Hall of Fame
Tom Heinsohn he enrolled at Holy Cross during a time when freshmen were not eligible to play on the varsity squad. Nonetheless, Heinsohn led the Crusaders' freshman team in scoring during his first year on the Hill, averaging 17.6 points per game.
As a sophomore in 1953-1954, Heinsohn scored 444 points – the most-ever by a Holy Cross first-year varsity player at the time – and ranked second on the team with an average of 10.7 rebounds per game. He earned All-Sugar Bowl Tournament honors after leading the Crusaders to the title with victories over DePaul and Louisiana State, before the team went on to post an overall record of 26-2. Heinsohn concluded the year by scoring 45 points in three games during the National Invitation Tournament, earning All-NIT honors as Holy Cross claimed the title.
During the 1954-1955 campaign, Heinsohn led the Crusaders in scoring and rebounding while earning first team All-America honors. His 605 points were the second-highest single-season total in school history at the time, as Holy Cross went 19-7 and made its second-straight appearance in the NIT. Heinsohn was once again the star of the Sugar Bowl Tournament, earning most valuable player honors after the Crusaders finished as the runner-up.
Heinsohn wrapped up his Holy Cross career by earning first team All-America honors for the second time in 1955-1956. He set what was then a school single-season scoring record with 740 points, and ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 27.4 points per game. Heinsohn led the Crusaders to an overall mark of 22-5 and the school's fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, in addition to becoming the first player in school history to score 50 points in a single game (51 against Boston College).
Over the course of his three varsity seasons at Holy Cross, Heinsohn scored 1,789 points in just 81 career games, still the fifth-most of any player in school history. While his scoring records have been surpassed, Heinsohn continues to reign as the school's greatest rebounder. He still holds the school marks for rebounds in a game, season and career. His 42 rebounds against Boston College in 1956 are still 11 rebounds beyond the next highest Crusader total. His 569 rebounds that same season are nearly 150 more than any Holy Cross player before or since, and only two other Crusaders have ever exceeded 1,000 career rebounds -- but neither were even within 150 of Heinsohn's career mark of 1,254.
Following his graduation, Heinsohn was chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics in 1956. He went on to star for the Celtics from 1956-1965, while helping to lead Boston to eight NBA championships as a player. A six-time NBA All-Star, Heinsohn earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1957 and led the Celtics in scoring from 1960-1962. He finished his professional career with 12,194 points, 5,749 rebounds and 1,318 assists, while averaging 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
After his playing career ended, Heinsohn spent nine seasons as the Celtics' head coach from 1969-1978. He led Boston to NBA titles in 1974 and 1976, and was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1973 after guiding the Celtics to a league-best 68-14 regular-season record. Heinsohn accumulated a career coaching record of 427-263 (.619). After retiring as coach of the Celtics, he remained with the organization as a color commentator and studio analyst for television broadcasts for the remainder of his life. Heinsohn also called games for CBS Sports during the 1980s, serving as the color commentator for the NBA Finals from 1984-1987. Earning 17 total NBA titles as a player, coach and broadcaster, he is the only person to be an active participant in every Celtics World Championship.
Heinsohn was inducted into numerous Halls of Fame for all of his accomplishments. He is one of just four individuals to ever be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (1986) and a coach (2015). Heinsohn has also been inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame (1962), the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2006) and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2002). In addition, his jerseys were retired by both Holy Cross (No. 24, 2008) and the Celtics (No. 15, 1965).
Heinsohn passed away in 2020.
