Red Auerbach: The Jewish Coach Who Built the Boston Celtics Dynasty

Brooklyn’s Toughest Kid

Arnold Jacob Auerbach was born on September 20, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. His father Hyman ran a small dry-cleaning business in the Williamsburg section, and young Arnold — who earned the nickname “Red” for his fiery hair — grew up on streets where toughness was a survival skill.

Red played basketball at Eastern District High School and George Washington University, but he was never a great player. What he possessed was an extraordinary ability to see the game — to understand what made teams work, what motivated players, and how to win. After a brief stint coaching high school basketball and serving in the Navy during World War II, he entered professional coaching.

Building the Dynasty

Auerbach took over the Boston Celtics in 1950, when the franchise was struggling. His genius lay not in complex strategy but in acquiring the right players and getting the most out of them. He drafted Bill Russell in 1956, orchestrating a trade with the St. Louis Hawks, and the dynasty began.

With Russell anchoring the defense, Auerbach built teams around fast breaks, rebounding, and selfless passing. The Celtics won their first championship in 1957 and then reeled off eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966 — a streak of dominance unmatched in professional sports.

Auerbach’s coaching style was direct, loud, and profane. He screamed at referees, baited opponents, and drove his players relentlessly. But beneath the bluster was a shrewd psychologist who understood that different players required different approaches. He gave stars like Bob Cousy and Bill Russell autonomy while providing structure for role players.

The Victory Cigar

Auerbach’s most famous trademark was lighting a cigar on the bench when he believed the game was won. The gesture infuriated opponents — it was seen as the ultimate act of disrespect, rubbing salt in the wound of defeat. Auerbach claimed it was simply his way of relaxing, but he clearly enjoyed the psychological impact.

The victory cigar became the most iconic image in basketball history, symbolizing both Auerbach’s competitive ruthlessness and the Celtics’ seemingly unassailable dominance. Opposing fans threw objects at him. Opposing coaches plotted revenge. Auerbach kept lighting up.

Breaking Racial Barriers

Auerbach’s most lasting legacy may be his role in breaking basketball’s racial barriers. In 1950, he drafted Chuck Cooper, the first Black player selected in an NBA draft. When asked about the decision, Auerbach replied with characteristic bluntness: “I don’t give a damn if he’s striped, plaid, or polka dot. He can play.”

In 1964, he started the first all-Black lineup in NBA history — not as a statement but because those were his best five players. In 1966, he made his most consequential decision: naming Bill Russell as his successor as head coach, making Russell the first Black head coach in the history of major American professional sports.

Auerbach’s approach to race was not sentimental. He was not an activist in the traditional sense. He simply refused to let racial prejudice interfere with winning. This pragmatic integration — driven by competitive advantage rather than ideology — proved remarkably effective in a city not known for racial harmony.

Jewish Identity and Coaching

Auerbach’s Jewish background informed his coaching in ways he rarely discussed publicly. The immigrant’s drive to succeed, the outsider’s keen observation of social dynamics, and the Jewish tradition of valuing intelligence over brute force all shaped his approach.

His fast-break offense — emphasizing quickness and teamwork over individual size and power — reflected a philosophy familiar to Jewish athletes: when you cannot overpower the opposition, you must outthink and outrun them. His emphasis on team over individual mirrored Jewish communal values.

Front Office Legacy

After retiring from coaching in 1966, Auerbach continued to shape the Celtics as general manager and president. He drafted Larry Bird in 1978, traded for Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, and built the teams that won championships in 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, and 1986.

His total involvement with the Celtics organization spanned fifty-six years, during which the team won sixteen NBA championships. No other executive in professional sports history has presided over such sustained success.

Legacy

Auerbach died on October 28, 2006, in Washington, D.C. He was eighty-nine. The NBA renamed its Coach of the Year award in his honor, and his statue sits outside the Celtics’ arena.

His legacy is the modern NBA franchise — the idea that sustained success requires not just talent but organizational culture, shrewd personnel decisions, and a willingness to judge people by ability alone. The Jewish kid from Brooklyn who built basketball’s greatest dynasty did so by seeing what others missed and having the chutzpah to act on what he saw.