Today in Celtics history - Chris Ford and Tony Allen's birthday
While both are from very different eras of the club, both have strong ties to club after their time in Boston. Ford, who began his pro career with longtime Celtics rival, the Detroit Pistons, after playing his college ball at Villanova, was traded to the Celts in exchange for Earl Tatum. Ford never left Boston as a player, remaining his last four seasons in the league with the club. He remained with the team four more years as an assistant and eventual head coach, winning championships with the Celtics in 1981 as a player, and 1984 and 86 as an assistant coach.
Ford's coaching career would later see him with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers as head coach, a stint as head coach at Brandeis University, and then a return to the pro ranks as an assistant and interrim head coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. He stayed on as a scout for the team afterwards, and is now a coaching consultant for the New York Knicks. If you want to impress your friends with an interesting bit of NBA trivia, Ford is also famous for having shot the league's first three-point shot on October 12th, 1979 at a home game against the Houston Rockets.
If you'd like to read a little more on Ford, check out tb727's excellent piece on him here, and below, we've found a little bit of one Ford's most memorable games to reminsce over:
Tony Allen, on the other hand, wasn't even born until Ford's last year as a player (1982), but would claw his way into the league through the college ranks, earning the "Grindfather" moniker as he moved from community college to end up with Oklahoma State. His performance there got him drafted by the Celtics at the 25th selection of the 2004 NBA draft, where Allen would blossom into the defensive menace he's known for today. While Allen was not a key player on the 2008 championship team, his consistent effort throughout the regular season and career in green made him a consistent fan favorite.
In honor of those years with the Celts, here's a video of Tony defending Kobe in 2008 finals.
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Photos via www.NBA.com
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