Fitch Quits

May 27, 1983

FITCH QUITS

Bill Fitch shocked the city's basketball community this afternoon by quitting as coach of the Celtics. The announcement by Fitch, who led the team to three divisional titles and a World Championship in his four years as coach, added to the upheaval in the Celtics' front office.



"I've had four good years in Boston, and I want to leave it that way," said Fitch. "If I had continued to coach the team, that might have changed, and I didn't want to leave here with a bad taste in my mouth."

Fitch said he was leaving the Celtics primarily because he would not enjoy being around the team as much now that both owner Harry Mangurian and general manager Red Auerbach plan to sever their relationships.

"I came to Boston because Red asked me, and I felt he needed me to do a job for him at the time," said Fitch.

"I also came because I liked Harry so much. I had been thinking about quitting, but I didn't really become serious about it until the other day when Harry announced he was selling the team.

"You can take it from me, Harry is still going to sell the team, and his not being a part of it is a big part of my leaving."

Fitch says the breakup of the Celtics' front-office version of the Three Musketeers will lead him to new challenges but not out of coaching basketball.

"I intend to coach again, but I don't know when or where. I am just not going to jump into something. I like to coach, and I know I can still coach.

"I am not leaving because of what happened last year. Sure, I got plenty of criticism, but I can live with that even though I'm human, and I certainly didn't enjoy it.

"Don't think for a minute that this is an easy town to coach in," he said. "This place is tough. They (media) beat you up when you win 56 games. You have to wonder what would happen to you if you only won 41 games in a season."

Fitch said he had discussed his decsion with both Mangurian and Auerbach before making the announcement at an afternoon press conference in the Celtics' office.

"Harry wanted to know all the reasons why. He understood when I talked with him about it. It is my understanding that if I get another job offer, even though I have time left on my Celtics' contract, I'm free to make a deal. Harry is a great guy. I told him, Heck, this might make it easier for you to find a new buyer.'

"The next owner will have things wide open to do whatever he wants. If he wanted me to be his coach, I would consider it, but I doubt very much that I would take the job. I can't say never' until seeing who the next owner is."

Fitch leaves with pride in his record.The winning, and the fun he had socially with Auerbach and Mangurian, made it a rewarding experience - until the second half of this season when things started to fall apart. The team went into a slump, finishing the regular season sluggishly, then getting destroyed in four straight games by Milwaukee in the playoffs.

With one month to go in the season, Auerbach let it be known he wanted to stop working for the organizaton full time and spend most of his future time at his Washington, D.C., home.

Then, when the team collapsed in the playoffs, came a blitzkreig of media criticism, with stories saying Fitch's players disliked him intensely and would not respond to his coaching down the stretch.

Fitch feels his players did like him and that much of the criticism was undeserved.He felt he would stay for at least another year when he met with Auerbach and Mangurian three days after the end of the Celtics' season.

"Red was coming back for another year, and together we seemed to have Harry turned around. We had known he wanted to get out, but after that meeting, I think we all had a good feeling for the future.

"Then that damn thing with the building blew up last week, and Harry got mad and changed his mind about staying. When he made the commitment to leave, that meant I had to start reassessing whether I wanted to stay or not. When I thought it all over, my decision was to move on.

"I am independently wealthy" he said with a laugh, "due to the money I have made coaching; so, I wouldn't have to coach again - at least for another day."

Thus, in less than a week the Celtics' dynasty has started to come tumbling down. Mangurian has committed himself to selling the team, primarily - but not completely - because of problems with the management of the Boston Garden. Fitch has decided to go with him, and Auerbach, no matter what happens, will not stay for more than a year.

Instead of Celtics' Pride, it is now the Celtics' Slide.