Tom Heinsohn: Born On This Date in 1934
- Jake C
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Cover photo: Boston Celtic forward Tom Heinsohn at Boston’s Faneuil Hall in 1964.
Boston Celtic great Tom Heinsohn was born 91 years ago today.
Born in Jersey City, N.J., Heinsohn did not start playing basketball until the age of 10, in 1944, when his family moved to Union City, N.J. Heinsohn played his high school ball at St. Michael’s High School (Union City) and his team won the Metropolitan Catholic Championship. Heinsohn was an all-state player twice for St. Michael’s. Heinsohn’s high-school skills allowed him to be a participant in the Converse Rubber Company’s All-Star Game in Murray, Ky., and in the Eastern States Catholic Invitation Tournament in Newport, R.I.
Heinsohn chose to attend the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.) because he wanted to attend a Jesuit school. It was the same school and program that former Celtic Bob Cousy excelled at.
As a senior, Heinsohn was a 1st team All-American thanks to an NCAA-leading 27.4 points per game. He also averaged 21.1 rebounds per game and for his college career posted averages of 22.1 points and 15.5 rebounds.
Heinsohn was selected by the Celtics in the 1956 NBA Draft, a draft that was headlined by Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor.
As a rookie, the 6 foot, 7 inch, 218-pound forward garnered Rookie of the Year honors, with averages of 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. He also made the first of his six all-star appearances. Heinsohn’s 37 points scored in Game 7 of the 1957 NBA Finals against the St. Louis Hawks is tied with LeBron James (2013) for the fourth highest point output in a Game 7 in league history. In the game, Heinsohn made 17 of 33 shots and pulled down 23 rebounds. The Celtics won the game 125-123 in double-overtime. In Game 6 of that series, the rookie scored 28 points with 11 rebounds and in Game 1 registered 26 points with 11 rebounds.
Tom Heinsohn Averages from 2nd Season to 4th
1957-58: 17.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 32.0 minutes, 69 games
1958-59: 18.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 31.7 minutes, 66 games
1959-60: 21.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 32.3 minutes, 75 games
In ‘59-‘60, Heinsohn shot 21.2 shots per game, a number that he would average the next season as well.
From the 1960-61 season through to his final season of 1964-65, Heinsohn was an all-star. He was also named to the All-NBA second team in four of those seasons, the exception being his final campaign.
Tom Heinsohn Averages from 1960-61 to 1964-65
1960-61: 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 30.8 minutes, 74 games, 2nd team All-NBA, 7th in MVP voting
1961-62: 22.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 30.2 minutes, 79 games, 2nd team All-NBA
1962-63: 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 26.4 minutes, 76 games, 2nd team All-NBA
1963-64: 16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 26.8 minutes, 76 games, 2nd team All-NBA
1964-65: 13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 25.5 minutes, 67 games
In 654 career games, Heinsohn averaged 18.6 points per game (18.0 attempts) and 8.8 rebounds per game in 29.4 minutes per game. Heinsohn attempted more shots per minute than any player in league history.
Heinsohn coached the Celtics beginning in the 1969-70 season, when he was 35 years old, through to the 1977-78 season. From ‘71-‘72 to ‘75-‘76, the Celtics won 56, 68, 56, 60, and 54 games, and Heinsohn coached the club to championships in 1974 and 1976. The ‘74 Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games, with John Havlicek (26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists) earning Finals’ MVP honors. The ‘76 iteration defeated the Phoenix Suns four games to two in the Finals, with Jo Jo White (21.7 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds) taking home the Finals’ MVP while Dave Cowens registered 20.5 points and 16.3 rebounds in the series.
In his eight full seasons as Celtic head coach (and 34 games in ‘77-‘78), Heinsohn guided the team to a mark of 427-263. Included in the run was seven consecutive winning seasons from ‘70-‘71 to ‘76-‘77.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1986, Heinsohn was inducted as a coach in 2015. He was an eight-time NBA champion as a player, winning championships in each season of his career with the exception of 1958.
Post-career, Heinsohn was a respected and successful color commentator, beginning in 1981 for CBS with Dick Stockton, and later on Celtic broadcasts with the legendary Mike Gorman. Heinsohn was known for his “Tommy Points” of which he would call out on certain plays when players gave maximum effort. Also as a Celtic announcer, he was known for humorously berating officials.
On November 8, 2020, Heinsohn passed away due to kidney failure, at the age of 86. He is one of most prominent, accomplished, and respected Celtics in the franchise’s storied history.
“We were rookies together and friends for life. In life, there are a limited number of true friends Today, I lost one,” said Russell upon Heinsohn’s passing.
Said Bob Cousy when Heinsohn passed away, “Tommy is as symbolic a Celtic as we’ve had.”
Truly, Tom Heinsohn was as venerable a Celtic as they come, with his exemplary career in Beantown as a player, coach, and broadcaster.
On his birthday, we remember him.