Boston Celtics legend Tom Heinsohn is an NBA champion, a player who was willing to do anything in order to win.
Heinsohn played hard and he fought hard. He won eight championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s, but he took a backseat to Bill Russell when it came time for playoff MVP honors. But that doesn’t change what Heinsohn did on the court or how much he meant to his team during their glory years. In fact, without him, there may not have been any glory at all.
Regarded as one of the elements of the legendary Celtics squad from 1959-1966 consecutive title run, he continued aiding his team by coaching and, later on, broadcasting. He spent his entire professional career with the franchise and it’s tough to look for another player so dedicated to a team as Tom Heinsohn was. Even though he was overshadowed by Bill Russell during his time with the Celtics, his contributions didn’t go unnoticed.
After a successful college career, he immediately picked up the Rookie of the Year Award, and it became apparent that the Celtics are dealing with a prodigy, even though coach Red Auerbach was quite skeptical of his now undeniable talent.
Heinsohn finished his career with eight NBA titles, six All-Star appearances, four Second All-Star Team performances, and, on top of all the glory, his number #15 was retired by the Celtics, which is the highest regard a franchise can give.
After his playing career was over, he became a successful head coach in Boston for nine seasons, guiding the team to the 1974 and 1976 NBA titles.
Tom Heinsohn – Early Life
Born on August 26, 1934, Thomas William Heinsohn came to be in New Jersey and quickly picked up basketball. After moving to Union City, Heinsohn became friends with Del Purgatorio who was a star player for his high school and rose to fame rapidly.
Tom was a spotlight player at St. Michael’s High School. Still, that wasn’t the reason he made a name for himself. It was his semi-professional play that earned him recognizability in the eyes of headhunters.
His second year in high school saw him become the MVP in one of the local tournaments. After that, he was offered many scholarships at top universities, totaling over 300. He had plenty of choices as he was named All-American. The decision was tough and Heinsohn considered multiple options, from Fordham and Georgetown to Holy Cross.
He wanted to focus on basketball entirely and, because Holy Cross was widely regarded as one of the best schools for the sport, he selected decided to attend Worcester College. Apart from that, he simply wanted to move away from his home to see a bit of the world.
Tom Heinsohn – NBA Career with the Boston Celtics
A regional pick, the Celtics decided to go for Heinsohn in 1956. It was at that time that coach Auerbach signed a promising rookie in the form of Bill Russell, another legend in his own rights. The head coach was doubtful about Heinsohn and was all-encompassing with the talent of Bill Russell.
Discouraged about being dwarfed by Russell, Heinsohn almost took the opportunity to play for a local industrial-league team, but Bob Cousy thought otherwise. He convinced the talented youngster to take a trip to Boston. If it wasn’t for Cousy, we might have missed out on one of the greatest players and an incredible aid to the community.
Tom Heinsohn – Rookie of the Year
Already in his first season, Heinsohn demonstrated incredible skill and proved coach Auerbach wrong. Taking the Rookie of the Year award home, he had an average of 16.2 points per game while spending just shy of 30 minutes on the court each game. Seeing that Russell was out with the Olympic Team in Melbourne during the 1956 Olympics, Heinsohn could have kept all the fanfare to himself.
Heinsohn’s rookie season was also the start of the legendary title run by the Celtics, where they would go on to win eight straight championships. Even with Bill Russell in the team, he managed to lead in scoring during three of those years and was named an All-Star six times. His best was brought out in 1961, during which he had an average of 22.1 points per game.
According to the big man himself, his most fondly remembered game was Game 6 during the 1960 Eastern Conference versus the Warriors.
Heinsohn was an excellent isolation player who would score in volume, but there were concerns about his shooting. He was accused of shooting too much and taking low-percentage attempts on occasion. Heinsohn, known to his teammates as “Tommy Gun,” tossed the ball up an average of two times for every three minutes he was on the court during his career.
For every assist he got, he attempted the ball about nine times. Although the media frequently complained about his selfishness, his teammates did not seem to care all that much and still valued him as an asset.
The 1964-65 season was Heinsohn’s final in the league. His point output had been declining each year since his career-high of 22.1 ppg in 1961-62. In 1964-65, he missed 13 games due to injury, falling to a personal low of 13.6 ppg.
Despite their success, the Celtics nevertheless won the league’s best record of 62-18 and defeated Los Angeles in five games in the NBA Finals. It was Boston’s seventh consecutive title, and the penultimate season for Heinsohn.
On the court, Tom Heinsohn was a key player. His role outside of the game was also essential as he had an important spot in the NBA Players Association. He was the NBA’s second president (following Bob Cousy), and he helped bring about the league’s acceptance of a pension plan for players after a confrontation at the All-Star game in 1964, when All-Star players, led by Heinsohn, threatened to strike.
Beginning in the 1969–70 season, Heinsohn served as the Celtics’ head coach. He led the club to a league-best 68–14 record in 1972–73 and was named Coach of the Year, but Boston was upset in the playoffs. The following season, Heinsohn guided the Celtics to victory on their way to another championship, while also earning his fifth title. He went on to amass a career coaching record of 427–263.
Tom Heinsohn – Broadcasting Career
After being asked by Red Auerbach, Heinsohn began calling games for the Boston Celtics in 1966. He served as head coach from 1969 to 1980. Heinsohn had a position as a play-by-play announcer for the Celtics on WSBK, WABU, and WFXT from 1990 to 1999.
In the Celtics’ television broadcasts, Tom Heinsohn teamed up with Mike Gorman as color commentator in 1981. They are one of sports broadcasting’s most enduring partnerships.
In the 1980s, Heinsohn served as an announcer for CBS’s NBA playoff coverage (with Dick Stockton), calling four Finals from 1984 to 1987, three of which were between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. During his time with CBS, Heinsohn worked with Brent Musburger, Verne Lundquist, and James Brown.
After the 1987 NBA season, Tom Heinsohn was demoted from the primary color analyst position to 2nd on the network’s depth chart, teaming with Brent Musburger for the 1987–88 season and calling solely playoff games. For the 1988–89 season, Heinsohn called only playoff games again, this time paired with Verne Lundquist. In his final year, Heinsohn broadcast a regular-season game for CBS and early-round 1990 NBA playoff games with James Brown.
Tom Heinsohn – Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
On February 14, 2015, it was revealed that he would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a second-time coaching inductee. He 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.
Tom Heinsohn – Net Worth
Tom Heinsohn is an NBA Hall of Famer and 8-time championship winner. His estimated net worth ranges from $5 million to $8 million, which is mostly attributed to his long career in the NBA. He also has investments in several businesses outside of basketball.
What college did Tom Heinsohn go to?
After accepting a scholarship from the Holy Cross College in Massachusetts, he quickly rose to fame. An all-time leading scorer for the school, he averaged just over 22 points and totaled 1,789. His senior year would prove to be the best, though. Motivated by his success during the first years, he got to work even more. With a tremendous average of 27.4 points and 21.1 rebounds, it became apparent that Heinsohn had talent. And a lot of it. One time, he even scored 51 points against Boston.
What was Tom Heinsohn good at?
A 6-foot-7 forward/center, Tom Heinsohn was not the biggest player on the court, but he more than made up for it with his aggressive style of play. He was a tenacious rebounder and an excellent shooter, who was not afraid to mix it up with the opposition. Known for his tough defense and physicality, Heinsohn was an integral part of the Boston Celtics dynasty that dominated the NBA in the 1950s and 1960s. Playing alongside legends such as Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, Heinsohn helped the Celtics win eight NBA championships during his nine-year career.
Does Tommy Heinsohn have 17 rings?
The Boston Celtics have a long and storied history, winning a total of 17 championships over the course of their existence. Throughout all those winning seasons, one man has been there for every single championship: Tommy Heinsohn. Heinsohn was originally drafted by the Celtics in 1956 and went on to win eight championships as a player. He then served as the head coach for two more championship seasons before moving into broadcasting, where he has been calling games for the past 40 years. In total, Heinsohn has been a part of 17 Celtic championships, making him the only person in team history to have such an impressive record.
