Red Auerbach

He married Dorothy Lewis in 1941. The couple had two daughters, Nancy and Randy.

He lived a long and productive life and was active till the very end. He died in 2006 at the age of 89.

The Arnold “Red” Auerbach award was created in 2006 by the Celtics in his honour. It is given to players and coaches who best exemplify the spirit and meaning of what it is to be a Celtic.

He was born to Hyman and Marie Auerbach. He had three siblings. His father was a Russian Jewish immigrant who had married American born Marie. His parents owned a delicatessen store.

He started playing basketball as a child. He went to the Eastern District High School where he proved to be a star basketball player.

He received a basketball scholarship at the George Washington University. He graduated with an M.A. in 1941.

He was always interested in teaching and coaching and it was no surprise that he began coaching basketball at the St. Albans School and Roosevelt High School in 1941 soon after his graduation.

In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy and coached the Navy Basketball team in Norfolk for three years. During this time he was noticed by Mike Uline who hired him to coach the Washington Capitols for the 1946-47 season.

He joined Tri-Cities Blackhawks for the 1949-1950 season but resigned after a season after his favorite player John Mankhen was traded by Blackhawks.

Walter Brown, the owner of the Boston Celtics approached him before the 1950-1951 season to coach his struggling team. After joining the team, Auerbach introduced some radical changes.

He broke the colour barrier and appointed Chuck Cooper, the first African American player in an NBA club. He was not bothered about the race or colour of his players; he only wanted the best performers in his team.

The Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (PBWAA) named him the greatest coach in the history of the NBA in 1980.