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"The Yankees won 25 championships. What did it take them, a hundred years? Red won nine in 10. He was the best coach in the history of professional sports. Period."
"He's the greatest manager of men, in all walks of life."
"He had a touch with people and could get them committed to what he was doing. He made the Celtics into basketball's Cosa Nostra. We believed it was our thing."
"He always let me know that more than anybody else, he knew what I was doing. I really loved working with him. It was almost like we were soul mates."
"He's the Godfather of the Celtics."
"Arnold knew how to judge talent, he knew how to acquire it, and he knew how to motivate it."
"The world thought he was tough and mean and gruff and all that -- and underneath he was really a pussycat, if you knew him well. He'd be mad at me if he knew I said that."
"This is not the passing of a man, it's the passing of an institution."
"I have a lot of fun and fond memories of Red from early in my career. I don't think there's a legend who was as beloved as Red is in Boston."
"I remember the first time I came here, playing in his golf classic. And I sat down and talked to him for about an hour. I was just thinking, 'Red Auerbach is taking time to sit down and talk to me, a rookie who's unproven and hasn't done anything in the NBA. I thought that was something special. I'll remember that for the rest of my life."
"Red was a true champion and one whose legacy transcends the Celtics and basketball. He was the gold standard in coaching and civil leadership, and he set an example that continues today."
"Boston lost one of its greatest citizens. He cut me from the Celtics, but I've never admired a person more."
"He had a great run."He fooled us into thinking it would never end." |
Fans join franchise in tribute to AuerbachA single, empty seat, adorned with 16 green roses and a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur cigar, remained unoccupied last night for the Celtics' season opener. It was Red Auerbach's customary seat at the Garden -- Loge 12, Row 7, Seat 1 -- and the makeshift memorial served as a final reminder to all. (Boston Globe, 11/2/06)Auerbach's spirit lives onThey came old and they came young. Men and women. Caucasians and people of color. But they were all united in love for a man who had affected them in ways that will last for the rest of their lives. (Boston Globe, 11/1/06)Friends and admirers share parting thoughtsYou could never ever make this up. "We were looking for my dad's casket," said Nancy Auerbach. "My daughter Julie saw one in the back of the room. It was lined in Celtic green. So he's going down in Celtic green, all the way." (Boston Globe, 10/31/06)
How money changed Red Auerbach's gameThe NBA has changed a great deal over the past 50 years, and it is worth asking whether the traits that made Red Auerbach great still have a place in the modern game. (Boston Globe, 11/1/06)Impact was boundlessRed Auerbach was a legend, someone to be loved, hated, envied, studied, and ultimately treasured. There will never, ever be anyone like Auerbach again. (Boston Globe, 10/31/06)From the Archives: Past Globe articles on Red Auerbach
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