Today in Boston Celtics history, it is the anniversary of the retirement of Celtic legend Bob Cousy, who concluded his iconic playing career at the age of 34 during an intimate ceremony at Boston Garden. This event is widely remembered for a fan breaking Cousy’s poignant silence during his emotional retirement speech by exclaiming, “We love ya, Cooz!”
The renowned Boston point guard also received a special message from then- US President John F. Kennedy, which read, “The game bears an indelible stamp of your rare skills and competitive daring” (as noted by author Gary M. Pomerantz in “The Last Pass”).
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Cousy won seven titles with Boston, be elected the league’s Most Valuable Player, and got 13 nods for the NBA All-Star games, one of the greatest to play the game and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Birthdays
Today is also the birthday of former team president and Celtics two-time champion Danny Ainge, who was born this day in 1959 in Eugene, Oregon. A multi-sport high school star athlete, Ainge was drafted out of BYU by the Celtics with the 31st overall pick of the 1981 NBA Draft and had to be bought out of his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Ainge won titles with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 as well as an All-Star bid in 1988 before being dealt to the Sacramento Kings in 1989. He returned to take over as the team’s general manager in 2003 after getting into coaching with the Phoenix Suns, and moved on to the same role with the Utah Jazz in 2021. The BYU alum averaged 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a Celtic.
Mar 21, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell greet before the game at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Finally, it is also former Boston guard Terry Rozier’s birthday, who was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1994. Rozier played collegiately for Louisville, drafted by the Celtics with the 16th pick of the 2015 NBA draft. Rozier would play four seasons with Boston before being dealt to the Charlotte Hornets in a double sign-and-trade for Kemba Walker in 2018. He logged 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game with Boston.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Danny Ainge, Terry Rozier born; Bob Cousy retired