Tom Heinsohn
Tom Heinsohn, born on August 26, 1934, in Jersey City, New Jersey, was a significant figure in the world of basketball, known for both his playing and coaching careers. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches, Heinsohn initially struggled with coordination but improved through dancing lessons and mentorship on local playgrounds. He achieved stardom in college basketball at Holy Cross before being drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1956, contributing to a dynasty that won eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. Heinsohn was recognized for his scoring ability and versatility on the court, averaging 18.6 points per game during his nine-year playing career. After retiring as a player, he took on coaching duties for the Celtics, leading them to NBA Championships in 1974 and 1975 and earning NBA Coach of the Year honors. Later, he became a well-known television commentator for basketball. Heinsohn passed away on November 9, 2020, leaving behind a legacy as a fierce competitor and a dedicated team player.
Tom Heinsohn
- Born: August 26, 1934
- Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey
- Died: November 9, 2020
- Place of death: Needham, MA
Sport: Basketball
Early Life
Thomas William Heinsohn was born August 26, 1934, in Jersey City, New Jersey. He later claimed it was a wonder he ever learned to play basketball. He was tall for his age, eventually growing to 6 feet 7 inches, but he was clumsy as a youngster. One day, his mother took him aside and gave him dancing lessons. This helped him develop more coordination, a necessary basketball skill. He got his first big break when a local college player began teaching him the finer points of the game on the playground. He picked up some valuable tips on that playground and quickly became known as one of the best players in his area, even before going to high school.
The Road to Excellence
Playing with older boys throughout his childhood and early years of high school taught Heinsohn to be an unselfish player. As the youngest on the court, he was given strict instructions to pass and rebound and not take any shots. By the time he became a star, he was doubly dangerous—a talented player who could do more than score. After high school, he decided to go to Holy Cross, which was then one of the premier basketball schools in the East. He helped the Crusaders to win twenty-six of twenty-eight games in his first season. By the time he was a senior, he was considered the best player in the East and one of the best in the country. The Boston Celtics drafted him when he graduated in 1956.
Although no one realized it at the time, the Celtics were about to become one of the most successful franchises in the history of sports. Along with Heinsohn, the team added center Bill Russell that season. The two new acquisitions joined two talented holdovers—Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman—to form a championship team. Heinsohn quickly adjusted to life in the professional ranks; he scored 16 points per game and was voted the league’s top rookie. He and Russell carried the Celtics to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals against the St. Louis (later Atlanta) Hawks, winning the title in seven games. In the finals, Heinsohn played one of the great games in the history of the finals, scoring 37 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. That day, the Celtics won the first of the franchise’s many titles.
The Emerging Champion
The 1956–57 championship was just the beginning for Heinsohn and the Celtics. Although Boston lost in the finals the next season, neither the team nor Heinsohn was discouraged. The Celtics won the title for the next eight years in a row, the longest such streak in professional sports. Heinsohn always played a big role on those teams. He was known primarily as a shooter during his nine-year career. In fact, opposing players often teased him, labeling him a “gunner.” Those opponents failed to see the whole picture, however. He scored points because that was his job. Celtics’ coach Red Auerbach knew he had players who could defend and players who could rebound, but they could not shoot that well. Heinsohn was supposed to take many of the shots.
Shooting was not Heinsohn's only talent, however. Inside the Celtic family, he was known as a fierce competitor, someone who would do anything to win a game. Auerbach often took advantage of that. On a particular night, he might ask Heinsohn to concentrate more on defense to shut down a big scorer from the other team, or he might be asked to pass more on some nights or to set screens and picks so that his teammates could get free for shots. With Heinsohn providing a little of everything, and whatever was needed in a particular situation, the Celtics dynasty was established. He averaged 18.6 points per game during his career, with a high scoring average of 22.1 during the 1961–62 season.
Heinsohn stepped aside after the 1964–65 season, allowing the younger players to develop. He was near the peak of his abilities but had become a successful businessman during his off-seasons, so he retired to pursue his business interests.
Continuing the Story
Red Auerbach, the coach of the Celtics, was so impressed with Heinsohn’s will to win that, when Auerbach stepped down, he asked hi to take over the team. He declined, and Russell took over the coaching duties, but several years later, once Russell retired and the Celtics fell on hard times, Heinsohn took over to try to bring the Celtics back.
In his fourth year at the helm, the Celtics posted the best record in the NBA at 68–14. Heinsohn was bitterly disappointed when the New York Knicks defeated Boston in seven games in the 1970 Eastern Conference Finals. Even so, he won the coveted NBA coach of the year honors. Adhering to his coaching philosophy to keep pressure on the opponent at all times, play with great intensity, and control the tempo of the game, the Celtics won the NBA Championship in 1974 and 1975. The Celtics of the 1970s were led by Dave Cowens at center. Cowens was 6 feet 8 inches tall, shorter than almost every center in the league. Like his coach, however, he was dedicated to winning. Heinsohn devised new ways to run offenses and defenses to make up for Cowens’s relative lack of height, and the Celtics kept on winning. During Heinsohn's eight seasons as coach, the Celtics compiled a record of 416–240. Because of his success as a player and a coach, Heinsohn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.
After leaving the team as a coach, Heinsohn could not stay away from the game or his old team. In time, he became a television commentator for professional and college basketball games. In 1981, he became the color commentator for the Celtics. In 1995, he received the Jack McMahon Award from the National Basketball Coaches Association for his positive contributions to the NBA coaching profession. In addition to continuing to provide commentating for the Celtics into the beginning of the 2020s, he also devoted time to his passion for painting, often traveling to Vermont to render the state's landscapes.
On November 9, 2020, Heinsohn died in Needham, Massachusetts, at the age of eighty-six, after having been ill for some time.
Summary
Tom Heinsohn was the perfect man for the team-oriented Celtics. As both a player and later as a coach, he was willing to try any strategy and take any job necessary for his team to be successful. He was accomplished off the court as well. After retiring, he became a top insurance salesman in New England before coming back to coach his old team.
Bibliography
Auerbach, Red, and John Feinstein. Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game. Boston: Little, Brown, 2004.
Bjarkman, Peter C. The Biographical History of Basketball. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Masters Press, 2000.
Goldstein, Richard. "Tom Heinsohn, Champion Celtic as Player and Coach, Is Dead at 86." The New York Times, 10 Nov. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/sports/basketball/tom-heinsohn-champion-celtic-as-player-and-coach-is-dead-at-86.html. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
Hareas, John. NBA’s Greatest. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2003.