Heinsohn, Thomas W.
Basketball
b. Aug. 26, 1934, Union City, NJ
As a center at Holy Cross in Massachusetts, Heinsohn was noted for his low, line drive hook shots that somehow went into the basket most of the time. He was an All-American in his senior year, 1955-56, when he scored 740 points, an average of 27.4 a game. In his three-year college career Heinsohn scored 1,789 points and averaged 22.1 a game.
He joined the Boston Celtics for the 1956-57 season and was moved to forward. At that position, he developed a low, line drive jump shot that also went into the basket a good deal of the time. Heinsohn was named rookie of the year after averaging 16.2 points a game and pulling down 705 rebounds.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pounder was an aggressive player and a strong rebounder. Along with Bill Russell, he excelled at getting the defensive rebound and making the good outlet pass to set up the Boston fast break. In his nine seasons, the Celtics won eight NBA championships.
Heinsohn's best season was 1961-62, when he averaged 22.3 points a game. Bothered by injuries in 1964-65, he played in only 67 games and averaged only 13.6 points, and he retired after the season. He had a total of 12,194 career points, an average of 18.6 a game, and 5,749 rebounds. In 104 playoff games, he scored 2,058 points, a 19.8 average.
He returned to the Celtics as head coach in 1969. Heinsohn was named NBA coach of the year in 1973, when they won 68 games and lost only 14, the best record in the team's history. They won NBA championships under Heinsohn in 1974 and 1976. He resigned after the 1977-78 season with a record of 427 victories and 263 losses.