Bob Cousy

As the fifties progressed, the Celtics acquired a supporting cast that would become one of the most fabled in NBA history, adding the likes of Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Frank Ramsey, and Jim Loscutoff to a team that was already dominant. Although the Celtics won the 1956-57 NBA Championship, their first ever, they would lose the next year to the St. Louis Hawks. However, it would be the last time any team but the Celtics would touch the title for the next eight years, all helped in part by Cousy's masterful performances.

"Cooz was the absolute offensive master," Heinsohn told the Boston Herald in 1983. He was known as the "Houdini of the Hardwood. What Russell was on defense, that's what Cousy was on offense—a magician. Once that ball reached his hands, the rest of us just took off, never bothering to look back. We didn't have to. He'd find us. When you got into a position to score, the ball would be there."

After his retirement, Cousy coached for Boston College, leading them to a 117-38 record over six years, but he grew to hate the recruiting game, and feeling that he could do more elsewhere, left after the 1968-69 season to join the pro ranks as coach of the Cincinnati Royals. He remained with the team until 1974, and even returned to the court as a player for seven games in his first year as coach.