AllMovie

Born Arnold Jacob Auerbach on September 20, 1917, "Red" Auerbach became notorious for molding the Boston Celtics into one of the most exemplary teams in NBA history. Auerbach guided the team to an astounding 15 championships between 1959 and 1986 -- first (in an eight-season streak) as the Celtics coach during the 1950s and '60s, and later (after Bill Russell inherited coaching duties in 1966) as the team's general manager -- a position Auerbach held until his death from a heart attack on October 28, 2006. Auerbach's film involvement is somewhat limited, beyond filmed records of vintage Celtics games. He makes a cameo in Mike Newell's inspirational anti-nuke drama Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987), in which he appears as himself; he also headlines a handful of basketball training videos, including the 1987 Winning Basketball with Larry Bird and Red Auerbach and the 1988 Red on Roundball. Auerbach participates to a significant degree in the fine 2000 documentary Bill Russell: My Life, My Way, in which he discusses the brilliant Russell's contributions to basketball and civil rights.