III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 624 

To honor the memory of Arnold ‘‘Red’’ Auerbach. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 6, 2006 

Mr. KENNEDY (for himself and Mr. KERRY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

To honor the memory of Arnold ‘‘Red’’ Auerbach. 

Whereas Arnold ‘‘Red’’ Auerbach was born on September 20, 

1917, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of immigrants 

from Minsk, Russia; 

Whereas Red started playing basketball as a public school 

student in Brooklyn and later became a star guard for 

Eastern District High School, making all-scholastic second team in his senior year; 

Whereas Red started his coaching career at St. Albans Preparatory School and Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C., before serving in the United States Navy 

from 1943 to 1946; 

Whereas, in 1946, Red began his professional coaching career 

with the Washington Capitols in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and led the team to the 1947 and 


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•SRES 624 IS 

1949 division titles, then joined the Boston Celtics as 

coach in 1950 after the BAA merged with the National 

Basketball Association (NBA); 

Whereas Red’s record of success on the basketball court and 

in the Celtics’ front office is unmatched; 

Whereas, during Red’s 16 years coaching the Boston Celtics, 

the team won 9 NBA championships, with a record 8 in 

a row; 

Whereas, when Red retired from coaching in 1966 to become 

General Manager of the Celtics, he had won more games 

than any other coach in NBA history with 1,037 victories 

and had won almost two-thirds of the games he coached 

over a 20-year NBA coaching career; 

Whereas during his nearly 57-year tenure with the Celtics as 

Head Coach, General Manager, Vice Chairman of the 

Board, and President, Red was the architect of one of 

the greatest dynasties in the history of professional 

sports; 

Whereas Red infused the Celtics organization with the values 

of teamwork, respect, tenacity, and loyalty, creating a 

culture known as ‘‘Celtic Pride’’ that will be forever associated with the Boston Celtics franchise; 

Whereas Red’s imprint on the Celtics, the NBA, and the 

game of basketball is permanent and visible today in innovations that Red developed, including the ‘‘sixth man’’ 

role and fast break style of play; 

Whereas Red was an effective and tireless ambassador for the 

game of basketball, both in the United States and overseas, conducting clinics, barnstorming with the Celtics, 

starring in the successful television series ‘‘Red on 

Roundball’’, writing 7 books on basketball, including the 


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influential ‘‘Basketball For The Player, The Coach, and 

The Fan’’, and participating with Celtics great and Hall 

of Famer Larry Bird in the instructional video, ‘‘Winning 

Basketball’’; 

Whereas Red received numerous awards and honors in recognition of his extraordinary achievements, such as selection as the NBA Coach of the Year in 1965, induction 

into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 

1969, designation as the NBA Executive of the Year in 

1980, and selection as ‘‘The Greatest Coach in the History of the NBA’’ by the Professional Basketball Writers’ 

Association of America in 1980; 

Whereas Red’s lighting of his cigar in the closing moments 

of an imminent Celtics’ victory became an enduring symbol of success in Boston and around the world; 

Whereas Red’s legacy extends beyond the game of basketball 

and includes his important contributions to the advancement of a colorblind society through his decisions to draft 

the NBA’s first African-American player, Chuck Cooper, 

in 1950, hire the first African-American head coach in 

professional sports, Bill Russell, in 1966, and field the 

first starting lineup in the NBA consisting entirely of African-American players in 1964; and 

Whereas the name Red Auerbach will forever be synonymous 

with winning, intensity, integrity, and charitable causes: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) Arnold ‘‘Red’’ Auerbach was a basketball 

3 genius who embodied the values of creativity, deterVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:35 Dec 08, 2006 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR624.IS SR624

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1 mination, versatility, and commitment to helping the 

2 less fortunate; 

3 (2) Red Auerbach was a leader in the effort to 

4 remove racial barriers and allow merit to prevail in 

5 professional sports, through his decisions to draft, 

6 hire, and prominently feature African-Americans on 

7 the Boston Celtics basketball team; and 

8 (3) Red Auerbach’s place among the greatest 

9 coaches and executives of all time is assured, his 

10 contributions to the betterment of society will always 

11 endure, and his life exemplifies the very best ideals 

12 of the United States. 

Æ 


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