Today in Boston Celtics history, in 1950, the team selected future Hall of Fame guard Bob Cousy in a dispersal draft. An alumnus of the famed Holy Cross College, where he won an NCAA title in 1947, Cousy faced resistance from Celtics coach and GM Red Auerbach, who did not take him in the 1950 NBA Draft. He later became available to the Celtics via the dispersal draft for the recently defunct Chicago Stags, with whom Cousy had been signed. The future Hall of Fame floor general made his first of 13 All-Star Games in 1951, six NBA titles between 1957 and 1963, a league Most Valuable Player award, two All-Star MVPs, a dozen All-NBA nods, and many other honors before his retirement in 1963.
It turned out to be one of the most fortunate breaks in franchise
history. Widely regarded as among the greatest to ever play the game, the New Yorker coached after his initial retirement. He briefly un-retired to become player-coach of the (then) Cincinnati Royals and Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings in 1970 and coached Boston College as well. He was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1971, having transformed the sport on the court, but also behind the scenes as a major supporter of the Players' Union.
Cousy remains active in the wider Celtics community even to this day.
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It was also on this date that the Celtics traded a pair of second-round draft picks to the (then) New Jersey Nets (now, Brooklyn) for point guard John Bagley.
The Connecticut native played three seasons over four years (a knee injury kept him out of his second season with Boston) before leaving the team to join the Atlanta Hawks in free agency. Bagley averaged 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game with the Celtics.
Gone too soon
Finally, it was also on this day that former Celtics guard and fellow Holy Cross alum Dermie O'Connell passed away in 1988.
The New Yorker played in parts of two seasons for Boston between 1948 and 1950, traded to the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers in February in that latter year. He recorded 6.6 points and 2.2 assists per game with Boston.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Cousy taken in dispersal draft; Bagley deal; O'Connell passes
