A Giant Passes - Red Auerbach Dies

I rarely mark the passing of a public figure, especially one that I never met. Red Auerbach is an exception. Seldom does a man so clearly distinguish himself as the best at what he did. He lived a full life by any one's measure, but I feel a sense of loss.

No, I'm not from Boston nor am I a Celtics fan, but I am a fan of the game of basketball.

Where to start, great coach, 8 consecutive NBA championships, 11 overall. Great basketball executive. When he retired from coaching he named his star player, Bill Russell, to succeed him as coach. Oh by the way, Mr. Russell just happened to be the first African-American hired to coach a team in professional sports. Russell was named by Auerbach in 1966. It's worth mentioning that this was long before professional sports franchises were shamed into interviewing let alone hiring qualified candidates of color. Naming Russell occurred more than 20 years before Al Campanis, then the LA Dodgers GM, uttered on national tv that the dearth of black coaches was because they "may not have some of the necessities.." required to coach. In Russell first three years of coaching he lead his team to two championships. Red wasn't just smarter, he had the guts to make the right decision irrespective of what the other guys thought.

Moreover, he was a brilliant judge of talent. He drafted a slow white guy from French Lick even though the kid already committed to returning for his last year of college eligibility. That player, Larry Bird, became the cornerstone of more championships for the Celtics. He subsequently engineered the most one-sided trade in NBA history, trading the first pick in the 1980 draft for Robert "The Chief" Parrish and the third pick in the draft. Oh yeah, he used the third pick to obtain Kevin McHale. The counter party in that trade, the Golden State Warriors got Joe Barry Carroll, a center out of Purdue. These are two prominent tales, but the examples of his basketball acumen are legion.

These items are merely intended to illustrate the foresight and insight this man possessed. He also was brash and opinionated. He considered Bill Russell the greatest player ever and as much as I love Michael Jordan (and as a lifelong Bulls fan, I do), I have to defer to Red. (BTW, for those of you that have never had the pleasure - I strongly advise you to douse yourself in a Russell retrospective - he was simply unbelievable, 11 Championships in 13 seasons, that after leading his team to 2 consecutive NCAA championships).

All that said, I loved what Red did for me. I learned more about basketball from Red Auerbach than from all the coaches I played for or against. In the late 70's/early 80's he hosted a half-time feature on the NBA game of the week on ABC. On that segment, he illustrated fundamentals of the game and drills he believed made you a better basketball player. More importantly, he also explained the why behind these fundamentals and drills.

I absolutely lived for that segment. I was in third or fourth grade when I started watching and I'd stare intently at the screen shushing my siblings, unwilling to miss any pearl Red was willing to toss my way. The segment, unknown to me at the time was based on Red's book, Basketball for the Player, the Fan and Coach. I saw it in paperback about that time and bought with my own money. It was my basketball bible, I read it frequently and practiced every drill contained in the book. I lived for basketball then and for many years thereafter. It remains the best book on basketball I have ever read.

My eldest son, 11, shares my passion for the game. I've been able to pass along some of the knowledge I gleaned from Red. I looked for that book recently, eager to see if I might witness the same magic I experienced manifested in my son's eyes, but I couldn't find the book. I think I'll try a little harder.

Red Auerbach gave me a gift, yet he never met me - light that cigar Red, rest in peace.

Addendum: Since I posted this I read the excellent obit in the NYT, but for definitive coverage go to the Boston Globe website. They even have a link to the 1980 story regarding the trade that resulted in the Celtics getting Parrish and McHale, precious.