September 20, 2026 would have been the 109th birthday of Arnold Jacob “Red” Auerbach, the coach and executive who shaped the Boston Celtics. He was born in Brooklyn in 1917 and died on 28 October 2006.

He took the Celtics bench in 1950. As head coach he won nine NBA titles: 1957 and then eight in a row, 1959–1966. The consecutive championships record remains his, not that of later franchises.

The core was team play and Bill Russell, who arrived in Boston after a 1956 trade. Auerbach built the roster; Russell was the dominant player. In 1966 he named Russell player-coach — the first Black head coach in the NBA.

On 25 April 1950 the Celtics selected Chuck Cooper, the first Black player drafted in the league. The draft decision belonged to Walter Brown’s organisation; Auerbach was hired two days later. We do not credit Auerbach, as coach, with the 25 April pick.

After leaving the bench he remained general manager, then president. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame associates him with 16 franchise titles, distinct from the nine as coach. His public signature was the victory cigar.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 1969. The commemoration separates coach from executive; it does not diminish Russell’s role.

Image: Boston Celtics 1956–57, unknown author, public domain, Wikimedia Commons. Auerbach seated at centre; team photograph, not an event in 2026. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Red Auerbach — Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.