The 1960–61 Boston Celtics season was a historic one for the franchise. Led by legendary head coach Red Auerbach and boasting an all-star lineup including future Hall of Famers Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones and K.C. Jones, the Celtics went on to win their fourth NBA Championship in just five seasons.
With this championship victory they solidified themselves as one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports history with eight championships during a ten year span from 1957 – 1966. Despite only having 41 regular season wins that year due to injuries plaguing key players throughout most of the season.
The 1960–61 squad remained resilient and played hard until finally capturing their fourth title after defeating St Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 in the finals series
1. Frank Ramsey
Career
- High school: Madisonville, (Madisonville, Kentucky)
- College: Kentucky (1950–1954)
- NBA draft 1953 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
- Selected by the Boston Celtics
- Playing career: 1954–1964
- Position: Small forward / Shooting guard
- Number: 23
- 7× NBA champion (1957, 1959–1964), No. 23 retired by Boston Celtics, NCAA champion (1951), Consensus second-team All-American (1954), Second-team All-American – AP, UPI (1952), Third-team All-American – AP, UPI (1951)
- Points: 8,378 (13.4 ppg)
- Rebounds: 3,410 (5.5 rpg)
- Assists: 1,134 (1.8 apg)
- Basketball Hall of Fame as player
- College Basketball Hall of Fame, Inducted in 2006
Frank Ramsey was born on July 13, 1931 in Corydon, Kentucky. He attended high school at Madisonville and played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats from 1950 to 1954.
Ramsey was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the fifth overall pick in the 1953 NBA draft and played for them from 1954 to 1964. In 1963, he won an NBA Championship with the Celtics and also appeared in four All-Star games during his career.
After retiring as a player, Ramsey worked as a coach with various teams before joining ESPN as an analyst in 1984 . He died on July 8th 2018 after a long illness at 86 years old Ramsey was a key player on the Celtics' championship teams of 1957 and 1959-1964.
He was also an All-American in 1954, when he averaged 13.4 points per game. Ramsey retired from playing in 1965, but continued to coach with Kentucky Colonels until 1970. His achievements as a player and coach led to him being inducted into the Boston Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Also Played For: boston celtics, kentucky basketball
2. Satch Sanders
Career
- High school: Seward Park, (New York City, New York)
- College: NYU (1957–1960)
- NBA draft 1960 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
- Selected by the Boston Celtics
- Playing career: 1960–1973
- Position: Power forward
- Number: 16
- Coaching career: 1973–1978
- 8× NBA champion (1961–1966, 1968, 1969), NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1969), No. 16 retired by Boston Celtics, Third-team All-American – UPI (1960), Haggerty Award (1960)
- Points: 8,766 (9.6 ppg)
- Rebounds: 5,798 (6.3 rpg)
- Assists: 1,026 (1.1 apg)
- NBA: 23–39 (.371)
- College: 40–60 (.400)
- Basketball Hall of Fame
Sanders was a power forward in the NBA for 14 seasons. He is best known for his time with the Boston Celtics, where he won three championships (1969, 1974, 1976).
After retiring from playing basketball, Sanders served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. In 2016, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history by TNT broadcaster Charles Barkley.
Sanders was a great player and one of the greatest Celtics ever. Sanders led Boston to eight championships in eleven seasons, including five straight from 1961-1966. He was an All-Defensive Second Team selection three times and is third all-time in assists for the Celtics with 1,026 total over his career.
Sanders also won a Haggerty Award as well as being selected to three All Star Games (1960, 1962, 1966). Sanders retired after the 1973 season at the age of 38 years old due to injuries sustained during that year's playoffs against Philadelphia 76ers' Julius Erving.
3. Jim Loscutoff
Career
- High school: Palo Alto (Palo Alto, California)
- College: , Grant Tech (1948–1950), Oregon (1950–1951, 1954–1955)
- NBA draft 1955 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
- Selected by the Boston Celtics
- Playing career: 1955–1964
- Position: Small forward
- Number: 18
- 1955–1964: Boston Celtics
- 7× NBA champion (1957, 1959–1964), "LOSCY" honored by Boston Celtics, First-team All-PCC (1955)
- Points: 3,156 (6.2 ppg)
- Rebounds: 2,848 (5.6 rpg)
- Assists: 353 (0.7 apg)
Loscutoff was a standout high school player in Palo Alto, California and attended Grant Tech before playing college ball at Oregon. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1955 NBA draft and spent most of his career with them, winning two championships in 1959 and 1960.
Loscutoff later played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics before retiring from professional basketball in 1972.
Jim Loscutoff is considered one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA and is widely regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time.
In 2002 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alongside fellow legends Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jim Loscutoff passed away on December 1, 2015 at age 85 after a long battle with cancer.
4. Gene Guarilia
Career
- High school: Duryea High School, (Duryea, Pennsylvania)
- College: , Potomac State (1954–1955), George Washington (1956–1959)
- NBA draft 1959 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14th overall
- Selected by the Boston Celtics
- Playing career: 1959–1964
- Position: Small forward
- Number: 20
- 1959–1963: Boston Celtics
- 1963–1964: Wilkes-Barre Barons
- 4× NBA champion (1960–1963)
- Points: 413 (3.2 ppg)
- Rebounds: 294 (2.3 rpg)
- Assists: 36 (0.3 apg)
Gene Guarilia was born in 1937 in Pennsylvania and played basketball for Duryea High School. He went on to play college ball at Potomac State before being drafted by the NBA in 1959.
Gene enjoyed a long career with several teams, playing until his retirement in 1984. After retiring from basketball, Gene worked as a coach and executive with various organizations over the years.
He passed away on November 20th 2016 after a lengthy illness at the age of 79 Gene Guarilia was a small forward who played for the Boston Celtics from 1959 to 1964. He was part of the team that won four championships in a row, and he is also remembered as one of the best defensive players in NBA history.
Gene Guarilia's career highlights include winning four NBA titles and being named an All-Star twice. He also scored more than 400 points in three different seasons and averaged 2.3 rebounds per game during his career.
Gene Guarilia is now retired after playing professionally for almost 40 years, but he still remains involved with basketball through coaching and teaching at various academies around the world.
5. Gene Conley
Career
- 4× All-Star (1954, 1955, 1959, 1959²), World Series champion (1957)
- Basketball career
- Gene Conley with the 1960 Boston Celtics
- High school: Richland (Richland, Washington)
- College: Washington State (1949–1950)
- NBA draft 1952 / Round: 10 / Pick: 90th overall
- Selected by the Boston Celtics
- Playing career: 1952–1969
- Position: Center / Forward
- Number: 17, 5
- 1952–1953,, 1958–1961: Boston Celtics
- 1961–1962: Washington Tapers
- 1962–1964: New York Knicks
- 1966–1968: Hartford Capitols
- 3× NBA champion (1959–1961)
- Points: 2,069
- Rebounds: 2,212
- Assists: 201
Gene Conley was a pitcher in the MLB for over 20 years and had a 91-96 win-loss record. He was known for his strong fastball which he used to strike out hitters, earning him the nickname "The Mad Cat".
Gene Conley retired from baseball after the 1963 season and later died at 86 years old on July 4th, 2017. Gene Conley played basketball for the Boston Celtics in 1960. He was part of the team that won the NBA championship that year.
Gene is also a two-time All-Star and Superstar, having been named to both teams in 1961 and 1962 respectively. After his playing career ended, he became an assistant coach with the Celtics from 1973 to 1986 before retiring completely from coaching following the 1987 season.
In 1992, Gene was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as one of its first members ever elected by fans rather than professional players themselves. He is also a member of other Halls of Fame including those for baseball (1973) and football (1978).
Gene currently works as a color commentator on CBS Sports Network broadcasts of games involving either his former team or another franchise closely associated with him.
Most notably Philadelphia 76ers games where he has worked since 2006 alongside analyst Rick Majerus who coached Gene at Utah State University during their collegiate days together.
Final Words
The 1960-61 Boston Celtics season was a historic one for the franchise. Led by legendary head coach Red Auerbach, the C’s finished with an impressive 62-20 record, good for first in the NBA standings.
With players like Bob Cousy (1958 MVP), Bill Russell (1959 and 1963 MVPs) and John Havlicek (1966 MVP), this team was loaded with talent. The C’s would go on to win their fourth championship in seven years during the 1961–62 season.
These days, they are widely considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled, and rightly so.
