Today in Boston Celtics history, Boston fired then-head coach and former champion power forward Tommy Heinsohn. Heinsohn began coaching the team after working a stint as a local broadcaster calling games for area TV station WKBG, which he had been doing for three seasons after retiring as one of the most decorated players in all of NBA history in 1965, winning a total of 8 titles and a raft of other accolades.
The Holy Cross alum was also successful as a head coach for the Celtics early on, winning the Association’s Coach of the Year award in 1973 and a pair of banners in 1974 and 1976. He also served as the head coach of the East in All-Star games between 1972 and 1974, and again in 1976. The wheels began to fall off in his latter years as coach until a losing record of 32-50 necessitated a changing of the guard at the end of the 1977-78 season.
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The Celtics would again go with a familiar face in the role of head coach, hiring former champion forward and then-assistant coach Tom “Satch” Sanders to succeed Heinsohn, a legend in his own right who’d also won eight titles with Boston as a player.
Unknown date; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics head coach Tom Heinsohn against the Atlanta Hawks at The Omni. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Sanders’ tenure did not go that well either, but to be fair he was working with the same aging, run-down roster in need of an overhaul.
And with the arrival of rookie Larry Bird the following season, they got it!
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Celtics fire Tommy Heinsohn as coach, hire Tom Sanders