Today in Boston Celtics history: Red Auerbach retires as coach, 1966 championship won

Today in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics head coach Red Auerbach retired from that role with Boston after leading the Celtics to their ninth NBA title with a 95-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 1966 NBA Finals the previous day.

Auerbach coached the storied franchise to all nine of its championships up to that time, including eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966, before handing over the reigns to player-coach (and fellow Hall of Fame Celtics legend) Bill Russell. His 16 seasons as head coach produced a 795-397 regular-season record (a .667 winning percentage) and a 90-58 postseason record (.608), the winningest in league history to that point, a record that would hold for many years.

Auerbach remained with the team in an executive capacity until his death in 2006.

Unknown Date; Boston, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics former head coach Red Auerbach talks with former Celtics player and coach Tommy Heinsohn during a practice at the Boston Garden in Boston, MA. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © Dick Raphael

Historic milestones

It is also the anniversary of Boston setting an NBA single-game playoff scoring record after beating the New York Knicks 157-128 in Game 2 of the first round of the 1990 Eastern Conference Playoffs.