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Today in Boston Celtics history: Near move to North Shore; Alvin Julian hired
TL;DR
On this day in 1948, the Boston Celtics hired Alvin 'Doggie' Fred Julian as their second head coach, replacing John Russell. Julian's tenure lasted two seasons, ending with a 47-81 record before he was dismissed.
Today in Boston Celtics history, in 1948, the team hired Alvin “Doggie” Fred Julian as their second head coach in the history of the then still-young ball club, replacing the first, John Russell. Julian came to the team after having coached at the College of the Holy Cross, the alma mater of future Hall of Fame Celtics legend Bob Cousy at the collegiate level.
His time with the Celtics was short-lived, however. Over the course of two seasons, Julian recorded a 47-81 record, which later led to his dismissal by Boston at the conclusion of his second season as head coach. Julian is one of only three coaches in the franchise's history to be hired directly from the NCAA ranks (Rick Pitino and Brad Stevens being the others).
From there, Julian went on to become head coach of the Dartmouth Men's Basketball team for nearly another two decades.
Birthdays
Ex-Celtic forward David Thirdkill was born today in St. Louis, Missouri in 1960.
May 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen at center court before game seven of the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Thirdkill's NBA career ended in Boston, but he did it winning a ring with the team in 1986 while averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game with the Celtics over two seasons.
Historic milestones
On this date in 1982, Celtics owner Harry Mangurian met with the owners of Suffolk Downs about building a new facility on Boston's North Shore as a ploy to get their rent at Boston Garden – then as now (though in a different iteration) owned by the Boston Bruins.
Mar 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen on the court before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Ultimately, the threat of the Bruins to move to New Hampshire themselves would send the two teams sharing the garden down another path, but for a short while, nearly saw the facilities move to Revere, Massachusetts.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Near move to North Shore; Alvin Julian hired
Q&A
Who was Alvin Julian and what was his coaching record with the Boston Celtics?
Alvin Julian was the second head coach of the Boston Celtics, hired in 1948, and he recorded a 47-81 record over two seasons.
What led to Alvin Julian's dismissal as head coach of the Boston Celtics?
Julian was dismissed after two seasons due to a poor record of 47-81, which did not meet the team's expectations.
Which other coaches in Celtics history were hired directly from the NCAA?
Along with Alvin Julian, Rick Pitino and Brad Stevens are the only other coaches in Celtics history hired directly from the NCAA ranks.
