Hall of Fame Professional Basketball Coach. After coaching for the Washington Capitals (from 1946 to 1949) and the Tri-Cities Black Hawks (from 1949 to 1950) he was hired as the coach of the Boston Celtics, where from 1950 to 1966 he won nine NBA championships; eight that came in consecutive years. He was the first coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games, retiring with 1,037 wins and 548 losses. In 1980 he was named the “greatest coach in the history of the NBA” by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America. As a front office executive he helped the Celtics win seven more chamionships during the 1970s and 1980s. During his coaching career the Brooklyn, New York native coached eleven Hall of Famers, coached in eleven All-Star games and won ten Eastern District championships. After leaving the bench he moved to the Boston Celtics front office where in 1980 he was named the NBA’s “Executive of the Year”. He authored seven books including “Basketball for the Player, the Fan and the Coach” which has been reprinted in seven languages and is the all time best selling basketball book. On April 13, 1969 he was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He died at his home near Washignton D.C. (bio by: Bigwoo) Cause of death: Heart attack