at the Garden already displays Red Auerbach’s signature, but I’d say a statue is in order, or at the very least an extremely nice cake. Happy Birthday Tommy, and here’s to many more.

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