Thomas William Heinsohn was an American professional basketball player.
25 Facts About Tom Heinsohn
2.
Tom Heinsohn was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association for six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster.
3.
Tom Heinsohn played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, and coached the team from 1969 to 1978.
4.
Tom Heinsohn spent over 30 years as the color commentator for the Celtics' local broadcasts alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman.
5.
Tom Heinsohn is regarded as one of the most iconic Celtics figures in the franchise's history, known during his lifetime for his charisma and loyalty to the team and its traditions.
6.
Tom Heinsohn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions as a player.
7.
Tom Heinsohn was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his success as a head coach.
8.
Tom Heinsohn was the only person to have the distinction of being involved in an official team capacity in each of the Celtics' 17 championships, as well as each of their first 21 NBA Finals appearances.
9.
Tom Heinsohn accepted a scholarship to Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and became the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,789 points, an average of 22.1 points per game.
10.
Tom Heinsohn finished his rookie season by winning his first championship ring, scoring 37 points and grabbing 23 rebounds in the double-overtime 7th game of the NBA Finals.
11.
Tom Heinsohn was part of a Celtics squad that won eight NBA titles in nine years, including seven in a row between 1959 and 1965.
12.
Tom Heinsohn retired after nine seasons due to a foot injury.
13.
Tom Heinsohn was the association's second president, and was instrumental in the league's acceptance of a pension plan for players following a showdown at the All-Star game in 1964, in which the All-Star players, led by Heinsohn, threatened to strike.
14.
On February 14,2015, it was announced that Tom Heinsohn would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for a second time as a coaching inductee.
15.
Tom Heinsohn is one of five members of the class of 2015 who were directly elected and is just one of four people to be inducted as both a player and coach.
16.
Tom Heinsohn's broadcasting career began in 1966, calling play-by-play for WKBG's Celtics broadcasts, after being asked by Red Auerbach.
17.
Tom Heinsohn spent three seasons in this role before becoming coach in 1969.
18.
From 1990 to 1999, Tom Heinsohn was the Celtics' road play-by-play man on WFXT, WSBK and WABU.
19.
In 1981, Tom Heinsohn joined Mike Gorman as color commentator on PRISM New England, which held the Celtics' television broadcasts.
20.
Tom Heinsohn teamed with Brent Musburger, Verne Lundquist, and James Brown during his time with CBS.
21.
For NCAA games, Tom Heinsohn was typically paired with Verne Lundquist.
22.
Tom and Diane Heinsohn had three children: Paul, David, and Donna.
23.
Tom Heinsohn had 5 grandchildren: Danielle, Victoria, Brooke, Adrian, and Christopher.
24.
Away from the court, Tom Heinsohn enjoyed painting and playing golf; he once headed a life insurance company.
25.
Tom Heinsohn died at his home from kidney failure on November 9,2020, at the age of 86.