Today in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics head coach Jimmy Rodgers was dismissed from his position after an unexpected loss in a first-round matchup against the New York Knicks during the 1990 NBA Playoffs. Rodgers began his tenure with the Celtics as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coach Bill Fitch in 1979. He continued with the organization after Fitch’s departure as head coach in 1983, working under Celtics Hall of Famer legend KC Jones, and later succeeded Jones as head coach following his resignation in 1988.
Rodgers was dealt a rough hand in his first season, with star forward Larry Bird out injured for much of the season. While the first-round exit and poor records are perhaps not up to par for the Celtics teams of old, the franchise inherited by Rodgers was heavily mortgaged in favor of an aging core that probably should have been broken up years earlier.
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Rodgers finished with a 94-70 regular-season record, and went 2 and 6 in the postseason, good for .573 and .250 winning percentages, respectively.
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1989: Larry Bird #33 of the Boston Celtics talks with head coach Jimmy Rodgers while there’s a break in the action against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1989 at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland. Bird played for the Celtics from 1979-92. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Birthdays
It is the birthday of Keyon Dooling, who was born today in 1980 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dooling would play his college ball with Missouri and have stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks before being dealt by the latter team to Boston in 2011. Dooling played just one season for the Celtics, averaging 4 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
Mar 8, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder (17) controls the ball while Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker (8) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
It is also the birthday of Kemba Walker, who was born today in the Bronx, New York in 1990. The four-time All-Star played for UConn at the NCAA level and was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2011, for whom he played continuously until the summer of 2020 when he joined the Celtics in free agency. His stay lasted until he was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021, having averaged 19.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Jimmy Rodgers fired; Kemba Walker, Keyon Dooling born