Today in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics head coach and general manager Arnold "Red" Auerbach coached his first regular-season game with the franchise in 1950 after being hired by owner Walter Brown, following recommendations from local sports journalists. Auerbach's previous coaching experience includes the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now Atlanta Hawks), the defunct Washington Capitols NBA franchise, and serving as an assistant coach for the Duke Blue Devils.
The game was thankfully not auspicious for the Boston icon's future with the team in the coming years, with Auerbach's Celtics falling 107-84 to the (then) Fort Wayne (Indiana) Pistons (who are now based in Detroit).
Auerbach was not the only Celtics legend making his debut that
day.
Historic milestones
The game was also the NBA debut of Celtics Hall of Fame point guard luminary Bob Cousy, who logged 16 points, 7 rebounds, and an uncharacteristic 0 assists. He shot a pedestrian 4-of-10 from the floor but a very good 8-of-8 night at the free throw line. The Holy Cross alum wasn't the only Hall of Famer debuting in that game as a player, either.
It was also the debut of Hall of Fame forward Chuck Cooper, the first Black player drafted in NBA and team history. The former Duquesne standout put up 9 points and 2 boards in the loss, hitting a healthy 3-of-6 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the stripe.
In 1953, Boston shooting guard Ernie Barrett made his debut for the storied ball club in an 84-79 home loss to the Minneapolis Lakers (now, Los Angeles). The Kansas State alumnus had himself a mostly uneventful first game for the Celtics, putting up 2 points on two field goal attempts in 8 minutes of floor time.
In 2006, another Celtics icon made his debut, point guard Rajon Rondo in a 91-87 loss to the (then) New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (now Charlotte, but at that time they were housed in Oklahoma after Hurricane Katrina). The former Wildcat logged 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 22:30 minutes of floor time, going 2-of-6 from the floor and a slightly concerning 2-of-4 from the charity stripe.
A decade before that, former fan favorite Boston forward Antoine Walker played his first game for the Celtics in a 107-98 loss to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Employee No. 8 (as Walker was often called) put up 12 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 5-of-12 overall, 1-of-3 from deep, and 1-of-4 from the stripe (ouch!).
Big man Bret Szabo also debuted on this day in 1996 in a 107-98 home loss to the Chicago Bulls. The Augustana College alumnus had a modest first game with the Celtics, logging a single rebound and a turnover in just under 2 minutes of floor time for Boston.
Former Boston Forward Rick Fox debuted on the same date in 1991, in a 111-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The North Carolina alum logged 13 points, 2 boards, an assist, and a steal over 21 minutes of game time, shooting 4-of-8 overall, and 5-of-7 from the line.
Birthdays
Finally, three former Celtics players and a team president share today as a birthday. Eric Fernsten was born today in 1953 in Oakland, California, a product of the University of San Francisco. He would play for Boston for three seasons between 1979 and 1982, winning a title with the team in 1981, and averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 boards as a Celtic.
He shares that birthday with former Celtic power forward Clarence Glover, who came into this world in 1947 in Horse Cave, Kentucky. Selected by Boston with the 10th overall pick of the 1971 NBA Draft, Glover played just 25 games for the Celtics in the 1971-72 season, scoring 2.6 points, and 1.8 rebounds per game.
Marcus Landry was also born on this date in 1985 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Wisconsinite played a single game for the Celtics in the 2009-10 season after being dealt to the team with guard Nate Robinson for JR Giddens, Eddie House, Henry Walker, and draft assets in February 2010. He recorded no counting stats in 3 minutes of play.
Finally, Celtics short-timer team president Clarence H. Adams was also born today in 1905 in Ogunquit, Maine. Adams had been chairman and chief executive officer of National Equities Inc. when it purchased the Celtics in 1967 and became team president for the year his firm owned the team.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Auerbach, Cousy, Cooper, Rondo, Fox, Walker debut
