IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 486 

Honoring the life and legacy of John Havlicek. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 12, 2019 

Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio (for himself, Mr. JORDAN, Mr. MCKINLEY, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. KEATING, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. 

LATTA, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. NEAL, Mr. STIVERS, Mr. DAVIDSON of 

Ohio, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. KENNEDY, and Mr. TURNER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Oversight and Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of John Havlicek. 

Whereas John Joseph Havlicek was born in the eastern Ohio 

mining town of Martins Ferry, Ohio, on April 8, 1940; 

Whereas John Havlicek was the son of Frank Havlicek and 

Mandy Havlicek; 

Whereas John Havlicek grew up in a loving family in Martins 

Ferry, Ohio, and was instilled with strong family values 

of hard work and good sportsmanship; 

Whereas John Havlicek was a three-sport All-State athlete at 

Bridgeport High School, where he played basketball, 

baseball, and football; 


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•HRES 486 IH 

Whereas John Havlicek began his successful basketball career 

by becoming a two-time All-Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) Class AA basketball player and led the 

Bridgeport Bulldogs to win the OVAC AA crown in 

1958; 

Whereas John Havlicek had incredible stamina and was 

known for wearing out opponents with his relentless baseline-to-baseline efforts; 

Whereas John Havlicek scored 1,594 career points in 59 

games and averaged more than 30 points per game the 

last two seasons as a Bridgeport High School basketball 

player; 

Whereas John Havlicek continued his basketball success as a 

student-athlete at Ohio State University, where he also 

played baseball his freshman year and batted over .400; 

Whereas John Havlicek earned the status of ‘‘All-American’’ 

as a basketball player at Ohio State University and 

played with fellow Buckeyes Jerry Lucas, Bobby Knight, 

and Larry Siegfried; 

Whereas, during his sophomore season, John Havlicek helped 

Ohio State University win the 1960 NCAA Division I 

Men’s Basketball Championship by scoring 12.2 points 

per game; 

Whereas John Havlicek twice earned All-Big Ten Conference 

Honors and the Ohio State Buckeyes compiled a 78–6 

record during his three varsity basketball seasons; 

Whereas, in 1962, John Havlicek was drafted by the Boston 

Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 

the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League 

(NFL); 


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•HRES 486 IH 

Whereas John Havlicek played several exhibition games as a 

wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns and later joined 

the Boston Celtics roster; 

Whereas John Havlicek was an NBA All-Rookie Team selection for the 1962–1963 season and averaged 14.3 points 

during his rookie year; 

Whereas John Havlicek led the Boston Celtics in scoring for 

the 1963–1964 season, averaging 19.9 points, and made 

the All-NBA Second Team; 

Whereas, from 1964–1969, John Havlicek routinely played 

the most minutes, along with Bill Russell, and was one 

of the most durable players in the history of the Boston 

Celtics franchise; 

Whereas John Havlicek’s steal of Hal Greer’s inbounds pass 

in the final seconds of Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers remains 

one of the most famous plays in NBA history; 

Whereas John Havlicek became the first NBA player to score 

1,000 points in 16 consecutive seasons; 

Whereas John Havlicek was named as the 1974 NBA Finals 

Most Valuable Player (MVP); 

Whereas, in 1,270 regular-season games, John Havlicek 

grabbed 8,007 rebounds, recorded 6,114 assists, scored 

26,395 points, and averaged 20.8 points to rank as the 

Boston Celtics’ all-time leading scorer; 

Whereas John Havlicek appeared in 13 consecutive NBA AllStar Games, earned 11 selections to the All-NBA First 

or Second Team, and was named to the NBA All-Defense 

First or Second Team eight times; 


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•HRES 486 IH 

Whereas John Havlicek retired in 1978 after 16 NBA seasons and 8 NBA Championship wins with the Boston 

Celtics; 

Whereas John Havlicek was named one of the 50 greatest 

players in NBA history and is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame; 

Whereas John Havlicek was a loving father and husband to 

his wife Beth, son Chris, and daughter Jill; 

Whereas John Havlicek was viewed by his friends and former 

teammates as the quintessential Boston Celtic—a tireless, unselfish, and loyal man who inspired others to be 

their best; and 

Whereas John Havlicek’s charitable nature inspired his efforts to enhance the care and lives of children in need: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) extends its deepest condolences to the fam3 ily of John Havlicek; 

4 (2) recognizes and honors John Havlicek— 

5 (A) as one of the greatest basketball play6 ers of all time; 

7 (B) for his many contributions to profes8 sional basketball, the Boston Celtics, the city of 

9 Boston, and the State of Ohio; and 

10 (C) for transcending the game of basket11 ball and becoming a timeless symbol of athletic 

12 talent, the embodiment of integrity, and a role 

13 model as a loving father and husband; and 


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•HRES 486 IH 

1 (3) respectfully requests that the Clerk of the 

2 House of Representatives communicate this resolu3 tion to the Senate and transmit an enrolled copy of 

4 this resolution to the family of John Havlicek. 

Æ 


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