Red Auerbach squares off against Jimmie Foxx in the first round of Boston’s Biggest Sports Legend tournament.
Before the Lakers won everything in June of 2009, Arnold “Red” Auerbach’s nine NBA championships served as the most by one coach in league history. Phil Jackson may have surpassed that mark, but Auerbach is still regarded as one of the very best coaches of all time. The Coach of the Year trophy even is named after him. He was responsible for implementing a team-first, defense-oriented approach and drafted the league’s first African-American player. Auerbach transformed the Celtics from NBA laughingstock to NBA powerhouse, leading Boston to nine championships in 10 years from 1956 to 1966. He moved to the front office and won another seven titles as general manager and president of the Celtics. No other person did as much to turn the franchise into what it is today: a storied title machine that is often remembered as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of professional sports.
The second major leaguer to ever hit 500 home runs — and the youngest to do so before Alex Rodriguez came along — Jimmie Foxx brought his big bat from Philadelphia to Boston to give the Red Sox one of the most intimidating power hitters in history. With the Red Sox, Foxx was the AL MVP in 1938 and an All-Star in all six of the full seasons he spent in Boston. His ’38 campaign, in which he hit .349 with 50 home runs and 175 RBIs and scored 139 runs, remains one of the most dominating offensive seasons ever. His 50 home runs in a single season were a Red Sox record until David Ortiz broke it in 2006. Foxx never finished with fewer than 106 RBIs with the Red Sox, hitting 35-plus home runs five different times.
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