Today in Boston Celtics history, in 1950, Hall of Fame Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach coached his inaugural game in that role with the storied franchise. He had recently joined the team following the resignation of the franchise's first coach, Alvin "Doggy" Julian. Prior to this role, Auerbach served as an assistant coach at Duke University and held the position of head coach for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now known as the Atlanta Hawks), before departing from that position due to a disagreement with the club's ownership.
Red had inherited a team with a 22-46 record and a desperate owner trying not to go belly-up who made an unusual decision towards that end that panned out in a big way. That owner, Walter Brown, actually asked
a number of local sportswriters who he ought to hire as a coach for the team, and after being recommended Auerbach by the crowd, extended an offer. The future Celtics legend accepted and immediately got to work avoiding Bob Cousy in the draft (he would end up on the team later that fall after a dispersal draft sent him to Boston) while breaking the color barrier in professional basketball by drafting Chuck Cooper.
When October 18 rolled around, it was time for the very first test of the Auerbach-helmed Celtics, and Boston won the friendly preseason tilt against the Baltimore Bullets (now defunct, and not the team that became the Washington Wizards) 102-92. The rest, as they say, is history.
Historic milestones
It is also the date of a number of players making their NBA debuts with the Celtics, least of which includes former Boston big man Rich Johnson. An alum of Grambling State taken by the Celtics with the 46th pick (there were many more rounds to the draft in that era) of the 1968 NBA Draft, Johnson played his first minutes in the game in a 106-88 blowout of the Detroit Pistons. It was a modest debut that saw the Louisiana native score just 2 points.
It is also the date of Florida State alum Ben Clyde's debut with the Celtics in 1974, which saw the big man play his first game in a 126-119 loss to the Buffalo Braves (technically, the team that is now the Celtics now, thoughthat is a long story). The Georgia native had a better debut, logging a 2-point, 1-rebound inaugural outing in 4 minutes of play.
It was also on this day in 2017 that both Daniel Theis and Abdel Nader made their debut for the team in a 108-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Theis had the better game of the two despite playing less than 5 minutes to Nader's 11 and a half, putting up 6 points and 2 boards in contrast to the Iowa State alum, who recorded 4 points and an assist.
In another of several debuts, it was also the day Joe Mazzulla spent his first game on Boston's sidelines as head coach, having been elevated to interim status after Ime Udoka was suspended for an improper workplace relationship in the summer 2022. The game was a 126-117 win over the Philadelphia 76ers that was special for other reasons after the Celtics paid homage to Bill Russell a few months after the Boston great had passed away. Special uniforms and patches, a global retirement of the No. 6 jersey, and a court with a large No. 6 on the lane to honor the civil rights icon and NBA superstar were but some of the honors for Russell.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Auerbach coaches 1st game; Theis, Nader, Mazzulla debut; Russell tribute
