#14 Bob Cousy, “Cooz,” Point Guard, 1950-1963
Born in Manhattan in 1928 and raised in Queens, Bob Cousy attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts from 1946 to ‘50 where he was a star player, winning the NCAA Tournament in 1947. He made Third, Second and then First Team All American in 1948, ‘49 and ‘50, and his number “17” was retired by the school.
Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach had the chance to draft him in 1950, and faced much pressure to do so, but decided against it, as he was skeptical his skills would translate to the NBA. He was drafted instead by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now the Atlanta Hawks) third overall, but the native New Yorker didn’t want to relocate to the Davenport, Iowa area and refused to report. He was picked up by the Chicago Stags, who folded before the ‘50-51 season began, and was acquired by the Celtics via dispersal draft soon after, much to the chagrin of team owner Walter Brown.
He made an immediate impact on the Celtics, who went 39 and 30 his rookie season (which was also Auerbach’s first as head coach), after going 22 and 46 and finishing at the bottom of the division the year before. With his flashy style of passing and dribbling he earned the nickname “Houdini of the Hardwood,” and was quickly considered one of the most entertaining players in the league as well as one of its best. The NBA was only four years old when his career began, and he helped put the new league on the map. Cousy was an All-Star his first year, an achievement he would repeat every season he played, an incredible thirteen times in a row, and was MVP of the All Star Game in 1954 and ‘57. He also served as the Celtics’ captain his entire playing career.
Cousy added to his basketball legacy by forming the NBA Players Association along with his agent, Joe Sharry, in 1954. The NBA was the first major North American professional sports league to be unionized, and Cousy served as the NBAPA’s first president until 1958, when he was replaced by teammate Tom Heinsohn.
Although the Celtics had some of the best offense in the league during the early and mid ‘50s, the era was dominated by center George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers. That changed with the Celtics’ acquisition of defensive powerhouse center Bill Russell in 1956. Cousy, Russell, and the Celtics won their first championship in 1957 against the St. Louis Hawks. Cousy would win five more with Boston, every year from 1959 until his retirement in ‘63; against the Minneapolis Lakers in ‘59, the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61, and the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63. The Celtics also made the finals in 1958, but lost to the Hawks.
Over the course of his career, Cousy made All-NBA First Team an incredible ten straight years, from 1952 to ‘61, All-NBA Second Team in 1962 and ‘63, and was League MVP in 1957. He also led the league in assists an amazing eight straight years, from 1953 to ‘60. His Number “14” was retired by the Celtics shortly after he retired in 1963.
He currently sits at number one all time among Celtics players in assists with 6,945, over 800 ahead of the man in second place, John Havlicek. He’s also number six in points and minutes played. His career highs include 9.5 assists per game in 1959-60 and 21.7 points per game in ‘51-52, and he scored a career high of fifty points in a playoff win against the Syracuse Nationals in March of ‘53.
Following his playing career, Cousy became head coach of Boston College from 1963 to ‘69, going 21 and 3 in ‘66-67 and making the Elite Eight. In 1969, Cousy became head coach of the Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings), who became the Kansas City Royals in 1972. He coached the team until part way through the ‘73-74 season, and even made a brief comeback as a player, appearing in seven games for the Royals in 1970; although his play after years of retirement was less than stellar, he succeeded in increasing ticket sales.
Following his pro coaching gig, Cousy served as the commissioner of the American Soccer League from 1974 to ‘79 and has appeared as a color commentator on Celtics broadcasts. Bob Cousy was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971, and was selected to the NBA’s 25th, 35th, and 50th Anniversary All Time Teams, one of only four players be chosen for all three; among the others was Cousy’s old teammate, Bill Russell.
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