In the early days of the Boston Celtics, it was not uncommon for players to hold a second job to help make ends meet. The salary of a player in the BAA (Basketball Association of America — a precursor league of the NBA) era of the league was not enough to live on year-round, with it not being uncommon for some of the better players in the league taking up gigs driving taxis or slinging insurance to cover the bills.

But John “Honey” Russell — the first head coach of the Celtics — had one player in particular he was especially proud of for his “side” gig that would eventually eclipse his status as an athlete playing not only in the BAA but also Major league Baseball, in fame. Kevin Connors, better known as “Chuck” during his acting career, would become much better known for his role as television’s “Rifleman,” among several other roles that brought the Celtics player into people’s TVs in a non-sporting context.

In fact, when Coach Russell was asked who his greatest discovery was — presumably asking about the many players he coached in the sport of basketball over the years — to which he would answer, “Kevin Connors. Who else played two sports in the major leagues and then made good in the movies?”

It wasn’t always high praise for his acting inclinations, however.

When Connors had a heavy hand in a losing streak for the Celtics, but was sighted perusing a folio of “Twelfth Night” after the game in the hotel, Russell could not help but lose his cool a bit. “This guy loses me ball game after ball game, and he sits here reading Shakespeare,” said Russel via his son John in his autobiography.

After the sting of the loss faded, and the impact of his acting career settled in, Russell likely realized how he’d helped to fill out one of the more impressive resumes to cross paths with the Celtics over the years, and rightfully took pride in helping smooth the path for his onetime player on to greater heights.

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