Globe: Heinsohn Profile

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NEW ENGLAND'S TOP 100
Court was Heinsohn's canvas

By Judy Van Handle, Globe Staff, 11/17/99

He has filled so many roles in a four-decade link with the Celtics -
high-scoring forward, coach, longtime broadcaster - that he has become
one of their most ubiquitous figures, but it's also easy to picture Tom
Heinsohn as their Renaissance Man.

For although Heinsohn played on eight championship teams in nine years,
coached the Celtics to two more titles, and gained fame as a
broadcaster, he also has achieved recognition in a very different venue
as an accomplished artist. Every picture tells a story in Heinsohn's
life in basketball, which began nearly a half-century ago as one of
Massachusetts's best collegiate players and continues today  as a
Celtics announcer.
Heinsohn, whose No. 15 hangs from the FleetCenter rafters and was
inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1986, is the Globe's choice
as No. 45 on its list of top 100 New England sports figures of the 20th
century.

Heinsohn left Union City, N.J., for Worcester in the fall of 1952 and
became one of the best players in Holy Cross history. The 6-foot-7-inch
forward, a consensus All-American his senior year, once torched Boston
College for 51 points at the Garden and was the sophomore force behind
the Crusaders' 1954 National Invitation Tournament championship team.

Red Auerbach snatched up Heinsohn in the first round of the now-defunct
territorial draft in 1956, and the flat-topped forward with the
stitched-up knee wrap immediately impressed with his shooting eye, grit,
intensity, and play in the clutch.

He joined a team studded with stars such as Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, and
another rookie, Bill Russell, but it was Heinsohn who guaranteed the
Celtics their first title in 1957 with 37 points and 21 rebounds in Game
7 of the finals against St. Louis.

With a 16.3 points-per-game average, Heinsohn earned Rookie of the Year
accolades along with nicknames like ''Tommy Gun'' and ''Ack-Ack.'' He
was known not only for his trademark soft hook and line-drive jumper but
also for his love of shooting, often thrusting his hand into the air and
calling for the ball. Heinsohn, a five-time All-Star, averaged 20 points
or better three times, winding up with an 18.6 average, but his
reputation as a shooter first wasn't entirely accurate.

''You never heard Heinsohn mention how many points he scored after a
game,'' said Auerbach. ''And he never seemed to mind playing in the
shadow of Russell or Bob Cousy.''

Upon his retirement after the 1964-65 season at the age of 30, the
garrulous Heinsohn served as a Celtics broadcaster for four years before
being named coach in 1969. He became known for his demonstrative actions
as one of the NBA's most excitable coaches. Heinsohn led the Celtics to
championships in 1974 and 1976 and notched 427 victories before being
fired midway through the 1977-78 season.

Heinsohn rejoined the Celtics' broadcast team in the early '80s, doing
double duty for seven years as a top analyst for CBS. He remains a color
commentator on Fox, his 17th season at the mike.