A Night for Red

January 5, 1985

AUERBACH'S ALUMNI COME TO PRAISE, SWAP STORIES

They had come to praise Caesar, and perhaps get in a dig or two. Red Auerbach needed no introduction last night before ceremonies honoring his 35 years with the Celtics. He was surrounded by friends and former players who felt it was important to be there on his night in Boston Garden.



Their journeys had carried them from all over America and back nearly three generations. Yet, each had a tale that symbolized how they felt about the man they simply called "Red" or "Arnold."

You could see it in the warm hug on the court that Auerbach got from Bill Russell, the giant center and the key to the run of 10 straight Celtic championship in the '50s and '60s. Russell didn't feel moved enough to attend his own flag raising or induction to the basketball Hall of Fame. But when asked about his presence here last night, he said it was "because he's my friend."

And that seemed to be the answer for a lot of Auerbach's friends.

"You go through life and you do the things you enjoy," said Russell. "If you don't enjoy doing something, you hope people understand and respect your wishes.

"I didn't want to be at those places, and wasn't. Red wants to be here and obviously enjoys it. I'm here because he's my friend."

A Night for Red Auerbach was a happening because he has touched so many of the people at various times of his career. David Stern was here as commissoner of the National Basketball Association. But he hadn't forgotten his first meeting with Auerbach as a junior member of the NBA legal staff.

"When I first met Red," said Stern, "I was just helping him to give a disposition. But come to think of it, can you imagine a second-year lawyer or anybody else, for that matter, trying to tell Red Auerbach what to say?"

Their stories were laborious at times. But all of them had meaning, if you knew the man. There was Gene Conley, who played for the Braves and Celtics; and Easy Ed MacCauley and Frank Ramsey. The Jones boys, Sam and K.C., were reunited and Tom Heinsohn couldn't resist getting in a commercial word or two. John Havlicek and perky Beth were there, smiling as always.

Hank Finkel, Steve Kuberski, Jo Jo White and Paul Silas represented the '70s, an era that included Dave Cowens and Don Nelson, both of whom had coaching assignments last night.

But no one seem to enjoy talking about Auerbach than Bob Cousy, television commentator. He was at his best talking about Red's driving habits in the '50s, when the Celtics played a long exhibition schedule around New England and traveled strictly by car.

"He was cuckcoo," blurted out Cousy, when asked how Auerbach was as a driver. "I haven't ridden with him since 1951. That was my first year. The penalty for being a rookie was that you rode with Auerbach on exhibitions. We used to play 19 games, and we drove all over New England. He's wrecked more cars than Evil Kneivel.

"I remember once a little town in Vermont. We were driving through it around 80 miles an hour, and the damn thing just exploded. We sort of glided it to the side. When the other guys came along, we picked up our stuff and left. For all I know the damn thing is still there.

"We'd go to Bangor and he'd literally start out two hours after us. Then, he'd boast about beating us there. We'd get to the hotel, and he'd be sitting there puffing on his cigar."

And of his passion for Chinese food . . .

"Arnold would have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner," said Cousy. "He'd take his doggie bag, and when he stayed at the Hotel Lenox, he used to have his own hot plate. Ever try to eat leftover Chinese food for breakfast?"

Paul Silas, now a successful agent, recalled how gracefully Red had accepted his change of heart on the so called "Celtic Mystique." After being traded to Denver in 1976, Silas had contended that he didn't think such a thing existed.

"I finally came around," said Silas. "Red had called me a doubting Thomas. But one night when we were at a championship dinner, he told the crowd what made him feel best is that I came to him the night before the playoffs and said I believed in the Celtics mystique.

"I know now he started something that I don't think will ever exist again. A family type of atmosphere which you probably can't have now because of the economics of sports and so forth. He could afford to get players and keep them. He could mold players who came from the outside into that tradition. That's very tough to do. Only he could do it. The mystique lives on."

Auerbach's mystique lives on because his teams enjoyed a kind of success that has been shared by three generations.

"You should have seen my house," said Jim Loscutoff. "We had 40 people, including the guys I played with. Even Buddy LeRoux. One night to honor Red wouldn't have been enough."

Conley said Auerbach gave him a chance that with today's overlap of seasons would be almost impossible.

"It was hard," said Conley, "and there was six-weeks overlap in those days two - mostly in the Celtics training camp. It required quite different muscles for baseball and basketball. But who wouldn't have liked being around a winner like Red's teams? They talk about Dave DeBusschere and myself being the only ones. He only did it one season, and I lasted four, which made me proud.