109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 497
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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 sec-
ond team in his senior year;
•HCON 497 EH 
Whereas Red started his coaching career at St. Albans Prep 
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 Associa-
tion of America (BAA) and led the team to the 1947 and 
1949 division titles, joining the Boston Celtics as coach 
in 1950 after the BAA merged with the National Basket-
ball Association (NBA); 
Whereas Red’s record of success on the basketball court and 
in the Celtics’ front office is unmatched; 
Whereas during Red’s leadership of the Boston Celtics, the 
team won 16 NBA championships, including 9 champion-
ships, with a record 8 in a row, during Red’s tenure as 
coach; 
Whereas when Red retired from coaching in 1966 to become 
general manager of the Celtics, he was the winningest 
coach in NBA history with 1,037 victories and had won 
almost two-thirds of the games he had 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 asso-
ciated with the Boston Celtics franchise;
•HCON 497 EH 
Whereas Red’s imprint on the Celtics, the NBA, and the 
game of basketball is permanent and visible today in in-
novations 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 over-
seas, conducting clinics, barnstorming with the Celtics, 
starring in the successful television series ‘‘Red on 
Roundball’’, writing 7 books on basketball, including the 
influential ‘‘Basketball For The Player, The Coach, and 
The Fan’’, and participating with Celtic great and Hall 
of Famer Larry Bird in the instructional video, ‘‘Winning 
Basketball’’; 
Whereas Red received numerous awards and honors in rec-
ognition of his extraordinary achievements, such as selec-
tion 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 sym-
bol 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 advance-
ment of a colorblind society through his decision 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 Af-
rican-American players in 1964; and
•HCON 497 EH 
Whereas the name ‘‘Red Auerbach’’ will forever be synony-
mous with winning, intensity, integrity, and charitable 
causes: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) Arnold ‘‘Red’’ Auerbach was a basketball 
genius who embodied the values of creativity, deter-
mination, versatility, and commitment to helping the 
less fortunate; 
(2) Red Auerbach was a leader in the effort to 
remove racial barriers and allow merit to prevail in 
professional sports, through his decisions to draft, 
hire, and prominently feature African-Americans on 
the Boston Celtics basketball team; and 
(3) Red Auerbach’s place among the greatest 
coaches and executives of all time is assured, his 
contributions to the betterment of society will always 
endure, and his life exemplifies the very best ideals 
of the United States.
Passed the House of Representatives December 6, 
2006. 
Attest:
Clerk.
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 497
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
To honor the memory of Arnold ‘‘Red’’ Auerbach.