Celtics legend Havlicek, 79; won 8 crowns

Associated Press

BOSTON

John Havlicek’s legacy was built over 16 years with the Boston Celtics, eight of them as NBA champions, making him among the best to ever play the game.

One play immortalized him forever.

“Havlicek stole the ball! “Havlicek stole the ball!” Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most screamed, a moment that remains among the famous plays in NBA history.

The Celtics said Havlicek died Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. He was 79. The cause of death wasn’t immediately available. The Boston Globe said he had Parkinson’s disease.

Voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, Havlicek’s steal of Hal Greer’s inbounds pass helped the Celtics hold off Philadelphia in the 1965 Eastern Conference final.

“John Havlicek is one of the most accomplished players in Boston Celtics history, and the face of many of the franchise’s signature moments,” the Celtics said in a statement. Born April 8, 1940, in Martins Ferry, Havlicek became a standout athlete at Bridgeport High School in the small coal-mining town of 2,500 near Wheeling, W.Va.

The 6-foot-5 Havlicek was also an outstanding football and baseball player in high school and was given a tryout by the Cleveland Browns after graduating from college.

As a sophomore at Ohio State, he scored 12.2 points a game as the Buckeyes won the national championship, beating California 75-55 in the final. His junior and senior years, Ohio State again won the Big Ten titles and made it to the NCAA title game but lost to Cincinnati each time. During Havlicek’s three years at Ohio State, the Buckeyes went 78-6, dominating most games unlike any team up to that time.

Nicknamed “Hondo” for his resemblance to John Wayne, Havlicek was drafted ninth in the first round in 1962 out of Ohio State by a Celtics team stocked with stars Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Sanders, Tom Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey. Boston won championships in six of his first seven years.

Then, as the veteran players gradually moved on, Havlicek became the elder statesman and moved up to become a starter. The team won championships in 1973-74 and 1975-76 with Havlicek leading squads that included Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White.

His No.17 was raised to the rafters in old Boston Garden and now resides in TD Garden, retired soon after he retired in 1978. He averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the regular season, and 22.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 172 playoff games.